The Oakland Athletics traded All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays last week in a transaction that surprised most. Well, if they're serious about their latest trade talks, everyone might be surprised again ... or not at all.
Oakland general manager Billy Beane is reportedly talking about trading All-Star first baseman Brandon Moss. The Miami Marlins initially expressed interest in the slugger, but now the Cleveland Indians have jumped into the mix. The domino effect soon followed, as Jane Lee of MLB.com reports "other teams" are involved in talks with the A's about the 31-year-old Moss.
ESPN's Jayson Stark tweeted early Thursday morning that one MLB executive told him the Athletics are "going to trade Brandon Moss," but right now it's not clear where or what Oakland wants in return for him. Beane is likely looking for some prospects in return for the slugger, who clubbed 76 home runs and 220 RBIs over the past three seasons. We saw the plentiful return Beane received in exchange for Donaldson last week, so something to a lesser degree would make sense, unless the team has other ideas in mind.
Moss earned $4.1 million last season and enters his second year of arbitration eligibility, which is no wonder why the A's are shopping him. He's due for a big raise after his success over the past few years, and the fact that he can play both first base and the outfield makes him more valuable. The Marlins have an obvious vacancy at first base and a surplus of prospects they might be willing to part with, so a trade there would make sense. In Cleveland, the team is worried about Nick Swisher's knee injuries, which will likely hinder his ability to effectively play the outfield next season. A power bat in that lineup also wouldn't hurt a team that missed the postseason by only three games.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal notes Moss is coming off hip surgery and is projected to make $7 million in arbitration, so perhaps the talks have extended to others teams so the A's can see what kind of value they can get in return for him. Oakland signed Billy Butler and Ike Davis this offseason, which will save them money in the long run as they got value for Donaldson before he was owed big money and are planning to get some for Moss as well.
A deal could be struck at the MLB Winter Meetings, which last from December 7-11.
