There is a rumor that the A's are shopping Jeff Samardzija, who has one year left on his deal. But the asking price is steep.
The A's are looking for a shortstop, and the White Sox Alexi Ramirez's name has popped up in rumors.
Ramirez has two years left on his deal, at $10 million each, which is not too expensive for a starting shortstop.
The question is whether a Ramirez for Samardzija rental a good trade?
For the White Sox, no. Ramirez is still a valuable top half of the order player for whom the younger players respect. It will take two years before the White Sox top prospect, Tim Anderson, is ready to play short. So it makes more sense to hold on to Ramirez.
Yes, the White Sox are in need of starting pitchers, especially a right hander or two. Unless Samardzija agrees to an extension before trade, the A's are not going to get the bounty that they are asking for.
There was also another rumor about a three team trade with Braves which would include C/1B Evan Gattis. Again, the White Sox are in need of upgrading their catcher spot, but that is not nearly as important has maintaining stability at shortstop.
The A's might as well keep the Shark for 2015, give him a qualifer and then get a high draft pick for 2016.
