A series by your favorite esteemed writer Graham Wexler looking at one potential off-season trade per team.
PROPOSED TRADE: OAKLAND ATHLETICS TRADE LHP JAMIE MOYER TO ST. LOUIS CARDINALS FOR A 1996 3RD ROUND PICK
It’s time for the Oakland Athletics to cash in.
Jamie Moyer’s quietly solid 1995 season (12–13, 3.92 ERA, 236.2 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 1.9 WAR) was a throwback to his earlier Seattle form. After years of turbulence—including a 4–24 campaign just two seasons ago—Moyer rediscovered his touch in Oakland, inducing weak contact (.232 BABIP) and limiting walks (2.24 BB/9). And at 32, he’s proving that experience can still win games, especially for a team that isn’t quite ready to.
Oakland, deep in a rebuild, doesn’t need 236.2 innings of veteran savvy right now. What it does need is draft capital, and St. Louis offers just that.
“Oakland’s smart to sell high here,” said one Federal League executive. “They’re not close to contending, and Moyer’s not part of their next good team. You flip that kind of arm for a future piece and move on.”
The Cardinals, meanwhile, are desperate for middle-rotation stability. Their pitching staff was overly reliant on unproven arms and underwhelming innings-eaters. Moyer won’t blow hitters away (6.9 K/9), but his command and craft give St. Louis a dependable option every fifth day.
A third-round pick for Oakland might seem modest, but that’s the market for an aging, pitch-to-contact lefty with a homer problem (42 HR allowed). Still, it’s a low-cost bet for a contender and a sensible cash-out for a non-contender.
Verdict: Oakland turns a rental into a future piece. St. Louis shores up its playoff rotation. Everyone wins—except the hitters facing Moyer’s mid-80s magic.