MLB analyst believes A's ace could be a surprise trade candidate

Jared Bloom

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MLB analyst believes A's ace could be a surprise trade candidate image

The Athletics came out and surprised plenty of baseball fans this past season. For a team that has not been one to pay attention to in years past, they were quite the exciting team to watch last season. 

Young players stepped up in a huge way for this club, and they are expected to do more of the same in 2026. Shea Langaliers, Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz, and Tyler Soderstrom all played well above their expectations, with the club signing Soderstrom to a seven-year extension over the winter. 

However, with the exciting potential of what the younger players showed last season, they have not done much in terms of adding players to increase their win potential. They have only made two significant moves, one being Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets and the other being a one-year deal with Mark Leiter Jr. 

MORE: Athletics reveal plans for Japanese two-way player compared to Shohei Ohtani

MLB analyst believes A's ace could be a surprise trade candidate 

One area the club is lacking is its starting rotation. They have a complete rotation, but lack the big names that some of the other clubs have. They have Luis Severino as their ace, Jeffrey Springs as the No. 2, Jacob Lopez as their No. 3, Luis Morales as their No. 4, and projected to round out the rotation is J.T. Ginn. 

While Severino is the team's ace, his home/road splits were outrageous. With him struggling at home, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand believes he could be a great trade candidate.

"The 31-year-old looked like two different pitchers at home and on the road; he went 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA in 15 starts in Sacramento, while his 14 road outings produced a 6-2 record and a 3.02 ERA. Getting Severino to a new home ballpark would seemingly be a positive, and with two years and $42 million left on his contract, the right-hander could be an under-the-radar addition for teams that missed out on a starting pitcher this offseason."

While losing Severino could hurt the starting rotation, he could bring back a solid package in return. He may not be one that fans will want to get too attached to this season.

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Editorial Team