The A's are in last place, 7.5 games behind the Rangers and they've already been involved in their share of trade rumors, but as Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, they don't have to shed payroll. Now riding a six-game win streak, the A's can hold onto players like Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera if they continue to win.
The A's would receive two draft picks if Holliday signs elsewhere after the season, so they wouldn't lose him for nothing. Billy Beane points out that the A's haven't had many top picks over the years and he'd like the chance to bolster his farm system with some early selections. Of course the A's are still five games below .500, so this doesn't mean they won't talk trades eventually, they just don't have to.
