Now that the 2011 MLB All Star Game is officially in the books, the next significant deadline in baseball is the July 31 MLB trade deadline. Of the four major sports, MLB's trade deadline generally has the biggest flurry of activity and this year should be no different. The league has seen its first major trade in which the New York Mets shipped closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets claim it's not the start of a firesale. Sure fellas.
While teams like the Brewers and the cross-Bay San Francisco Giant will likely be buyers this month, the Oakland Athletics are looking to be sellers this year. There are still two weeks until the trade deadline so that could change, but given the A's 12-game deficit, it's hard to see them climbing back into the AL West race. The offense has been abysmal and they've lost a variety of players to injury, including Brett Anderson's Tommy John surgery Thursday morning.
All in all it's been a rough 2011 season for the A's and they will likely be looking to unload veterans that are not particularly necessary moving forward. The A's added several veterans during the offseason and while none will command a lot of minor league talent, each could help add some minor league depth for the A's.
Among others, the A's could decide to deal Brian Fuentes, Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Hideki Matsui, David DeJesus, and Brandon McCarthy. That's not to say they'll deal all, some, or even any of these players. These are simply some of the names that could end up in trade rumors as the deadline approaches. Of that list, I'd imagine Fuentes, Willingham, and Crisp would be the most likely to depart over the next two weeks.
If the A's do in fact become the sellers many expect, we'll be here with all the latest rumors, news updates and trades as they happen. Oakland find itself in a tough position as a once-promising season has crumbled. Hopefully the trade deadline will bring hope for the future.