Why A's should target Robbie Ray trade with D'backs selling in offseason

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Arizona is officially open for business.

On Wednesday, the Diamondbacks traded six-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt, the face of their franchise, to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for prospects. The D'backs have already seen their ace Patrick Corbin agree to terms with the Nationals and they also figure to lose All-Star outfielder A.J. Pollock in free agency.

With Arizona selling, the A's should be buying, specifically left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray.

Oakland desperately needs starting pitching and the 27-year-old left-hander would be a great addition for a couple of reasons.

First, he's flat-out dominant. Over the past two seasons, Ray has averaged better than 12 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking near the top of Major League Baseball. During that span, he has gone 21-7 with a 3.34 ERA.

Second, Ray is young and affordable. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to get $6.1 million in arbitration next season, and he is still under arbitration control for another year after that. At his age, he is just entering his prime.

The D'backs will likely want prospects in return as they start their rebuild. The A's won't want to part with Jesús Luzardo, A.J. Puk, or Sean Murphy, but anyone else should be fair game.

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