9 trade targets for the Colorado Rockies from the Oakland A’s

The Oakland A’s are a team that is in flux. Frankly, they often are because they have more turnover on their players more than most teams but this time, it’s a bit different. The A’s made the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2018 through 2020 and, while not making it into the playoffs in 2021, they still won 86 wins, which was 12 more games than the Colorado Rockies.

However, they let their manager, Bob Melvin, go to San Diego for nothing in return, despite them having a contract for him for 2022. The A’s also have made zero (and I mean zero) moves this offseason, other than letting their players leave as outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha both signed with the New York Mets before the lockout.

There also have been a lot of rumors swirling around about players that the Oakland A’s could look at trading this offseason or at the trade deadline in 2022.

Many of the Oakland A’s players could be fits for the Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies need to address a lot of things on their team this offseason if they have any hope of gaining any ground in the win department. They already, on paper, are a worse team since they have lost Jon Gray and will almost certainly lose Trevor Story when the lockout ends. However, they still believe that they just need a few more pieces to be contenders in 2022.

The Rockies could address their issues with a few of these players with the Oakland A’s since, if history is any indication, the A’s will trade some of these players away sooner rather than later.

Here are nine players that the Colorado Rockies could (or should) look at as a trade target with the Oakland A’s.

Oakland A’s first baseman Matt Olson is on the trade block and he would help the Colorado Rockies

Oakland A’s first baseman Matt Olson is, arguably, the best first baseman available on the trade or free agent market that’s not named Freddie Freeman. There already have been plenty of rumors surrounding him this offseason and, particularly, his fit with the New York Yankees. However, the Colorado Rockies are a fit for him … if the designated hitter comes to the National League.

Olson, who turns 28 a few days before Opening Day, played in 156 games in 2021 for Oakland and he had 35 doubles, 39 homers, and 111 RBI with a slash line of .271/.371/.540 with an OPS+ of 153. Defensively, he had six Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and he finished the season with a 5.8 rWAR was an All-Star and came in 8th in AL MVP voting.

In 2020, he struggled with the batting average (.195) but he still had an OPS of .734 and an OPS+ of 103. In 2019, he hit 36 homers and had 91 RBI with a slash line of .267/.351/.545 and an OPS+ of 139. He also had 12 DRS. All of that came in just 127 games, meaning he was on pace for 46 homers, 115 RBI, and 15 DRS. He came in 21st in AL MVP voting and won a Gold Glove.

But for him to fit the Rockies, a few things would have to happen. First and foremost, the NL would have to adopt the DH so that C.J. Cron could play first and or DH. Rockies GM said that they don’t want a full-time DH and likely wouldn’t want their two best bats revolving between first and DH. However, that’s where the second thing comes in. Olson does have a handful of games played in right field in his career. The Rockies would probably want to utilize that if they got Olson.

However, given that he hasn’t played right field since 2017 and given that Olson will get somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million in his second year of arbitration this offseason, he could be out of the Rockies price range for a trade and for the money.

Oakland A’s third baseman Matt Chapman is an intriguing fit for the Colorado Rockies

Oakland A’s third baseman Matt Chapman would be a very intriguing fit for the Colorado Rockies. Back in November, we made the case for Chapman joining the Rockies and at the time, part of the reason why we made the case for the Rockies trading for Chapman was so that Chapman could play third base, Ryan McMahon could play second (where he was actually a better defender compared to third base in 2021) and Brendan Rodgers could play shortstop.

However, since then the Rockies said that they are mulling the thought of McMahon playing shortstop and keeping Rodgers at second base. That’s a little bit riskier since McMahon has never played shortstop but considering that second base is not his natural position but he is a defensive wizard there, he should eventually pick it up.

It might be even easier, though, if Chapman was manning third base because he has been so good over there defensively.

In 2021, he had 10 DRS and he had two in 2020 (in 36 games) but he he had 28, 23, and 15 in 2019, ’18, and ’17. In 2018 and 2019, he won the American League Platinum Glove Award. He won the Gold Glove Award in both seasons and won it in 2021 as well.

In a pinch, Chapman can also play shortstop (10 total innings played there in his MLB career but all the innings came in 2020 and 2021).

Offensively, he has regressed in each of the last three seasons, with the biggest dropoff coming in 2021, which is something that an acquiring team has to consider. However, it has still been league average or above, which would still be an upgrade over most of the current Colorado Rockies.

He is going to, roughly, get $9.5 million in arbitration so Oakland could be motivated to move him quickly after the lockout ends.

Oakland A’s utilityman Tony Kemp is a fit for the Colorado Rockies

Back in October when we chose one trade target for the Colorado Rockies from each of the other 29 teams, we chose Kemp for the Oakland A’s. Kemp is a fit for the Colorado Rockies in a few ways.

In 2021, Kemp, 30, played in 131 games for the A’s and he hit .279/.382/.418 with an OPS+ of 126. That slash line is exactly what the Rockies would love to have that kind of player on their bench or at the top of their lineup: a guy who gets on base at a high clip. He did as much in 2020 as well as, in 49 games for Oakland, he hit .247/.363/.301. That .301 slugging percentage shows that he wasn’t hitting for extra bases but he was getting singles and walks.

He struggled between Houston and the Cubs in 2019 (.291 OBP) but in 2018 for Houston he hit .263/.351/.392 with an OPS+ of 102. In 2019, that on-base percentage was down significantly because his walks were down significantly. In 2018, 2020, and 2021, Kemp walked nearly as many times (99) as he struck out (109) whereas, in 2019, his strikeout rate was more than double that of his walk rate.

For the Rockies, they also would like him for his versatility and inexpensiveness. Kemp has played second and left field the most but he also has significant time in center field and a few games in right and at shortstop.

Kemp is arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason and slated to make around $2.2 million in it.

Oakland A’s outfielder Chad Pinder could also help the Colorado Rockies bench

Oakland A’s outfielder Chad Pinder would be a good option for the Colorado Rockies on their bench.

Pinder, who turns 30 just before Opening Day, has roughly an MLB average bat but he is a good defender and he is very versatile. In 2021, he played in 75 games and he hit .243/.300/.411 with six homers, 27 RBI, and an OPS+ of 98.

He posted similar numbers in both 2019 and 2020. In 2019, he hit .240/.290/.416 but he hit 13 homers and had 47 RBI in 124 games. In 2020, he hit .232/.295/.393 with an OPS+ of 91 in 24 games.

In recent years, he hasn’t been a good hitter but for a bench bat, his bat would be better than most of the Rockies current bench bats.

Defensively, he has a wide range in the last three seasons as he has been way above average (9 DRS in 2019), average (0 DRS in 2020), and below-average (-3 DRS in 2021).

Something that would intrigue the Rockies is that he can play nearly every position. Since 2019, he has played every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher but left field and right field are his two primary positions.

He is arbitration-eligible for the final time this offseason and he is projected to get around $2.8 million.

Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas is someone that the Colorado Rockies should consider

If the Oakland A’s do indeed take a step back as a team and sell some of their pieces either before the 2022 season starts or at the trade deadline, they very well might be selling starting pitcher Frankie Montas so they can sell high on him. The Colorado Rockies should consider him as a rotation option.

Montas, who turns 29 just before Opening Day, had the best season of his career in 2021 since it was the first time he pitched in more than 16 games in a season. In 2021, he made 32 starts (187 innings) and he had an ERA of 3.37. He had an ERA+ of 121, a FIP that was the same as his ERA (3.37), a WHIP of 1.182, a walk rate of 2.7 per nine innings, and 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

He ended up coming in 6th in AL Cy Young Award voting.

The problem with Montas he doesn’t have much of a track record other than his great 2021 season. He was awful in 2020 (5.60 ERA in 11 starts) and in 2019, he pitched well (2.63 ERA, 3.00 FIP in 16 starts) … until he was popped for PED use. Prior to 2019, he bounced between the majors and minors.

He is arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason and is slated to get around $5.2 million in arbitration.

Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea is another starter for the Colorado Rockies to consider

Sean Manaea is, arguably, the Oakland A’s best starter when he is healthy but injuries derailed him a bit in recent years. However, now that he is healthy, he could be an asset for the Colorado Rockies.

Manaea, who turns 30 in February, made 32 starts for the A’s in 2021 and had a 3.91 ERA (104 ERA+) in 179 1/3 innings. He had a FIP of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.227 while walking 2.1 batters and striking out 9.7 batters per nine innings.

He had a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts in 2020 but his 3.71 FIP suggests he had some bad luck, as does his 1.204 WHIP, and a walk rate of just 1.3 per nine innings.

At the end of the 2018 season, he had to have shoulder surgery so it wiped out the final month of the 2018 season and all but five regular season starts in 2019. He was great in those five 2019 starts (1.21 ERA) but in 2018, in 27 starts, he had an ERA of 3.59 (116 ERA+) with a 1.077 WHIP.

The A’s could be more motivated to move Manaea as soon as he is currently entering the final year of arbitration. He is slated to make around $10.2 million in arbitration, which is something that could make Oakland even more motivated to move him ASAP.

The Rockies probably won’t want to pay that much to a rental but he’s still a guy that could be a good rotation piece for them.

Chris Bassitt is another starter that the Oakland A’s could trade to the Colorado Rockies

Like Sean Manaea, the Oakland A’s will probably be more motivated to move Chris Bassitt so if the Colorado Rockies truly believe that they are buyers. However, he could get a lot in a trade return

Bassitt, who turns 33 in February, made 27 starts for the A’s in 2021 and he had a great 3.15 ERA, a FIP of 3.34, and an ERA+ of 130. In 157 1/3 innings, he had a WHIP of 1.055 and he walked 2.2 batters and struck out 9.1 batters per nine innings. He was an All-Star and came in 10th in AL Cy Young Award voting.

He came in 8th in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2020 when he had an ERA of 2.29 in 11 starts. He also had a 183 ERA+, a 3.59 FIP, and he walked 2.9 and struck out 7.4 batters per nine innings.

In 2019, he made 28 appearances (25 starts) and he also pitched well as he had a 3.81 ERA with a 1.194 WHIP with 2.9 walks and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Bassitt is projected to get just shy of $9 million in arbitration so the Rockies may not want to pay Bassitt that much for what could be a rental, especially depending on the asking price for Bassitt but if the trade return isn’t too high, it’s something that they should consider.

Oakland A’s closer Lou Trivino could provide the Colorado Rockies with some bullpen help

Lou Trivino has been in the Oakland A’s bullpen for the last four seasons and he has been good for them and the Colorado Rockies are in desperate need of some bullpen help.

Trivino, 30, appeared in 71 games for the A’s in 2021 and he had a 3.18 ERA (129 ERA+). He had a 3.78 FIP, a 1.249 WHIP, and he recorded 22 saves for the A’s in his first season on the job.

In 2020, he made 20 appearances and had a 3.86 ERA (110 ERA+). He had a FIP of 3.92, a WHIP of 1.114, and he struck out 10 batters per nine innings. He was not good in 2019 (5.25 ERA in 61 appearances) but was good in his rookie campaign of 2018 as he had a 2.92 ERA in 69 appearances.

The problem with Trivino is that his walk rate is a bit high for a reliever, as he has walked 4.1 batters per nine innings in his career. However, his groundball rate since 2019 is slightly above league average at 45.8 percent. That rate would make him the Rockies reliever with the highest groundball percentage.

Unlike the other pitchers mentioned, Trivino is only entering the first year of arbitration so he has some more control, which could make his asking price fairly high. He is slated to make about $3 million in arbitration.

Our trade Colorado Rockies target series continues with the Seattle Mariners on deck.