Toronto Sports Today

Toronto Sports News Continuously Updated

Trade Targets: Two Oakland Athletics who are exactly what the Blue Jays need

by

Let’s be real here: the 2024 Toronto Blue Jays weren’t great.

However, there are teams far worse than them in 2024 that won’t be in contention next season. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, have aspirations of contending in 2025, meaning some moves will need to be made this off-season.

In this series, we’ll look at teams from around the league that could have a player or two that the Blue Jays could have interest in to help improve their chances of returning to contenders in 2025. We’ll look at the Oakland (Sacramento?) Athletics in this article.

A brief overview of the 2024 season for the Athletics

The 2024 season was the final year in Oakland for the Athletics franchise. Moving to the Bay Area from Philadelphia for the 1968 season, the Athletics spent just under 60 seasons in Oakland, winning four World Series in the city.

However, 2024 was a far cry from what the organization used to be, as the team is in the midst of a rebuild since the end of the 2021 season. Moreover, beginning in 2025, the franchise is relocating to Sacramento and will play in a minor league stadium for at least the next three seasons.

Overall, the Athletics finished with a 69-93 record, the fifth-worst record in the league. Thankfully, they won their final game at Oakland Coliseum in front of a sold-out crowd, but it was a brutal season for many reasons.

That said, there were two bright spots on their roster.

Mason Miller

The biggest need for the Blue Jays heading into 2025 is rebuilding their bullpen, as their bullpen in 2024 was arguably the worst in the league. One player on the Athletics who could help with that is closer Mason Miller.

The right-handed pitcher just turned 26 years old (literally born a day before me) and has quickly become a premier closer in the league, saving 28 games in 31 opportunities last season. Overall, he finished with a 2.49 ERA and a 2.18 FIP in 65 innings pitched, along with an incredible 41.8 K% and an 8.4 BB%.

It’s not just his performance that makes Miller an interesting reliever for teams around the league though. Miller’s fastball averaged 101.1 mph this season, while his slider (used 35% of the time) averaged 87.5 mph.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Miller also has an additional four seasons of team control, with the 2025 season being his final season before arbitration. The 26-year-old will make the league minimum ($740,000) in 2025 before his first year of arbitration in 2026, eventually becoming a free agent at the end of 2029.

Obviously, his team control, ability, and performance will make Miller very expensive for any team interested in the righty, but this would instantly make the Blue Jays bullpen better.

Brent Rooker

Along the same lines as Miller is Brent Rooker, who is by far Oakland’s best position player.

It wasn’t always that way for the 29-year-old outfielder though, as he was selected 35th overall in 2017. He spent five seasons in the Twins organization, registering 234 plate appearances where he slashed .212/.299/.413 with 10 home runs with a 6.4 BB% and a 32.1 K%.

The following season in 2022, Rooker spent time with the San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics, where he hit below the Mendoza Line in 36 plate appearances, before eventually landing with the Athletics in 2023.

Sometimes, a player just needs an opportunity, and Rooker got that opportunity when he landed with the Athletics in 2023. That season, he slashed .246/.329/.488 with 30 home runs in 526 plate appearances, along with a 9.3 BB% and a 32.7 K%.

The designated hitter was even better in 2024, as he slashed .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs in 614 plate appearances, along with a 9.6 BB% and a 28.8 K%. Among qualified hitters in the league, Rookers’ 164 wRC+ ranked as the seventh-highest, slightly below Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 168 wRC+.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

For the most part, Rooker is a through-and-through designated hitter, smacking home runs while playing limited innings on the grass. Last season, Rooker only played 102.1 innings split between the corners while posting -1 Defensive Runs Saved and -2 Outs Above Average. In 2023, Rooker played 440 innings in the corners, with -4 DRS and -5 OAA.

Any trade involving Rooker would be for his bat and the Blue Jays just so happen to have a spot open for a designated hitter after Justin Turner was traded to the Seattle Mariners. It would be a diversion from their typical “hit-over-power” designated hitter (also looking at Brandon Belt in 2023), but Rooker makes this team better instantly.

Not just that, but like Miller, Rooker still has team control left, as he’ll be entering his first season of arbitration in 2025.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.