Oakland A's: Will the A's Still Be Able to Trade Josh Willingham?

The answer to that question is yes—plenty of teams have showed interest in adding a new right-handed bat.

The real question is, "Do the Oakland Athletics really want to trade Josh Willingham?"

The A's brought Willingham and David DeJesus in to bolster a struggling offense, and although neither one has lived up to expectations, Willingham is the only real run producer the A's possess.

Willingham is batting .240 with 47 RBI and 12 home runs. His season average is a tad below his lifetime average of .262. Willingham has knocked in 70 or more runs twice in his career.

I know potential doesn't feed the bulldog, but when healthy, Willingham has the potential to be a 100 RBI guy and hit 25-30 home runs.

The A's are kind of in limbo land when it comes to the decision of what to do by the trade deadline.

The reason for any trade talks about Willingham is that the A's are most likely going to miss the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. Getting rid of high-priced players now is the way to go if they want any type of value for them. 

Yes, the value card is being played once again. I'm not sure about you all, but I'm tired of hearing it day in and day out.

If the A's want value for Willingham, the best way to do that is to keep him and let him be of value for their own club. Give the guy time to acclimate and reach his full potential

I say let him stay, and let Bob Melvin find his way with the lineup. The A's need to take a chance now and again and spend a little cash.

The bottom line is this: if other teams see Willingham as a player who could help them, then the A's should see the same thing. 

Of course, the team that gets him may not give up much, and they have until next year to decide if he's worth a long-term contract.

The A's shouldn't worry about getting a few prospects unless they are can't miss, and that is very doubtful.

So, the A's should stand pat. They are playing pretty well right now—rookie Jemile Weeks has provided a spark , and the team seems to want to play for Melvin.

Oakland should wait until next year when they have the "Big Four" back and basically have a do over and try out the 2010 formula one more time, with the addition of Weeks and his electric play it could pay off.