Chicago Cubs: 3 potential (and 1 surprising) Craig Kimbrel trade partners

Chicago Cubs – Craig Kimbrel trade destinations: #3 – Oakland Athletics

There was some speculation earlier in the season that Oakland’s elite closer Trevor Rosenthal could make his way back to the mound come August. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case as Rosenthal has opted to have season-ending hip surgery instead.

Nevertheless, the Athletics have found themselves in a spot just 3 1/2 games back in a race with Houston atop the AL West. Lou Trivino has stepped in nicely for Oakland to the tune of a 1.84 ERA, and 3.69 FIP en route to 14 saves on the year. But, to me, Oakland is a contender that needs something to get them over that hump. Could Kimbrel be the answer?

Oakland’s bullpen, minus Trivino, has been middle of the pack. An All-Star presence such as Kimbrel could be just the remedy to help hold onto leads going into the later innings by shifting Trivino back to a setup role with Kimbrel coming in to slam the door in the ninth. With the recent news of Rosenthal not returning this season, I am confident David Forst will be one of many GMs making a phone call to Jed Hoyer to check on the price tag of Kimbrel.

Though, Oakland will most likely need to add a piece of the main roster with a farm system that ranks in the bottom third of the league.