A's left-hander Tommy Milone declined to comment Monday night on reports that he has requested a trade from Oakland.
Milone was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on July 5, the same day the A's finalized a trade with the Chicago Cubs to add right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to their rotation.
Milone was sent to the minors despite going 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA over his previous 11 starts before his demotion. At the time, manager Bob Melvin praised Milone and said he envisioned Milone potentially returning to the big club at some point this season.
A couple days later, fellow starter Brad Mills was designated for assignment to clear a second rotation spot for both Samardzija and Hammel.
Overall, Milone is 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA for the A's this season. Given how much the A's value their starting pitching depth, and considering Hammel has been shaky in his first two starts for Oakland, the A's might very well be inclined to keep Milone despite his reported trade request.
He becomes eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, meaning he'll still be affordable in 2015. The New York Yankees are one team reported to have expressed interest in trading for Milone, who declined any comment via a text message to CSN California.
