Teams in discussions with the Oakland Athletics say they are currently focused on trading left-hander Sean Manaea while waiting to decide how to proceed with right-hander Frankie Montas. Both Manaea and Montas are generating plenty of interest from a handful of teams around the league with the A's looking to continue their spring fire sale. They've already traded away Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman since the lockout was lifted. Manaea, 30, could be an even better mid-round fantasy selection if he's trade, depending on the landing spot. The southpaw had a 3.91 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with a 25.7% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate in 32 starts in 2021.

Oakland Athletics starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea both avoided salary arbitration on Tuesday by agreeing to one-year deals. Montas settled for $5.025 million, while Manaea will make $9.75 million in 2022. Both Montas and Manaea have been at the center of trade rumors this spring with the A's in fire-sell mode since the lockout was lifted. They've already traded Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman. Montas had a solid 3.37 WHIP and 1.18 WHIP while striking out 207 hitters in 187 innings over a league-high 32 starts in 2021, while Manaea had a 3.91 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 194 K's over 179 1/3 innings in 32 starts. Montas is slightly more attractive in fantasy as a No. 2 starter, but either player could become more attractive if they're dealt, depending on where they land.

The New York Yankees are among the teams talking to the Oakland Athletics about star young pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, according to sources familiar with the situation. In addition to the Yankees, the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox have discussed the two starting pitchers. The A's are clearly rebuilding after already trading right-hander Chris Bassitt, star first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman this week. The Yankees could use some starting pitching reinforcement given injury concerns surrounding Jameson Taillon and Domingo German heading into the 2022 regular season. If the Yankees don't land one of Manaea or Montas, Michael King could open the year in the Yankees rotation.

Along with the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago White Sox are among many teams talking to the Oakland Athletics about trading for starting pitchers Sean Manaea and/or Frankie Montas. The A's already have traded starting pitcher Chris Bassitt to the New York Mets and first baseman Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves, so their full rebuild could continue with either Manaea or Montas being sent out. Due to an offseason illness, White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech is behind the rest of the pitcher in spring camp and might not be ready for the start of the season, so adding another arm to their starting pitcher would give the White Sox some more insurance heading into the regular season.

The Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics have discussed trade proposals in recent days that would include a starting pitcher going to Minnesota, and pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are the top candidates to be included in a deal, according to sources. The Twins are dealing fast and furious now that MLB is back in business, as they've already traded for starter Sonny Gray, catcher Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. It looks like they could be adding another arm to their starting rotation in short order. Minnesota also unloaded a ton of money by sending Josh Donaldson to the Yankees on Sunday night, so they certainly aren't done adding. Either Manaea or Montas would represent an upgrade to their starting staff.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed two runs across 5 2/3 innings pitched to pick up his 11th victory of the season Friday at Houston. Manaea picked up six strikeouts to cap a fine 2021 season. The 29-year-old lefty finished the season 11-10, with a 3.91 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and career-highs in innings pitched (179 1/3) and strikeouts (194). He's not the flashiest pitcher as his 25.7% strikeout rate and 28.6% CSW rate are near league-average, but Manaea pitched deep into games and made all 32 starts for the first time in his career. He'll be a solid mid-round hurler to target in 2022 drafts.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed one run across seven dominant innings, but had to settle for a no-decision Saturday versus the Astros. The only damage came on a solo home run by Kyle Tucker as Manaea allowed just three hits and one walk while picking up eight strikeouts. The Oakland lefty has been impossible to predict lately, as he allowed four-plus runs in each of his last two starts. Before that, he had allowed just two runs across 14 innings. Even with this start, Manaea has an ERA north of five in the second half. He's tough to trust in fantasy lineups and is a risky play with a rematch with these Astros up next.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed four runs on eight hits to suffer his 10th loss of the season Monday versus the Mariners. The left-hander walked one and picked up just three strikeouts in his latest disappointing start. Manaea has now allowed nine runs in his last 10 innings and has a 6.95 ERA going back to the start of August. He did have back-to-back seven inning starts with nine strikeouts back on September 3 and 9, but other than those starts, Manaea has not pitched past the fifth inning in any start since July and has allowed at least four runs in four starts in that span. Manaea is not a recommended starter in his next start versus a deadly Astros lineup.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea didn't have his best game on Wednesday night, but the offense bailed him out and the left-hander gutted his way through five innings to secure his 10th victory. Manaea allowed five earned runs on nine hits and a walk while only picking up just three strikeouts after he had earned nine K's in each of his previous two starts. On the season, Manaea has a 3.95 ERA supported by a 3.74 FIP and 3.55 xFIP as he's been one of the more reliable mid-tier starters in fantasy. He should be started in his next outing at Seattle.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed one run across seven dominant innings to pick up his ninth win of the season on Thursday versus the White Sox. Manaea allowed five hits and just one walk while picking up nine strikeouts in his latest strong start. Manaea hit a rough patch in August, he pitched to a 9.90 ERA in the month, but he has since rebounded with back-to-back seven-inning efforts with nine K's. On the season, the left-hander is sporting a 3.79 ERA supported by an excellent 3.54 xFIP. He's averaging a career-high 10 K/9 thanks to a 12.4% swinging-strike rate, also a career-best for Manaea. He should be started in al fantasy leagues next time out at Kansas City.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed two runs across seven innings pitched with nine strikeouts against the Tigers on Friday. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the bullpen couldn't hold a six-run lead and get Manaea the win, but it was a nice bounce-back start for the left-hander. Manaea hadn't pitched past the fifth inning in five straight starts as he's struggled mightily with a 6.10 ERA since the All-Star break. The good news is Manaea's xFIP in that span is only 3.44, better than his xFIP in the first half, so we could see more good starts from Manaea down the stretch. He's a smidge risky, but Manaea should be started in most leagues in a home start versus the White Sox next time out.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea struggled again on Friday versus the Yankees as he allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings to take his ninth loss. Manaea was once again plagued by the long ball as he served up three homers in the contest. The Oakland lefty has had a nightmarish month of August as he hasn't pitched past the fifth innings in five starts this month while sporting a 9.90 ERA in that span. His recent struggles are concerning, but Manaea still has a decent 3.97 ERA on the season backed by a strong 3.58 xFIP with over a strikeout per inning. Given his next start is in Detroit, fantasy managers should give Manaea one more shot to turn things around in that soft matchup.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed seven runs across five innings in a loss to the Rangers on Sunday. Manaea couldn't keep the ball in the yard in this one, as he served up three homers to a Texas lineup that had been struggling to score runs. The Oakland lefty has now turned in three bad starts in a row and fantasy managers should be a little concerned as he got bombed in what should've been a get-right start for Manaea. Across his last three starts, Manaea has allowed 15 runs in 11 innings and his strikeout rate plummeted from 34% in July, to just 19% in August. He should still be started in fantasy for now, but if he struggles Friday at home versus the Giants it may be time to panic.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea had another rough start on Tuesday as he allowed three runs in just 1 2/3 innings at Cleveland. Manaea needed a whopping 69 pitches despite turning in his shortest outing of the season. The 29-year-old has now given up eight earned runs in his last six innings as he's scuffled a tad after a brilliant stretch where he whiffed 29 batters across 18 innings in his previous three starts. On the season, Manaea is still rocking career-bests with a 26.7% strikeout rate, a 12.4% swinging-strike rate, and a 3.43 xFIP, so fantasy managers should stick with the Oakland righty. He'll look to right the ship Sunday in a good matchup with Texas.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea fired six innings of shutout ball to earn his eighth win of the season Wednesday at San Diego. Manaea was brilliant yet again as he allowed just one hit, one walk, and collected nine strikeouts. The right-hander has had more than a strikeout-per-inning in six of his last seven starts as he's morphed into a must-start option in fantasy. Manaea's 12.7% swinging-strike rate and 29.7% CSW rate are both above league average and they represent career-highs for Manaea as he's found a new gear we have not seen from him in the Majors. Manaea will look to keep the good times rolling in a rematch with these Padres in Oakland on Monday.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered twice, the first a second-inning blast that bounced out of Progressive Field and almost dinged a bicyclist pedaling on a street, and the Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Wednesday. Reyes’ leadoff homer in the second glanced off the pedestrian bridge in left field and landed on the plaza area between the ballpark and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The ball traveled an estimated 446 feet. Reyes wasn’t done. He finished off Cleveland’s three-homer inning in the third with his 19th of the season, a 421-foot drive to center. César Hernández and José Ramírez also homered in the inning for Cleveland. Kwang Hyun Kim (6-6) gave up all four homers and lost for the first time since June 20. Zach Plesac (6-3) gave up two runs in five innings. Dylan Carlson homered for St. Louis. BLUE JAYS 4, RED SOX 1, 1ST GAME RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 1, 2ND GAME BOSTON (AP) — Rookie starter Tanner Houck struck out seven over four innings and Boston beat Toronto... [More]