A’s might move Jed Lowrie this winter after picking up infielder’s option

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When it comes to bargaining chips at the winter meetings, the A’s hold one potentially intriguing piece.

The A’s first act of the offseason was to pick up Jed Lowrie’s very reasonable $6 million option for 2018, and they had every intention of keeping him at least until the trade deadline. But with second basemen in demand this winter and Oakland on the lookout for a corner outfielder and a left-handed reliever and having Franklin Barreto available to play second base, it’s increasingly apparent that Lowrie could be on the move sooner rather than later.

Healthy all season for the first time since 2013, Lowrie, 33, was the A’s best all-around player in 2017, with a team-best WAR of 4.0. He also can play third base and shortstop.

Among the teams looking for a second baseman: the Mets, Brewers and Angels. Milwaukee outfielder Domingo Santana certainly would be on Oakland’s wish list if available, as recent reports have suggested. Even if the Brewers have interest in Lowrie, they probably would need to get a starting pitcher, too, even to contemplate moving Santana, who hit 30 homers last season and has three years of service time remaining.

The Brewers also might be hesitant to move another slugging outfielder to Oakland: they did so two years ago and since then, Khris Davis has hit 85 homers for the A’s. The Mets and Angels don’t have outfielders to spare, but if some sort of multiteam deal developed, Lowrie might pique some interest.

Oakland remains interested in St. Louis outfielder Stephen Piscotty, as The Chronicle reported a week ago, though Piscotty might be a tougher get now that the Cardinals missed on Giancarlo Stanton. St. Louis is looking for relief pitching and starting pitchers, including Triple-A starters; the A’s might have enough depth in those areas to accommodate the Cards. The Cardinals rarely make deals with Oakland, but they appear to match up well in this instance. One industry source estimated there is a 50-50 chance of the deal happening before the end of the winter meetings.

With Stanton going to the Yankees, could the A’s land one of New York’s extra outfielders? A’s vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said Monday at the winter meetings that there is “no question” that the team monitors extra players who become available whenever clubs acquire a significant player. “That’s definitely part of the evaluation of the trade market,” Beane said.

Clint Frazier would appear to be a good fit: a young (22) right-handed hitter with six years of big-league service time left, precisely what the A’s are looking for. Frazier, though, would command a fairly decent return, even if he is now blocked in New York. He was called up to great fanfare last summer, and the Yankees likely would want a good big-league starter or major prospects in return.

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 19: Jed Lowrie #8 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates with Franklin Barreto #1 of the Oakland Athletics after hitting a grand slam to take a 9-8 lead over the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning at Comerica Park on September 19, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) less DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 19: Jed Lowrie #8 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates with Franklin Barreto #1 of the Oakland Athletics after hitting a grand slam to take a 9-8 lead over the Detroit Tigers during the ... more Photo: Duane Burleson, Getty Images Photo: Duane Burleson, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close A’s might move Jed Lowrie this winter after picking up infielder’s option 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

“Usually what will happen is there’s the assumption, ‘Well, this guy is going here, so they should be able to get this guy for very little,’ but it doesn’t necessarily change the asking price,” Beane said, without referring to any particular players. “And in some cases, if it’s a young player, (the original team) might not have to do anything.”

The A’s also have interest in Cincinnati’s Adam Duvall and Tampa Bay’s Steven Souza Jr. should Piscotty not pan out; St. Louis’ Randal Grichuk is a lesser possibility.

Also under consideration: Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins and Avisail Garcia of the White Sox. The A’s have no problem absorbing some payroll this winter; they’re at $59 million.

With the Marlins trying to shed salary, they might be willing to deal Ozuna, a two-time All-Star who has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining. Chicago is looking for top prospects, which might make Oakland a tough match. The A’s are also rebuilding and want to retain their best young players; they’re also not looking to move Davis after trading Ryon Healy to free up the designated-hitter spot for him. Several teams, including Boston, called about Davis this offseason and were told he’s not available.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser