Khris Davis trade ideas
I believe most people here in the Athletics Nation don't want to see Khris Davis traded. I understand why, but Billy Beane has to at least listen to the offers we get. The A's would like to have more pitching. For those who believe we have a big enough depth : we were using Chris Smith in August as a starter, because we didn't have anybody else to go with. I know we could get a free agent starter, but we don't have the money to sign a front line starter. Even a back of the rotation type could be expensive. We have some space in our budget and Khris Davis will probably be earning the most out of anyone in the A's. Is he worth 8mln a year for Oakland with his production, which also takes into account his not great throwing arm? Our outfield for 2018 could be : LF Joyce/Canha CF Powell/Fowler/Brugman RF Pinder. The defense would improve and I believe the offense would still be productive. Ok, so if we were to trade Khrush, which teams could be interested? Let's see :
Houston Astros
Carlos Beltran will be a free agent after 2017 and to be honest he didn't perform to his contract. Replacing him with Khris Davis would save them some 9mln and more importantly they will get some more offensive production. KD could be their regular DH with Fischer, Springer and Reddick occupying the outfield. Let's see what they could offer us. I will look at the pitchers they have, since this is our need. Let's forget about Whitley. But, what about :
Rogelio Armenteros, 23
stats: 123.1IP between AA and AAA, 2.04 ERA 38bb 146k 205avr against 1.04 whip.
Isn't that impressive? This guy could join the A's rotation in April and pitch with an ERA not higher than 4.5. He was 23rd in the Astros top prospects list, but he will definetly climb up in the newest rankings. I don't care if the scouts say he doesn't have dominant stuff, just look at his stast. He could be like Zach Greinke or Kyle Hendricks. Armenteros gets a lot of strikeouts, so I believe he has what it takes to be a front line starter. I'd definetly trade KD straight away for Rogelio. But the Astros may say no. Rogelio might acually be more valuable now than the pitcher they had as their top pitching prospect prior to 2017
Francis Martes, 21 50IP in MLB 5.9 ERA
He didn't really pitch that well this year, but he gets the strikeouts. He definetly has the potential to be a front line starter, but isn't one yet. He might need more time in AAA, so if the A's accuire him, it will be trying to build a playoff team for 2019. The Astros might view him as a futute ace and will not consider selling him low. There is also one other pitcher we could try to pray away.
David Paulino, 23 29IP in MLB 6.52 ERA
I know this guy got suspended this year and that his stats don't look impressive. But this guy has some good stuff, including a curveball that is difficult to hit when working. David is considered to be a promising pitcher and a kind the Astros would like to use to get a hitter, since they could trust Martes, Whitley and Armenteros in the future. David would have to compete for a spot in 2018, no doubt about it. He might not win a spot, but adding depth will be important. A trade Paulino-KD would help the A's in the longterm, but let's try to get Armenteros or Martes before we ask for this guy. Billy Beane likes taking risks on prospects and David is exactly one of those kinds.
Cleveland Indians
Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce will become free agents, there might be space to add a bat like KD. I'm not sure he would be a perfect fit, but after Houston this is the second team I can think about while thinking about his potential new team. Let's see what they have to offer :
Shane Bieber, 22
173.1IP between A, A+ and AA, 2.86 ERA 10bb to 162k
His bb-k ratio is very impressive, he shows good control. I believe he could be a very solid starter, but probably wouldn't help much in 2018. He is probably their best pitching prospect behing McKenzie. There is Aaron Civale or Julian Merryweather, but none seem ready to contribute big time in 2018.
In conclusion, these are the 2 most likely destinations for KD. I believe he should stay in the AL, where he could avoid having to use his throwing arm. Maybe the Yankees would show some interest after Holiday will depart for free agency, but with their outfield depth I'm not so sure about them. I'd like to recieve a starter, Rogelio Armenteros would be the best option to get, but I believe David Paulino would be the only starter that the A's could get from the ones I showed. What do you think about my view? Would you trade KD for one of these guys? Do you believe the A's have a chance to acquire Rogelio?