Will A's be buyers or sellers with MLB trade deadline approaching?

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With the trade deadline just over a month away, the next few weeks could go a long way toward determining whether the A's are buyers or sellers.

Oakland entered Saturday seven games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West, but just 2 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay and Texas for the AL wild-card spots. As long as the A's remain within four or five games in the wild-card race, they will likely be buyers at the deadline.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll go after one of the big names on the market. Last year, Billy Beane and David Forst made a series of solid under-the-radar moves, acquiring Mike Fiers, Jeurys Familia, Fernando Rodney, Cory Gearrin and Shawn Kelley to bolster the team's pitching staff. Most importantly, they did it without giving up any top prospects.

That likely will be the strategy once again this July.

Clearly, the A's need help in both their starting rotation and bullpen. The two biggest names among starters on the trading block are Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman and Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner. While it's fun to think about either one of them in green and gold, they're probably nothing more than a pipe dream. Stroman and Bumgarner will have numerous suitors among contending teams, which will drive up the asking price. That doesn't bode well for the A's, who will almost certainly will not want to part with any of their top prospects -- names like Jesús Luzardo, A.J. Puk and Sean Murphy -- in exchange for a rental.

If the A's do choose to pursue a starting pitcher, they likely would seek a trade along the lines of last year's Fiers deal. Oakland gave up a pair of mid-level prospects for a reliable, if not spectacular, veteran arm.

Perhaps that would be someone like Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler or Tigers southpaw Matthew Boyd. Both have pitched well this year and both have manageable contracts.

Oakland's recent strategy, however, has been to focus on relievers, who typically produce a less competitive market and of which there is a wider selection. Some of the bullpen help available could include Giants left-hander Will Smith, Blue Jays right-hander Ken Giles and Tigers right-hander Shane Greene.

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Another reason the A's are likely to target relievers over starters is the expected return of Luzardo, Sean Manaea and Marco Estrada at some point during the second half. If even one or two of them can contribute to the rotation, Oakland could be in pretty good shape down the stretch.

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