Because we’d been loosely following him in loose rumors that loosely connected him to the Chicago Cubs, it’s worth updating you on an injury in the Oakland outfield.
Josh Reddick, who is a free agent at the end of this season and is thus considered a strong trade candidate on a team like the A’s, has a broken left thumb and could be out four to six weeks.
Reddick, who injured the thumb sliding headfirst into second base on a steal, is hitting .322/.394/.466 (137 wRC+), though that’s inflated by a .350 BABIP (70 points over his career average). At age 29, with typically solid offensive numbers and good defense (though the advanced metrics have been unkind in recent years, which does give you some pause), and with a minimal financial commitment owed (he makes just $6.575 million this year), Reddick would be a popular trade target if he were made available.[adinserter block=”1″]
Some have speculated that if the Cubs look to make an addition midseason in the outfield, which is far from a certainty at this point, Reddick would be something of a logical target. There is history with the front office back in their Boston days, and, with Kyle Schwarber out for the year, the Cubs may elect to add another corner outfielder for the second half, depending on how things shake out in the coming two months with guys like Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, and Matt Szczur.
For me? I still want to see how the internal options settle in through June (and, of course, how everyone else’s health holds up) before seriously considering whether a rental addition is necessary or advisable.
If Reddick is back in six weeks, that would be right around the start of July, plenty of time to establish his health and effectiveness before the August 1 Trade Deadline.