Tommy Milone, demoted to the minors earlier this month following the acquisition of Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel has asked the Oakland Athletics to trade him, reports Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

Rosenthal adds “the Athletics have received trade inquiries on Milone, but the team is not eager to move him, knowing he might be needed due to injury or ineffectiveness.”

The A’s have no incentive to accommodate Milone, who is better than many starters currently in the majors. The southpaw owns a career 3.84 ERA in 468 2/3 innings, and had gone 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA in 11 starts prior to his demotion.

If the A’s were to listen on Milone, they could ask interested parties to take struggling reliever Jim Johnson off their hands as part of a package deal. The Athletics would like to avoid eating the remainder of Johnson’s $10 million contract and move him before the deadline, but have found no takers, reported John Hickey of the Oakland Tribune.

Buster Olney

Milone should practice patience

"For a player with two-plus years of service time in the big leagues, there’s one obvious solution: Pitch better and wait for the climb up the arbitration ladder, which should start for him this winter. And then it’ll all work out. He’s pitched effectively, but his numbers suggest that Milone is well-served by pitching for the Athletics, with their good defensive outfield and in a home park favorable to pitchers. "