After trading away Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, and Sean Manaea, the A's are looking to deal another one of their top players.
The Chicago White Sox reportedly are interested in trading for right-hander Frankie Montas, but the potential deal appears to have hit a snag. USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday that the White Sox won't include young power hitter Andrew Vaughn in a Montas deal. Vaughn reportedly is a player the A's targeted as their preferred return piece for Montas.
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Montas is coming off a strong 2021 campaign in which he went 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA in 32 appearances. He had a tough start on Opening Day, however, allowed five earned runs in five innings in the A's 9-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 29-year-old would be a solid addition to a White Sox rotation that has Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease. With Giolito going on the 10-day Injured List and Lance Lynn recovering from knee surgery, Chicago is in need of a top-flight arm to bolster its rotation.
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But parting with the 24-year-old Vaughn would be a tough pill to swallow.
Oakland Athletics
Vaughn was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Cal. He made his MLB debut last season and struggled as a rookie, hitting just .235 with a .396 slugging percentage. However, Vaughn is off to a hot start this season, as he's 4-for-10 with two home runs in three games.
The A's are looking to rebuild their talent pool and being able to slot Vaughn into their lineup with Sean Murphy and Cristian Pache would jump-start that process.
But Vaughn might be too steep of a price to pay for the White Sox.