Elephant Rumblings: Which Players Will The A’s Trade?

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 24: Hogan Harris #36 of the Athletics pitches during the game between the Athletics and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Friday, July 24, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Michael Turner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Good morning A’s fans!

The trade deadline is nearly upon us and with the Athletics where they are in the standings it’s time for them to begin getting rid of anything not nailed down. That means it’s time to start saying our likely goodbyes to guys like Jeff McNeil and Jeffrey Springs, two veterans on expiring contracts. Neither of whom are going to be on the next A’s playoff team and it’s time for the A’s to make room for younger players who could be on the next playoff squad.

After those two veterans though there’s not much in the way of rental players for the Athletics to offer on the trade market. New starting catcher Jonah Heim could be of interest to catchy-needy teams and there’s a larger than usual number of contenders seeking help behind the plate this year. Considering he’s also a free agent at season’s end it makes sense to trade him, but then that saddles the club with Brian Serven as the starter for the final two months of the year. Heim’s glove alone could be worth more to the Athletics’ young pitchers over the final two months than a small-time prospect in the lower minors.

It’d be a major shock to see any other position players traded by the A’s this deadline season but there could be more action in regards to what little pitching we do have. Lefty Jose Suarez has been a solid option for Mark Kotsay over the past couple months after starting the year in Atlanta. He’s got a tough 4.63 ERA on the year but a much more respectable 3.79 mark in 29 games with the A’s. More importantly, the 28-year-old is controlled for one more year after this season wraps up. That should boost the prospect cost to acquire his services.

The other two bullpen arms other teams might be considering are Hogan Harris and Luis Medina, who are both now into the arbitration years and getting raises this offseason. Medina, once considered a building block for the starting rotation, has settled into a bullpen role this year and adapted well to the new spot on the team. His 3.70 ERA is the second-best mark in the A’s bullpen and he’s also under contract for three more years. That extra team control gives the A’s options in regards to the right-hander. If a team wants his services they’ll need to pay a decent package for the three-plus years they’ll have him.

The left-handed Harris has been often mentioned by other fans and pundits as a dark-horse trade candidate and it’s easy to see why. Like Medina, outside of a tough June the 29-year-old has been one of the few consistent arms for Kotsay out of the ‘pen. His 61 appearances are the fourth-most in the American League and his nine saves leads the team. He’s a lefty but he’s actually been more effective against right-handed hitters this year. And, again like Medina, he’s got lots of club control after this year so teams will need to pay up.

The squad will be finding out soon enough how far the A’s go this deadline season, but all indications are we shouldn’t expect any massive swaps. First pitch is at 6:40 again tonight. Until then, have a great day everyone.

A’s Coverage:

Red Sox Edge A’s 4-2 in Extra-inning Heartbreaker

A’s Squeak by Red Sox 4-3

Grand Slam Sinks A’s Against Red Sox

Parity (Mediocrity) Could Make For An Interesting Trade Deadline

Sources: A’s star Langeliers may miss rest of ‘26

A’s Lose Finale (And Series) To Twins 11-8

A’s Prevail 2-0 in Tightly Contested Pitching Duel

Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning

Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics

Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club

A’s place rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer on injured list with ruptured testicle

Another ‘step in the right direction’ for Lopez in hunt to regain rookie form

Blogfather Saves The Day With Pearls Of Most Excellent Advice

What will the Athletics do leading up to Trade Deadline after cold streak?

A’s Add Next Wave of Prospects in 2026 Draft

Athletics Get Hitting Help by Claiming Hot Bat off Waivers

MLB News and Interest:

Top prospect Max Clark — No. 13 overall — summoned by Tigers (source)

With questions about Ohtani, are Dodgers preparing big push for Skubal?

Cubs Considering Tarik Skubal

Rangers acquire catcher O’Hoppe, reliever Silseth from Angels

Twins’ Byron Buxton returns to 10-day IL with hip injury

Royals put Vinnie Pasquantino on 10-day IL with sore wrist

Ideal trade destinations for 7 Deadline targets

Nationals To Activate Jake Irvin

Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Not good news in the slightest:

Nick Kurtz will get an MRI tomorrow morning. Kotsay said his X-rays were “kind of unclear.”

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 30, 2026

Mason Barnett getting the start tonight:

Mason Barnett will start tomorrow for the A’s.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 30, 2026

A leader in the clubhouse:

Lawrence Butler just shared on @AthleticsCast24 that he called a players-only meeting prior to yesterday's game against Boston, and that he and several teammates spoke. The A's went on to beat the Red Sox by a 4-3 score and snapped a four-game losing streak. #Athletics

— Chris Correa (@ChrisCorrea15) July 29, 2026

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →