starting pitching Gregor Blanco Jersey , and that could make for a busy winter on the trade market.Patrick Corbin, Dallas Keuchel and Nathan Eovaldi are the leading candidates for long-term deals, while seasoned veterans Charlie Morton (35) and J.A. Happ (36) are also capable of making a difference in the late stages of their respective careers.Beyond those five guys, it's largely a collection of injury risks and back-end starters.It should come as no surprise, then, that some of the biggest trade rumors to have surfaced here in the early stages of the offseason have been pitching-centric. Ahead we've taken a look at some of the more notable recent chatter. James Paxton Drawing Interested from Astros, YankeesStephen Brashear/Getty ImagesSeattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was quick to downplay the likelihood of a full-scale rebuild after rumors surfaced that the M's might be open for business this winter.However, he didn't exactly sound like he was closed off to the idea of trading some big names either, telling Greg Johns of MLB.com: "Clearly over-dramatized is the best way to put that. We're open-minded to different ways we can get better, but what we're hoping to achieve is to reimagine our roster to look at it in terms of what is our quickest path to a championship club."In the days since those comments during the annual GM meetings, left-hander James Paxton has emerged as perhaps the most likely candidate to be moved among the club's big names.The Houston Astros are reportedly one team showing interest as they look to replace departing free agents Charlie Morton and Dallas Keuchel, while also dealing with the loss of Lance McCullers Jr. who recently underwent Tommy John surgery.Ken Rosenthal Ken_Rosenthal#Astros on list of teams talking to #Mariners about a trade for LHP James Paxton, sources say. Market described as 鈥渁ctive http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-pablo-sandoval-jersey ,鈥?including HOU, NYY and a wide variety of other clubs. Paxton in his career against HOU: 2.89 ERA in 71 2/3 innings, .605 opponents鈥?OPS.To take those head-to-head stats a step further, in eight starts against the Astros over the past two seasons, Paxton has gone 6-1 with a 1.89 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. That's an impressive run of success against any in-division opponent, let alone one of the most potent offenses in baseball.It's unlikely the Astros would be willing to part with Kyle Tucker, Forrest Whitley or Josh James in trade talks, but their system is plenty deep enough behind those three headliners to get a deal done.Outfielder Yordan Alvarez and right-handers Corbin Martin andJ.B. Bukauskas could all work as potential centerpieces.Meanwhile, the New York Yankees have also been linked to Paxton as they continue their search for rotation help.Ken Rosenthal Ken_Rosenthal#Yankees among teams that have spoken to #Mariners about a trade for LHP James Paxton, sources tell The Athletic. Paxton has two years of control left and is projected by mlbtraderumors to earn $9M in arbitration next season. NYY also on free-agent LH starters Corbin, Happ, etc.The Yankees have already re-signed CC Sabathia to a one-year deal to rejoin Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation Duane Kuiper Jersey , but they're not finished adding arms by any means.If the Mariners are looking for one top-tier prospect in the deal, the headliner from the Yankees side would likely be Estevan Florial, since left-hander Justus Sheffield will be off-limits.Otherwise, they could put together an attractive package of high-ceiling arms in a system rich on pitching talent.Paxton, 30, pitched a career-high 160.1 innings in 2018, going 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 208-to-42 strikeout-to-walk ratio.He comes with two more years of team control and is projected to earn an extremely team-friendly $9 million in his third year of arbitration, according to MLBTradeRumors.Yankees Discussed Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco at GM MeetingsTim Warner/Getty ImagesRumors surfaced last week that the Cleveland Indians will be willing to listen to offers for a number of high-profile veterans this offseason as they continue to deal with financial restrictions.Buster Olney Buster_ESPNFaced with market constraints, the Indians will listen to trade offers for some of their veteran players this winter, according to sources. Kluber, Carrasco http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-ahmed-jersey , Encarnacion, Gomes, etc. Lindor, Ramirez will definitely be held.The Yankees became an obvious speculative trade partner for Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco as they look to bolster the rotation.Now it appears there's at least some basis for that speculation, as the two teams reportedly met during the recent GM meetings.Jon Heyman JonHeymanNYY met with Indians about Kluber and Carrasco at gm meetings, and via Ken_Rosenthal has now talked to Seattle EHOXdtlHiTAside from the aforementioned Florial, the Yankees have a teenage outfielder with an extremely high ceiling named Everson Pereira, and he's a name to know as the team continues to scour the trade market for pitching help.Kluber (33 GS, 20-7, 2.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 222 K, 215 IP) and Carrasco (30 GS Jake Lamb Jersey , 17-10, 3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 231 K, 192 IP) would both be game-changing additions to a Yankees focused on chasing down the rival Boston Red Sox in the AL East.Time will tell if any of these front-line arms are actually moved, but it's already shaping up to be an exciting winter on the trade market. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics plan to discuss a contract extension with manager Bob Melvin this offseason as well as possible new deals with home run leader Khris Davis and All-Star second baseman Jed Lowrie.Two days after the A’s lost to the New York Yankees in a wild-card game, team officials began mapping out the framework for 2019 with hopes of capitalizing on the team’s first playoff appearance in four years.Signing Melvin, Oakland’s manager since 2011, to an extension is high on the list of things to do. He’s currently signed through the 2019 season.“Bob’s one of the best in the game and he’s perfect for us,” said Executive Vice President Billy Beane, who appeared before reporters Friday along with Melvin and general manager David Forst. “The idea is that he’s here for a long time and the rest of his career. Our feeling is that Bob’s the right guy for this club and should be going forward. (That’s) another question that we hope to have answered in the offseason.”The A’s playoff appearance was the fourth in eight seasons under Melvin. Oakland’s 97-65 record was also the best mark of Melvin’s managerial career.The 56-year-old skipper said he still hasn’t gotten over the wild-card loss to the Yankees but is optimistic about Oakland’s prospects for next season.“As impressive as some of these younger players were http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-robbie-ray-jersey , we feel like they can even get better so I’m excited about where we’re going from here,” Melvin said. “I expect us to have results again next year. Obviously, we’re going to have to add some pieces and make some decisions on some free agents but I’m really excited about where this team’s going.”Davis isn’t scheduled to be a free agent until after the 2019 season but the A’s are hopeful of getting the slugger inked to a long-term deal before then.Davis led the majors with 48 home runs this year, his third consecutive season with 40-plus homers.“We’ve had some preliminary conversations about keeping him around longer (than 2019),” Beane said. “That’ll be part of the conversations that David, myself and Bob and the rest of the staff have.”Lowrie’s situation is more uncertain despite his first All-Star appearance.The veteran infielder hit .267 with a career-high 23 home runs and 99 RBIs and was a key influence inside Oakland’s mostly young clubhouse.But Lowrie turns 35 next April and the A’s may be tempted to go with Franklin Barreto, their young prospect who hit five home runs with 16 RBIs in 73 at-bats.“I’m happy with the year that I had and I feel like I’m going to go into the offseason and hopefully be in a good position,” Lowrie said, adding he’s open to returning to the A’s. “Free agency can be funny so you just go into it with an open mind. We’ll talk with my agent and we’ll be prepared for situations that arise.”Catcher Jonathan Lucroy is also scheduled to become a free agent. Forst said the A’s are open to retaining both Lowrie and Lucroy.“Jed and (Lucroy) were huge for what we did,” Forst said. “Obviously, both of those guys will be part of our conversations over the next month.”__
