Yankees could save face if Athletics trade rumors materialize before lockout

The future Las Vegas Athletics are on the precipice of crossing over into contention (just before they head to their new home, how convenient), with an offensive core that includes Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom. They're unfortunately almost an entire pitching staff short of making a genuine impact on the postseason race (except for Red Sox killer Gage Jump, shoutout to that man).

That's why they'll listen on stripping away a piece of that offensive nucleus: infielder Jacob Wilson, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale's latest column. While you'll hear plenty of rumors linking the Yankees to Langeliers instead this offseason, Wilson is likelier to go, given his flukier skill set. He's one year removed from an All-Star season where he hit .311 with 13 homers and a .799 OPS, but came up considerably short of those numbers last season, posting a .686 mark with slick fielding and very few barrels to speak of.

But if you're looking for a way to add more contact, athleticism, and speed to your lineup without sacrificing upside, Jack Wilson's son is a pretty good bet to make. Nightengale says the A's are merely listening — it would be negligence not to do so — and would need to be overwhelmed with starting pitching, scratching their "desperate" itch.

Thankfully, if there's any team that has a chance to overwhelm them and change the calculus of their urgency, it's the current Yankees.

Potential Yankees trade chips who could swing to A's for Jack Wilson

If you're the Yankees, you don't want to trade so much starting pitching depth that your ultimate strength becomes an immediate weakness after two injuries. Pitching injuries are more inevitable than the Red Sox seeking takers for Jarren Duran and not finding them. Still, the Yankees' overflowing core of Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Will Warren/Ryan Weathers means that one of those two No. 5 starters should be expendable. So should Elmer Rodriguez, their most big-league-ready depth piece. Same with Clarke Schmidt (entering his final season of arbitration) and Luis Gil, though neither would be the centerpiece of such a trade.

The Yankees can't strip the cupboard bare, but they can certainly trade two or three of those names and still be comfortable. Would a Rodriguez/Gil package, supplemented with an intriguing prospect, get the deal done? What about Warren and a wild card? It depends on how truly "desperate" the A's are. The Yankees could play hardball here and emphasize Wilson's tough 2026 and unpredictable skill set.

Or they could sit on the sidelines and watch him become a devastating Ray.

Third base and the bullpen seem to be the Yankees' primary areas of concern this offseason, but Wilson being dangled by a team that's in dire need of exactly what the Yankees have should be too exciting to pass up.

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