Or not.
This story has played out before. Just last year, in fact, the A's triggered a flurry of trade activity despite improved play, sending starter Scott Kazmir to Houston on July 23 for pitcher Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham. At the time, Oakland was 11 games out of first place.
That's exactly where the A's (47-55) sat entering Thursday's off-day in Cleveland, where they're preparing for a three-game set against one of baseball's best teams.
Following Kazmir's departure last season, infielder Ben Zobrist and reliever Tyler Clippard were also soon on the move.