If you’re wondering why things were so quiet on the trade front the past two days, it’s the calm before the storm. Expect a flurry of deals between now and tomorrow morning followed by an even madder dash to the finish line tomorrow afternoon.
Deals are no doubt percolating, some to be poured strong, some to be served with 1% milk, and others to be entirely discarded into the compost. If you’re a player whose name has been bandied about, this week was your final audition to see if you are as advertised
or if maybe instead someone wants to lure away your understudy.
As William Shakespeare said, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” Or was that CB Bucknor? Well anyway...
A’s Starting Pitchers
Severino: If the A’s are boasting Luis Severino as a front of the rotation addition to a contending team, this week’s auditions have generally boosted the cause. Severino was downright filthy in beating the Astros in Houston (7 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) throwing 98 MPH and spinning his slider wickedly in and out of the zone.
His start last night was ... interesting. On the plus side he earned his very first win at home, continued to throw an easy 98 MPH, and after a bumpy first 4 pitches settled down to give the A’s 5 IP, 1 ER with 6 K.
On the down side, he baffled fans, scouts, coaches and trainers alike by collapsing to the ground in his follow through not once but on two consecutive pitches — the second and third ones of the game. And ultimately he was only able to give 5 IP as he needed 93 pitches just to get 15 outs.
Overall, Severino has shown this month that he can miss bats and record strikeouts, which he wasn’t doing enough in the first half. Over his last 4 starts he has struck out 25 batters in 21.2 IP. However, he has also gone more than 5 innings in just one of them.
Bottom Line: I think Severino will appeal to teams desperate for starting pitching, but the price tag and his inconsistency will yield only modest offers. We will see how keen the A’s are to unload him, or whether they see themselves as one of those contending teams in need of pitching — contending being 2026.
Sears: JP Sears had his final audition Monday night and probably didn’t raise his stock any. Yes he was betrayed by his defense when Nick Kurtz turned a pick off into a throwing error and an unearned run, but Sears enjoyed good fortune when 3 would be HRs all hooked foul by a matter of a few feet.
Sears lasted just 4.1 IP, tagged with 5 hits, 3 BB, 1 HR, and 2 ER, and left the mound with a 4.95 ERA for the season. He also finishes July with 30 K in 24.1 IP and only 7 BB, and might have some appeal for teams who value his “every 5th day without fail” durability. Sears has 3 years of contract control after 2025 so he is a long term piece, not a rental.
Bottom Line: Given his contract status and “#4 SP” profile, Sears seems more like an off-season acquisition than a deadline deal pickup. It’s hard to imagine a contending team watching his recent starts and viewing Sears as a guy who will elevate a team on his own.
Springs: Jeffrey Springs gets the ball tonight against Seattle in his final July start. On a more affordable contract than Severino and having performed better overall than Sears, Springs might be the SP drawing the most interest from other teams.
Springs is no ace, but since a terrible April in his return from TJS the lefty has posted a solid 3.53 ERA and pitched like a mid-rotation SP. The question is whether the A’s even want to part with one of their currently better starting pitchers who is on an affordable contract for 2 more seasons.
Tonight’s start could be pivotal in terms of the level of offers the A’s get. A dominant start would solidify his fine stat line from May-July, but a poor start would leave him with ugly July numbers — this month has not been as good as the two before it, with a 4.18 ERA and just 20 K in 28 IP, 6 HR.
Bottom Line: Springs offers enough to a team in need of a SP that he will draw interest and offers — the biggest question might be whether the A’s are more interested in keeping him or in cashing out his value in prospects.
A’s Position Players
Miguel Andujar: Andujar might have played himself, this week, into being the most “coveted” of the A’s position players. With his 2 double, 2 RBI performance last night Andujar raised his season BA to .294 and his low K rate (12.8%) helps to make his quest for .300 sustainable. Andujar is hitting a robust .319/.422/.741 in July.
There are contending teams in need of a good bat and despite his flaws (low BB rate, pedestrian slugging) Andujar’s bat would in fact help those clubs. The question is where he would play as he provides negative defensive value both at 3B and in LF.
Bottom Line: Andujar is reported drawing interest from multiple teams and the A’s would be foolish not to deal him to the highest bidder as he will be a free agent at the end of the year and has no place on a good A’s team. Expect him to be traded, don’t expect a big return, and hope the A’s target the right prospect(s).
Luis Urias: It’s ironic to refer to Urias as the “tallest midget” but in this case it’s not a reference to his height but rather how soft the market is for 2B/3Bmen. Urias is not a hot commodity in his own right but he is considered one of the best 2B/3Bmen available right now.
Urias won’t command a big return as he has posted below average hitting numbers (87 wRC+) and slightly negative defensive stats at 2B. Unfortunately for the A’s, Urias is not trending well in his more recent auditions: his wRC+ has fallen every single month, all the way down to 61 in July (he is hitting just .182/.289/.273).
But there are contending teams who are starting infielders with even worse production than Urias’ .232/.316/.354 and for whom Urias would in fact be an upgrade. Also any team that wants to acquire Urias and put him at 3B know he has put up very good defensive numbers there in his career.
Bottom Line: Same as Andujar, with Urias a free agent at year’s end expect him to very likely be dealt but for a modest return. Unlike Andujar, Urias’ stock has fallen, not risen, with his recent performance — so much so that it’s conceivable the A’s will get tepid enough interest they will just decide to hang onto him given the injuries to both Max Muncy and Jacob Wilson and the possible departure of Andujar.
Gio Urshela: Urshela had a nice 3 for 4 day on July 24th but that shouldn’t trick teams into believing he is anything but done at age 33. Even with that 3 for 4, in July Urshela has batted just .258/.294/.323 (67 wRC+) and his fielding took a tumble this year (-7 DRS). He is not even starting every day for an A’s team down 2 infielders.
Bottom Line: Even though he has been terrible all season and has offered just “more of the same” this month, reports suggest there is some interest in him. (I’m honestly baffled if this is true.) Look for the A’s to jump on any offer to shed his remaining salary and get at least a prospect.
A’s Relievers
Could this be the ‘wild card’ less often discussed? The A’s bullpen has been a source of consternation in 2025, but not lately. And two relievers who weren’t around when the bullpen imploded have been key additions.
Michael Kelly: Kelly’s superficial stats are terrific and his stuff is legit with a 96 MPH fastball and a slider that is his bread and butter. Kelly has allowed just 2 ER in his 18.2 IP and just 10 hits.
However, GMs aren’t going to just not notice underlying metrics such as Kelly’s absurdly low 4.82 K/9IP or his 4.19 xERA and 4.99 xFIP that bely his shiny 0.96 ERA. Even though he is 32, Kelly comes with a whopping 5 more years of contract control.
Bottom Line: I suspect GMs look deeply at predictive stats before pulling the trigger on transactions, and Kelly’s predictive stats scream “Severe Regression Ahead!” And his 5 years aren’t so appealing when you consider they would be his age 33-37 seasons.
I think the A’s would gladly move him for any decent return but I doubt there will be a plethora of buyers.
Sean Newcomb: Let go by the A’s last year, signed and let go by the Red Sox this year, Newcomb found his way back to the A’s in the bullpen and lately he has truly excelled.
Here is an example of someone who is “trending upwards” and might be attracting some attention around the league. Newcomb has done his best pitching of the season — make that of his career — in July, 2025.
The stats speak for themselves: 12.1 IP, 7 hits, 3 BB, 19 K. In Houston he dialed his fastball all the way up to 96 MPH and recently his curve has had huge late movement that has consistently frozen hitters for called strikes or gotten chases out of the zone.
Bottom Line: A free agent at the end of the season, Newcomb may have peaked/emerged at just the right time from the A’s point of view. Even if they want to keep him in the fold for 2026 they can deal him and try to re-sign him in the off-season. And if GMs believe how he throwing the ball now is how he can throw it in August and September, into October, he might actually command a decent prospect in return.
So there’s a little over 1,750 words. Now let’s see what actually happens.
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