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Starting pitcher Tanner Roark has been traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Oakland Athletics, as reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Oakland will receive cash from the Reds and the Athletics will send Cincinnati outfield prospect Jameson Hannah. The Reds traded for Trevor Bauer on Wednesday night, but weakened their rotation with this move.
Although Hannah isn’t having the best season, he sits at eight on MLB Pipeline’s Athletics prospect list. With Cincinnati having waved goodbye to top prospect Taylor Trammell in the surprise Bauer trade, Hannah is a welcome addition to the farm system. While he’s further away than Trammell, Hannah has the potential to be a top of the order hitter and long-term outfielder for the Reds if he continues to develop on this path.
Oakland are looking towards a second consecutive wildcard berth. Roark joins Homer Bailey, recently traded for from the Royals, and Mike Fiers in the rotation. A setback means Sean Manaea remains unavailable, while veteran Marco Estrada could yet be out for the season.
With Mike Minor, Madison Bumgarner, Robbie Ray and Zack Wheeler all staying put, Roark turned out to be the best value starter on trade deadline day. Hannah has a high ceiling, but Roark, if he can continue to pitch as he did for the Reds, is a significant upgrade.
It’ll be a close fight for those two American League wildcard spots – having Roark pitch every fifth day increases Oakland’s chances. Meanwhile, the Reds got something for a player who was likely walking at the end of the season.
