Report: Athletics talking multi-player trade; Samardzija not involved

The Oakland Athletics appear to be on the verge of a multi-player trade, according to multiple reports.

A source initially told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that right-hander Jeff Samardzija was involved in the proposed deal, but that has since been refuted by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Jane Lee of MLB.com. 

Slusser later confirmed Samardzija is not part of the potential trade.

Athletics general manager Billy Beane is said to be targeting hitters this offseason after his club's offense sputtered to the second-worst OPS during the second half of 2014.