The Athletics dealt star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays last night for Brett Lawrie and three prospects, but general manager Billy Beane isn’t done with reshuffling his roster. According to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, the Athletics are discussing Justin Upton and Evan Gattis with the Braves. The thought is that Jeff Samardzija could be the “bait” in a potential deal.
It’s a odd match on the surface, as Upton and Samardzija are both under team control for only one more year. Gattis is a different story, as he won’t even be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after next season. Surely more players are being discussed and who knows, maybe a third team would end up being involved.
On a potentially related note, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes that the Athletics have “at least one more significant trade brewing.” While most of the speculation is that Samardzija will be the next to go, Rosenthal believes that that moving a left-handed hitter like Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick, or John Jaso is more likely.