Black Friday Shopping: Top Blue Jays Trade Fits From the Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics will be a popular phone call this winter.
The AL West squad is "likely to trade almost every player with value on their roster," according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, and the A's have pieces to entice, including coveted first basemen Matt Olson.
We've already taken a look at the price for a potential Blue Jays splash in Ketel Marte this Black Friday, so now we'll break down the clearest Toronto fits from the bay area teardown:
SP Frankie Montas
I urge anyone not familiar with Montas' work to go check out his stats page. He may not be the most high-profile pitcher in the trade market this winter or on this list, but he might be the best.
Tossing out the shortened 2020, Montas has a 3.57 ERA in 70 games started over his last three seasons. Montas finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021, posting 187 innings of 3.37 ERA and striking out 10 batters per nine. The right-hander relies on a high-90s fastball with great spin and changeup/slider secondary offerings that helped earn him a 91st percentile chase rate in 2021.
SP Chris Bassitt
Bassitt hasn't had an ERA over 3.85 since 2016. With a five-pitch arsenal of fastballs, changeups, sliders, and curves, Bassitt is one of the best in baseball at reducing hard contact and staying off the barrel.
Bassitt's strikeout rates have improved over the last few seasons, earning him Cy Young votes in 2020 and 2021. The righty has just one year of control left, however, set for free agency in 2023.
SP Sean Manaea
Another 2023 free agent, Manaea led the American League in games started and shutouts in 2021. The lefty reached a career-high strikeout rate (9.7 K/9) and posted 4.73 strikeouts per walk.
The Oakland southpaw can get hit hard at times, owning a 29th percentile HardHit% in 2021 and consistently posting xERA and xwOBA higher than his achieved metrics. Manaea has been tagged for homers in the spacious Oakland ballpark the past few seasons, but his elite command and growing strikeout rates help him limit the damage. In three career starts at Rogers Centre, Manaea has let up four homers and owns a 4.26 ERA.
3B Matt Chapman
A two-time Platinum Glove Award winner at Toronto's clearest offensive position of need, third base, Chapman is an obvious fit despite his 2021 struggles with the bat. A two-time MVP vote-getter, Chapman's power totals took a dip in 2021, hitting almost half the extra-base hits he knocked during his last full season.
With two years of team control, the Athletics will certainly be asking for a haul for Chapman, who owns a career .808 OPS and remains arguably the best defender in baseball. Acquiring a late-20s elite third baseman from Oakland has worked out pretty well for Toronto in the past.
INF/OF Tony Kemp
Playing mainly second base and left field in 2021, Kemp brings versatility the Blue Jays covet and the left-hand bat they could use in the lineup. Primarily a second baseman or left fielder, Kemp has spent MLB time in center, right field, and shortstop.
With two years of team control left, Kemp was an underrated righty masher last year, hitting .290/.375/.443 against RHP in 2021.
Other Names to Consider: RP Lou Trivino, OF Seth Brown
H/T Ken Rosenthal
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon