Update 2 (9:21 PM ET): The Athletics are working on multiple trades, per Rosenthal. His source says GM Billy Beane is “re-working the club”.
Update (9:10 PM ET): Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the trade the Athletics are working on does not, in fact, involve Samardzija. MLB.com’s Jane Lee adds that the player involved isn’t Brandon Moss, either.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter that the Athletics are close to “a fairly significant deal” involving starter Jeff Samardzija. She adds that the Athletics would be getting back several pieces and that the club is targeting hitters.
The Athletics acquired Samardzija and Jason Hammel in a trade with the Cubs in early July, sending prospect Addison Russell as well as Dan Straily and Billy McKinney to the Cubs. Samardzija posted a 3.14 ERA with a 99/12 K/BB ratio over 111 2/3 innings with the A’s. The right-hander is eligible for arbitration for the third and final time, and is projected to earn $9.5 million according to arbitration projections on MLB Trade Rumors.
We’ll keep you updated on the deal as details emerge.