The A’s are suddenly in the hunt for a playoff spot, and A’s GM Billy Beane has stockpiled prospects in deals lately. That means he has plenty to offer teams in an attempt to improve at both SS and 3B. Yunel Escobar and Stephen Drew are likely the A’s top targets at SS. If they lost out on both of them, they probably would consider a smaller deal for Jamey Carroll of the Twins. The A’s are also looking for a big upgrade at 3B over Brandon Inge. Chase Headley (Padres) and Aramis Ramirez (Brewers) are likely the top targets at 3B. Headley would cost more prospect wise, while Ramirez would cost more money wise. If the A’s missed out on both of those guys, I think they would consider making a smaller deal for lefty swinging Greg Dobbs, who would platoon with Brandon Inge. The A’s are going to make themselves a better team in the next couple of days, bank on it.

The A’s are playing much better than projected as they have a 38-42 record, which has them in 3rd place in the A.L. West, 12 games behind the Rangers. Here is a look at the players most likely to get deal this month by A’s GM Billy Beane:

Kurt Suzuki - With Derek Norris in the show, the A’s will likely try to move Suzuki. The Rays and Nationals would likely have an interest in Suzuki. I think a deal with the Rays makes the most sense here.

Daric Barton - I don’t see much interest in Daric Barton. The A’s could force him to be included in a deal. I think by himself, only the Brewers would have a smidge of interest in him.

Cliff Pennington - SS Cliff Pennington is falling out of favor with the A’s. I think the Rays, Brewers and Giants might have an interest in him as a starter. The Cardinals and Yankees as a backup.

Brandon Inge - Inge has played decent ball for the A’s. That being said, only the Angels and Dodgers would likely have interest in him.

Seth Smith - The A’s probably don’t want to deal Smith because of his team friendly contract. That being said, the Orioles, White Sox, Nationals, Marlins, Reds, Dodgers and Giants all would be in the hunt for him if the A’s make him available.

Jonny Gomes - Teams looking for a righty swinging power hitting corner outfielder could take a look at Gomes. The Yankees, White Sox and Nationals will all likely have interest in him.

Coco Crisp - CF Coco Crisp will likely garner a fair share of interest on the trade market. The Indians, Orioles, Marlins and Dodgers will likely be the most interested parties.

Bartolo Colon - If Bartolo Colon gets healthy before the trade deadline, look for the Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox, Royals, Rangers and Braves will all likely have interest. A deal with the Royals (if they stay in the playoff race) makes the most sense to me.

Brandon McCarthy - Like Colon, if McCarthy can prove he’s healthy this month, the phone’s going to be ringing off the hook. The Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox, Indians, Royals, Rangers and Braves will all have interest in him.

Grant Balfour - Grant Balfour is going to be a popular name in the trade market. The Red Sox and Mets will both likely be after him.

Jeremy Blevins & Brian Fuentes - Teams looking for lefty relievers that can pitch late in games are going to be calling the A’s about Blevins and Fuentes. The Rangers, Brewers, Mets, Phillies and Dodgers will likely have the most interest in them.

I know, it’s too early to start talking about the A’s dealing a lot of their veteran players for youngsters, but at some point this year that will likely happen. Right off the bat, the Rays are in dire need of a catcher so trading them Kurt Suzuki and cash makes sense. A package revolving around righty starting pitcher Chris Archer, righty reliever Josh Lueke and SS Tim Beckham probably gets the job done. The Nationals really need a CF badly. I would offer the Nationals Coco Crisp, Adam Rosales and Daric Barton for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, 1B Tyler Moore and righty reliever Ryan Mattheus. The Pittsburgh Pirates need hitting if they are going to stay in contention this year, so I would deal them Jonny Gomes, Seth Smith and Kila Ka’aihue for 1B Matt Curry, 1B/3B Matt Hague, OF Alex Presley and IF/OF Yamaico Navarro. A trade with the Dodgers sending them Brian Fuentes and cash could bring back a return of infielder Justin Sellers and righty starting pitcher John Ely. The Phillies could use some bullpen help (like Grant Balfour) and they could deal an outfielder (John Mayberry) to get him. The A’s are going to be sellers again this year, but the haul is likely to be a good one.

If I know Billy Beane, he’s going to be looking for bargains in free agency. The A’s have to replace their whole starting outfield and the DH spot before next season starts. Now they could go young, but that isn’t the way the A’s always operate….especially if some bargains present themselves and I think they will. Here are three guys I could easily see winding up with the A’s in 2012:

1. Vladimir Guerrero - The A’s just didn’t hit well for average last year. Guerrero has lost some of his power but he can still flat out hit as a DH.

2. Raul Ibanez - Lefty swinging LF Raul Ibanez can still hit for power and that is something the A’s really need. I think he would be a perfect fit for them.

3. Magglio Ordonez - RF is wide open for the A’s and Billy Beane won’t be able to resist signing Ordonez if he comes at the right price.

I think the A’s could blow up their disappointing roster this week and why not? Any player who isn’t a part of the A’s future (I count at least 16 of them) will likely be on the trading block this week. The whole A’s starting outfield (Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp and David DeJesus) could be on the move and they each have decent value trade wise. DH Hideki Matsui and outfielder Ryan Sweeney also have limited appeal to other teams on the trade market. Conor Jackson, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Daric Barton will also be on the trade block this week but none of them will bring much of a return on their own. Righty starting pitchers Rich Harden and Brandon McCarthy will be on the block with teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Cardinals having interest in them. The bullpen is going to bring back nice returns for the A’s if they decide to move a lot of them. Lefty relievers Brian Fuentes, Craig Breslow and Jeremy Blevins likely appeal to the Red Sox, Yankees, Brewers, Cardinals and Diamondbacks. Righty relievers Grant Balfour, Brad Zeigler and Michael Wuertz will likely draw attention from the Tigers, Twins, Rangers, Angels, Braves, Pirates and Diamondbacks. A’s GM Billy Beane might try to make a few package deals to maximize his return for the players he’s willing to deal. I see the A’s looking a lot different on August 1st than they look right now.

I think that A’s GM Billy Beane is going to want to make big trades but I just don’t think he will like the market. With that in mind, I see smaller deals landing in the lap of the A’s. The A’s would love to unload lefty reliever Brian Fuentes and I think they will. I think if they sent enough cash along with Fuentes that they could get a decent prospect like righty starting pitcher Kyle Weiland. The A’s could then flip lefty reliever Jeremy Blevins to the Phillies for righty reliever Scott Mathieson. Finally, I can see the A’s dealing outfielder Ryan Sweeney to the Rockies for 2B/OF Eric Young who has speed to burn. None of those deals are earth shattering but the A’s would be getting back players with a nice upside without screwing up the team for the rest of the 2011 season and beyond.

The Oakland A’s really expected more out of the team this year. This team was built to win now but they are 30-40 and are in last place in the N.L. West. The good news is that they are only six games out of first place, so they can get on a hot streak and turn things around quickly. If they continue to fade though, A’s G.M. Billy Beane is going to be very active at the trade deadline. Kurt Suzuki, Daric Barton, Mark Ellis, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Coco Crisp, David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui, Conor Jackson, Ryan Sweeney, Craig Breslow, Jeremy Blevins and Brian Fuentes will all likely garner interest from other teams. If the A’s continue to struggle, I see them having a big firesale. But, if they get hot, I could see them buying a hitter or two (especially a 1B).

The A’s have four free agents heading into the winter and this is how I would deal with them:

Mark Ellis: 33-year old 2B Mark Ellis played in 124 games for the A’s last season and he was 127 of 436 (.291 avg, .739 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 5 homers, 49 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The A’s have a $6 million dollar option on Ellis for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout. VERDICT: I would decline the option and try to sign Ellis to a multi-year deal with a smaller base salary.

Coco Crisp: 30-year old switch hitting outfielder Coco Crisp played in 75 games for the A’s last season and he was 81 of 290 (.279 avg, .779 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 8 homers, 38 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. The A’s have a $5.75 million dollar option for Crisp in 2011 with a $575,000 buyout. VERDICT: I would decline the option and offer Crisp a multi-year deal with a smaller base salary.

Justin Duchscherer: 32-year old righty starting pitcher Justin Duchscherer started 5 games for the A’s last season and he was 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He is a good pitcher when healthy but that doesn’t seem to be the case too often. VERDICT: I would let him walk.

Ben Sheets: 32-year old righty starting pitcher Ben Sheets started 20 games for the A’s last season and he was 4-9 with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. His season ended with a major elbow injury which will cause him to miss the entire 2011 season. VERDICT: He’s gone.

The Oakland A’s won’t be big time sellers at the trade deadline but I still see them making some moves. First off I see the Cardinals dealing 3B/OF Allen Craig and SS Tyler Greene to the A’s for Ben Sheets. After that I would trade lefty reliever Craig Breslow to the Red Sox for outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin. I would trade lefty reliever Jeremy Blevins to the Padres for lefty reliever Cesar Ramos who I think has a nice upside. Finally I would send outfielder Jack Cust to the Giants for outfielder Nate Schierholtz and infielder Matt Downs. Craig, Lin, Greene and Ramos are solid prospects with nice upsides. Schierholtz and Downs could help the A’s off the bench in the near future.

The A’s are 41-43 on the season which has them in third place in the A.L. West, 8 games behind the Rangers. I think the A’s will wait another couple of weeks to decide whether they will be buyers or sellers. If the A’s become sellers they have a lot to move to other teams. Ben Sheets, Mark Ellis, Rajai Davis, Jack Cust, Coco Crisp, Brad Ziegler, Michael Wuertz and Jerry Blevins all likely will have good value for the A’s. The A’s also likely wouldn’t hesitate to trade Gabe Gross if they find a taker for him. I think A’s GM Billy Beane will get a good return for his players and I think he will be very aggressive especially if the A’s don’t play better the next couple of weeks.