The postseason isn’t a mathematical impossibility for Oakland, but the playoff door has all but closed on the A’s. Over 596 games, he posted a decent 3.6 percent home run rate in the Oakland Coliseum, which was the fourth-worst ballpark for home runs from 2010-16 according to Park Factors.
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Whether he pitches Monday or not, the trade deadline is Monday. Given the 25-year-old’s disappointing results so far this year (.706 OPS), Reddick should represent a sizable upgrade over him in right field.
He also has a fair amount of value.
Reddick, 29, is slashing.296/.368/.449 from the left side, with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 68 games.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported on July 9 the A’s and Reddick had discussions on a new contract but couldn’t come to an agreement. He did well in those outings and in starts for Oakland but has been plagued by blisters recently.
Then Hill went to the Boston Red Sox, found something new in five starts in the minors, and busted on the scene at the end of the year. He’s emerged as a surprise borderline All-Star after compiling a total of four starts between 2010-15. “He really connected with fans and everyone who works here, and I can’t say enough about Josh’s time in an A’s uniform”. A former 22nd overall pick, Holmes has a 3.61 career ERA in the minor leagues. Baseball Prospectus ranked the A’s organization 17th to start the 2016 season. We are still over two hours from the deadline, so it may not be the only deal the Dodgers or A’s do today.
Forst said a deal remains a possibility.
Montas, 23, is the great unknown. The headliner was no. 5 prospect Grant Holmes, who was drafted in the first round in 2014.
Reddick’s combination of a high fly-ball rate and a low strikeout rate will help the Dodgers immediately against right-handed pitching. So before we all assume this signals the Blue Jays are looking to move on from Bautista and Saunders, keep in mind that Reddick is essentially a rental player and carries no term if acquired by the Blue Jays. Hill, when healthy, was also one of the top pitchers that was being openly discussed (not including Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Chris Archer of course, who were being held tight to the chest of their respective teams). He spent most of the last decade working out of the bullpen and the 76 innings he’s thrown this year are the most for him since 2007.
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It seems curious the Dodgers would choose to add yet another injury-plagued starter to their roster – starters Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood, and Hyun-Jin Ryu are all now on the DL – but Hill’s talent is undeniable and the front office has to be thinking its injury luck will change at some point this season.
