Elephant Rumblings: Teams eyeing Langeliers?

MLB news roundup

Happy Tuesday Athletics Nation!

We have all heard about who on the Athletics are going to be brought up in trade discussions over the past few weeks. A lot of the chatter early in the season surrounded stud closer Mason Miller. And deservedly so as he is already among the top late-inning relievers in the game, is controllable for years to come, and still could be converted to a starting pitcher. There’s a lot to like if you’re an interested team in Miller.

Then we later got word that last year’s All-Star Brent Rooker is already receiving trade interest as he has followed up last season’s 30-homer performance with 13 already in just 54 games (a pace that’d see him finish with 39 home runs this season). The speculation surrounding Rooker especially took off after Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL a few weeks ago, but there would surely be other teams interested in a controllable slugger like Rooker, who the A’s sort of lucked into.

Then we heard that teams are interested in rotation stalwart JP Sears. And if you’re a fan who watches the team even semi regularly, then you understand the value Sears has provided to the club already in just a season and a half-ish. He probably has more value to the Athletics right now soaking up innings and growing into an even more dominant starter but if the right team comes along with a strong enough offer you better believe the club would listen on the 28-year old left-hander.

And now we are starting to get trade speculation regarding Oakland’s starting catcher. Fans of the Chicago Cubs have begun speculating on what it would take for the North Siders to acquire Shea Langeliers. Now on first glance Langeliers’ season slash line (.197/.258/.446) doesn’t look that impressive. He’s hitting below the Mendoza Line and is still striking out at a much higher rate than one would prefer.

Yet on the other hand Langeliers would also be an upgrade for a Cubs team that has gotten very little out of their own catching tandem. Adding someone like Langeliers, who not only is second on the Athletics in home runs but tied for second among all catchers in home runs, would be a definitive upgrade for a lot of teams in the league in the power department, especially for a Chicago Cubs team that has received a grand total of four home runs from its catchers. Add in the fact that Langeliers is controllable for the next few years, has a cannon behind the plate that can control the running game, and could be playing at Wrigley Field instead of the spacious Coliseum, and it’s starting to become easier to see why the Cubs would be interested.

And even though the club just made Langeliers a key return piece of the Matt Olson trade, the club also has top position player prospect Tyler Soderstrom who could take over as the starting catcher. He hasn’t been performing like a player who was considered a top hitting prospect in the sport but a lot of young players struggle in their first full big league season, especially catchers on the hitting side of things. And then there is Daniel Susac, another catcher drafted in the 1st-round by the Athletics who could be another option down the line.

The point is, the Athletics aren’t shy about trading players still in arbitration and they have other young guys who could immediately step into a sudden void at the catcher position. And unlike last year, there are multiple guys who could bring back a serious return if the club made them available. This year’s trade deadline could be more exciting than last year’s when the A’s made reactively small moves like acquiring Joe Boyle for Sam Moll. We might very likely see at least one big move from the club in the coming weeks.

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone!

A’s Coverage:

• A’s offense falls flat in 6-1 loss
• A Langeliers-to-Cubs trade the Athletics couldn’t refuse
• Brent Rooker making strong case to repeat as All-Star for A’s in ‘24
• What anonymous players say about A’s move to Sacramento
• Jays’ Kikuchi accidentally becomes part of action vs. A’s

MLB News & Interest:

• MLB players happy with London series, suggest some tweaks
• White Sox set to promote top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe
• Brewers pitcher Robert Glasser receiving third opinion; likely done for year
• Japanese top prospect Rintaro Sasaki set to make stateside debut
• Max Scherzer throws four scoreless innings in 2nd rehab start
• White Sox catcher Max Stassi undergoes season-ending surgery
• Orioles sweep Rays for first time at Tropicana in history
• Diamondbacks could look to move third baseman Eugenio Suarez
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Congrats to an A’s prospect!

A remind of a huge miss by the Athletics in the Draft…