Giants, Athletics angling to acquire White Sox slugger Adam Dunn

White Sox slugger Adam Dunn may find himself in a postseason race with contenders like the Giants and Athletics looking to acquire his left-handed bat.
Giants, Athletics angling to acquire White Sox slugger Adam Dunn
Giants, Athletics angling to acquire White Sox slugger Adam Dunn /

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics are among teams interested in acquiring Chicago White Sox slugger Adam Dunn before the Monday deadline for postseason eligibility, two sources told SI.com. A potential trade may be Dunn's final chance to experience postseason baseball.

Dunn, 34, playing the last season of four-year, $56-million contract, has indicated he may retire after this season. He has played more career games without reaching the postseason than any active player (1,976). He ranks 15th in most games without playing in the postseason since the World Series began in 1903, including the most of any player who began his career after 1972.

Why September comebacks are few and far between in MLB

​Dunn hit his 20th home run Saturday, the 460th home run of his career.  Though he is hitting just .220, Dunn is valued for his power against right-handed pitching. He has hit 18 of his homers this season against right-handed pitching. Only 10 players in MLB have more.

The Giants and A's are looking to add to their offensive depth. While the Giants lead the NL in batting in August, Oakland ranks last in the AL for the month. The Los Angeles Dodgers also inquired about Dunn but a source familiar with the Dunn talks said they did not appear to be a fit.

Sunday is considered the last true shopping day before the postseason. Any player acquired beginning Sept. 1 is not eligible for postseason play, a deadline that often leads to trade activity in the 24 hours leading to it. On Aug. 31 last season the Dodgers traded for infielder Michael Young, the Pirates traded for first baseman Justin Morneau and the Red Sox traded for infielder John McDonald.


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Tom Verducci
TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.