Almost every competitor will be involved in a bull market over the next five days. The trade prices for relief releases are fairly high every deadline season. There are plenty of obvious candidates that we’ve discussed for weeks at MLBTR (eg Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Antonio Senzatela). Most of them are within a year or two of free agency.
The regular offseason also sees one or two relievers with the extended window of team control handled in a dramatic manner. Examples include Scott Effross, Huascar Brazoban, Bryan Baker and (in case of high impact) Louis Varland. The Dodgers and the Rockies made a Seth Halvorsen exchange a few weeks ago. It could be a trade move from a late exit or one team trying to take advantage of a huge need for relief — as the Twins did last year in Varland, John Duran, Griffin Jax again Brock Stewart.
Let’s try to identify a few players who could be this year’s surprise trade chip. This is speculative work, to be clear, and none of these pitchers have featured prominently in trade rumors thus far. Most of them will not end up being moved but it is the players whose ability to buy and perform well this season that should lead to discussions if not the main names that will play the rumours.
Note: Chase Silseth was traded to the Rangers after this post was published Wednesday afternoon.
Hogan HarrisLHP, Athletics (arbitration, manageable until 2030)
Harris is quietly putting together a third straight quality season in Mark Kotsay’s bullpen. The 29-year-old southpaw has worked to a 3.38 earned run average while striking out 30% of opposing hitters in 48 innings. He made several save opportunities as part of a tight end in West Sacramento. Harris averages a career-high 95.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and ranks among the top 20 relievers left in strikeout rate.
The former third-round pick has struggled with frequent strikeouts throughout his career. Harris has walked about 13% of opponents this season, but has hit command over the past two months. Since the start of June, Harris has walked less than 7% of the batters he has faced while sporting a whopping 39% strikeout rate in 21 plate appearances. While that kind of command may not last, Harris could be a solid second lefty in the bullpen or edge control.
Harris has been at the club for four and a half seasons but will turn 30 in December. He’s not an integral part of an A’s team that will have an upward path to building a competitive pitching staff before moving to Las Vegas in 2028. The Twins, Nationals, Rangers, Red Sox, Orioles and Guardians are among the teams that could use a left-handed reliever.
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