The Athletics have gone 21-13 in their last 34 games to pull within 2.5 games of the second Wild Card position, a stretch that could change their presumed position as sellers according to Jane Lee of MLB.com.
Oakland has a plethora of potential trade assets, ranging from Brandon McCarthy. Grant Balfour and Bartolo Colon to Seth Smith, Coco Crisp and Kurt Suzuki. Crisp and Suzuki could still be out -- the emergence of Yoenis Cespedes and Derek Norris could make them expendable even if the A's find themselves competing as July 31 approaches. But players like Smith and McCarthy seem more likely to stay at this point than they did a mere month ago.
However, the schedule for Oakland is extremely tough to open the second half. After a three-game set at Minnesota, the A's host the Rangers and Yankees before going to Toronto and Baltimore before two final pre-deadline games at home against the Rays. The Athletics will find out quickly if their contender status can last, with plenty of time to decide if they are sellers or buyers.