Indians Talking to Athletics About Brandon Moss
By Jason Burke
Oakland A’s first baseman/outfielder, Brandon Moss has had many rumors involving his name. The latest rumor involves a possible trade with the Cleveland Indians, per John Hickey.
A source close to #Athletics says club is listening to #Indians, who are interested in getting 1B/OF Brandon Moss from the A's.
— John Hickey (@JHickey3) December 3, 2014
In his article on the subject, Hickey suggested that if a deal were to take place, it would likely be for a similar deal that saw Josh Donaldson go. This means getting younger, major league ready talent in return. If that is the case, the top of the wish list for A’s fans would be Indians shortstop prospect Francisco Lindor. Heading in to 2014, Lindor was the #10 ranked prospect in baseball. Obviously, it would take much more than Moss to land such a highly valued commodity.
Instead, James Ramsey could be a piece in the return puzzle. Ramsey was drafted #23 overall in 2012, and reached Triple-A in 2014, hitting .284 with a .365 OBP in 28 games. MLB Pipeline says of Ramsey, “Ramsey draws a healthy number of walks and has plus speed, though he’s not a big baserunning threat. He puts his wheels to good use in center field, and he also has enough arm strength to handle right field.”
If Ramsey is one of the return pieces, Josh Reddick could suddenly become expendable as well.
We asked people on Twitter what they would like in return from Cleveland for Brandon Moss, and here are some of our favorites.
@FS_SwinginAs 1996 Manny Ramirez
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) December 3, 2014
Yes, it got absurd quickly.
@FS_SwinginAs Lindor. Duh.
— Vanessa Demske (@vdemske) December 3, 2014
Thank you for speaking some sense Vanessa. Now, back to the absurd.
The point remains, Brandon Moss could be headed to Cleveland. We all grieve in our own way. This is the Oakland way.