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Yankees: 3 trade packages that could land Matt Olson from Athletics

By Thomas Carannante |
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics gets high fives from his teammates in the dugout after hitting a one run home run during the first inning against starting pitcher Jose Suarez #54 of the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 18, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics gets high fives from his teammates in the dugout after hitting a one run home run during the first inning against starting pitcher Jose Suarez #54 of the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 18, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Cue the New York Yankees haters ready to whip out their, “Yeah, Clint Frazier and Miguel Andújar aren’t going to get this trade done!” commentary. Hilarious. Never before in MLB history has a team tried to sell high on a couple of intriguing assets. Apologies.

Anyway, Yankees Twitter (and many others) have posed the question about New York attempting to strike a deal with the Oakland Athletics involving lefty slugging first baseman Matt Olson. Is he available via trade? Not that we know of definitively.

But aren’t all A’s players unofficially on the trade block at any given time? They traded MVP candidate Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays years back. They traded 26-year-old All-Star Mark Mulder back in 2004. This is their DNA.

Oakland sells high on players before ownership is saddled with increasing arbitration salaries or contract conundrums. And Olson falls right in line with that.

He took home a $5 million salary in 2021, but that number stands to drastically increase after his impressive season, which featured 39 homers, 111 RBI, a 153 OPS+ and 6 Defensive Runs Saved at first base. The A’s might be paying him north of $10 million in 2022.

And for a team that could lose Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Yan Gomes, Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Romo, Mitch Moreland, Josh Harrison, Jed Lowrie and potentially others to free agency, why wouldn’t Oakland consider a mini re-tool by selling their best player from 2021 if the pieces around him in 2022 won’t be enough to make a playoff run?

What would a Yankees/Athletics trade for Matt Olson look like?

This is not a Spoiled Yankees Fan thinking he/she can get whatever player they want in a trade. The A’s willingly trade good players. They don’t have the budget to afford superstars or those with the highest arbitration figures. This isn’t out of the question.

What would be out of the question is offering the A’s bargain bin players in exchange for Olson. But the Yankees can’t get away with that. This is Billy Beane. He knows exactly what he wants and he’ll probably get it. But we can formulate a few trade packages ourselves, can’t we?

3. Luke Voit, Aaron Hicks and Oswald Peraza for Matt Olson

The Luke Voit relationship has been soured. He has to go. And he’d be a solid replacement for Olson. Voit hits for power and has been an impactful offensive player when healthy. He’s not the greatest defensively, but you’re not getting an Olson for Olson swap here.

After making $4.7 million in 2021, Voit will have rising arbitration salaries, but they won’t be nearly as drastic as Olson’s, and Voit’s under club control through 2024. That’s one more year than Olson and a guaranteed cheaper option.

As for Peraza, the Yankee simply have to part with one of their top shortstop prospects, and Peraza at No. 3 gives the A’s someone who could be MLB-ready by 2022. He rocketed through the minors this past season and showed potential to be a five-tool player. Have him working alongside Elvis Andrus and you could develop your shortstop of the future.

And finally, Aaron Hicks. Not an ideal trade candidate whatsoever … but what if the Yankees ate like $20 million of his contract? That would give the A’s a switch-hitting veteran outfielder for between $5-$7 million per season through 2025. That’s right up their alley. A somewhat cost-effective veteran who can help the incoming youngsters and provide OBP value.

If that’s not enough, then toss in outfielder Estevan Florial or pitcher Deivi Garcia, two MLB-ready talents that need some tweaking.

Joey Gallo #13 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Joey Gallo #13 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

2. Joey Gallo, Anthony Volpe and Randy Vasquez for Matt Olson

Joey Gallo returning to the AL West with much dimmer lights?! The fact of the matter is that the Yankees will not be maximizing the talent of their roster with Joey Gallo in left field. Most of his reps have come in center and right. And he clearly wasn’t equipped to handle New York for two-plus months, even as a supporting cast member. The Yankees probably won’t get rid of him…but they should.

The A’s can supplement that loss of a lefty bat (and outfielder in Marte) by adding Gallo, who should cost around $8-$9 million in 2022 before hitting free agency in 2023. He’d be a versatile option who would be placed in the right situation, considering Bob Melvin and Co. know how to maximize talent, whereas Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone do not. The A’s have a bunch of money coming off the books, and they love rentals. Rentals don’t hang around very long.

And then, of course, the Yankees surrender their No. 1 overall prospect in Volpe. It’s not what you want, but at least you can hang onto Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera, shed Gallo’s salary (which will essentially cancel out Olson’s) and mayyyybe sign Carlos Correa, Trevor Story or Corey Seager.

Volpe rocketed up every single prospect ranking in 2021 and garnered a ton of attention from Baseball America and Keith Law. He’s expected to be the real deal after putting it all together for a full season, and the A’s would be able to fill their need in the pipeline for a shortstop since guys like Nick Allen (who can’t hit for power) and Max Muncy (who won’t be hitting MLB anytime soon) aren’t exactly answers at the moment.

The A’s love some high-ceiling pitching, too, and Randy Vasquez provides just that. The right-hander made it through three levels and all the way up to Double-A in 2021, logging a 2.52 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 23 games (21 starts), totaling 107.1 innings. Then again, the Yankees might like this youngster too much, so you can sub him for a number of the other promising pitchers in the organization’s pipeline.

Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. Gleyber Torres, Oswaldo Cabrera, Luis Gil and Luis Medina for Matt Olson and Tony Kemp

Why not go for it all here? It could be fun, and the Yankees have enough talent in the farm system to absorb such a blow.

This might sound insane, but trading Gleyber Torres has to be at least a consideration at this point, and a team like the A’s would LOVE the upside and team control there. Also, like Gallo, Torres might benefit from a setting that’s less critical and overbearing.

Then we have the rest. This package needs to be a bit overspend-y because of Olson’s escalating value and Tony Kemp’s versatility and cheap cost in arbitration. He made just $1.05 million last year, which is sure to get a healthy bump, but it’ll still be a bargain for someone who can play second base and all three outfield spots if need be. Plus … he’s a lefty bat and has speed! The Yankees need that! Badly!

In this scenario, the Yanks don’t have to fork over Volpe or Peraza, but will have to part with two promising pitching prospects and an MLB-ready middle infielder in Oswaldo Cabrera, who’s somehow been overshadowed this past year. He hit .272 with an .863 OPS, 29 homers, 89 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 118 games between Double- and Triple-A. As for Gil and Medina, the two right-handers offer high upside on the mound.

Gil registered a 3.06 ERA in his first six MLB starts while Medina had a 3.39 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 22 games (21 starts) between High-A and Double-A. One MLB-ready arm, one somewhat developmental project.

Moving on from Torres also gives the Yankees chance to use both Volpe and Peraza when they’re ready for their promotions or trade one of them and sign a high-profile shortstop that can eventually switch positions (Seager?). Just spitballin’ here. But bringing in Olson and Kemp would be a win for the ages and re-open this window assuming the Yankees can still spend on a shortstop, No. 2 pitcher and center fielder.

It sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? That’s because this team isn’t very good outside of a healthy DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

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