The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

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Sexymarinersfan
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The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by Sexymarinersfan » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:18 pm

https://theathletic.com/2976747/2021/11 ... t-tanking/


Rosenthal: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down. Here’s how they could rebuild without tanking

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 24: Third baseman Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics catches a pop-up in foul territory by Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners in the top of the seventh inning at RingCentral Coliseum on August 24, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
By Ken Rosenthal 24m ago 6
The last time the Athletics tore down, after their crushing loss to the Royals in the 2014 wild-card game, they did not go into full tanking mode. Under Billy Beane and David Forst, they never have adopted such a strategy, and they are not necessarily planning to do it this time, either.

Oh, the A’s are still likely to trade almost every player with value on their roster, starting with their most coveted pieces, first baseman Matt Olson and right-hander Frankie Montas. Their available parts include even catcher Sean Murphy, who is a year away from arbitration. But it now appears unlikely they will embark upon a plan they initially had considered, cutting the payroll to a bare-bones $40 million.

One alternative, according to major-league sources, is for the A’s to build back up modestly by signing a bevy of free agents to one-year contracts, a course that might enable them to field a presentable team in 2022 while building inventory for additional trades. Think back to the 2014-15 offseason, when the A’s acquired Ben Zobrist entering his walk year after trading Josh Donaldson and Jeff Samardzija and losing others to free agency. The following summer, they traded Zobrist for one of their players who now might be on the move, left-hander Sean Manaea.

Nothing is decided. A’s officials, bombarded with trade interest in their players, are still gathering and organizing information. And owner John Fisher has yet to determine exactly how far he wants the front office to go, knowing he will be sharply criticized if the team trades its best and most recognizable players at a time when he is trying to get a new ballpark built in Oakland or Las Vegas.

Other dynamics also are in play. A lockout is expected at midnight Dec. 1, and many teams are intensely focused on free agents, trying to secure their preferred choices before offseason business shuts down. An agreement between Major League Baseball and the union Tuesday night pushed back the tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players from the day after the expected lockout to the day before, a move that will create additional last-minute free-agent options. And MLB in collective-bargaining negotiations has proposed a minimum payroll, though that is a concept the union is highly unlikely to embrace if it remains tied to lower luxury-tax thresholds.

Most if not all of the A’s trades, then, figure to come after the lockout rather than before. If they are going to rebuild, there is little point in them moving some players and not others. But Fisher then might see little point in approving a series of inexpensive free-agent signings, knowing it might only result in a difference between say, 60 and 70 wins in a division in which every other team intends to spend.

On the other hand, how much embarrassment is Fisher willing to risk? The Orioles, who have averaged 111 losses the past three full seasons, currently are projected to field a $56 million payroll. Assuming there is no minimum in place, would Fisher dare go below that number?

Beane and Forst, even while perpetually under-financed, generally fare well in acquiring talent, as evidenced by the team’s six playoff appearances in the past 10 seasons. The Donaldson trade was an exception, and even that deal brought back Kendall Graveman, who essentially was a league-average starter with the A’s for three seasons before undergoing Tommy John surgery and returning as a successful reliever with the Mariners and Astros. Other deals after the 2014 season yielded Marcus Semien and Chris Bassitt (for Jeff Samardzija), Joey Wendle (for Brandon Moss), Mark Canha (for minor-league pitcher Austin House) and Tyler Clippard (for Yunel Escobar, who had arrived with Zobrist four days before).

Semien took years to develop into a star. Wendle only broke out after getting traded again to the Rays. For the A’s, 2015 marked the first of three straight losing seasons, yet Beane and Forst never stopped trying. After ’15, they signed Rich Hill as a free agent and traded for Liam Hendriks, Jed Lowrie, Yonder Alonso and Khris Davis. At the 2016 trade deadline, they sent Hill and Josh Reddick to the Dodgers and acquired Montas as part of the return.

A trade of homegrown starter Sonny Gray to the Yankees at the 2017 deadline was less successful, but that same July the A’s also acquired Blake Treinen in a deal for Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson, whom they had signed as a free agent 19 months before. By ’18, with prospects such as Olson and Matt Chapman becoming regulars, Beane and Forst had retooled successfully enough for the A’s to begin a second run of three straight postseason appearances.

The current situation, then, is not hopeless, exasperating as it might be. Start with the A’s biggest names, all of whom are under club control for two more years. Olson and Montas should bring back significant returns, and three-time Gold Glove winner Chapman might, too, even coming off a season that was below his usual standards offensively. Murphy, under control for four more years, also will be a hot commodity in a market starved for catchers. Manaea and the right-handed Bassitt might be less coveted entering their walk years, but both are capable starting pitchers.

As free agency unfolds, additional trade opportunities will develop. Say, for example, the Mariners sign Japanese free agent Seiya Suzuki, adding to their impressive collection of outfielders. Would they then be willing to part with one of those outfielders — maybe not top prospect Julio Rodríguez, but a player on the tier below — for Chapman? A wide range of such opportunities should arise, and the demand for Olson and Montas should only become more intense once the better free agents at their positions are off the board.

If the A’s then spent $30 million to $40 million on the right free agents, it would only increase their options. They could not afford to miss the way they did last season with reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who signed for $11 million, required two surgeries and never threw a single pitch for the club. But the idea would be to duplicate what they did with Zobrist and Hill, flipping short-term pieces for longer-term assets such as Manaea and Montas, while keeping the team reasonably competitive in the process.

It would be typical A’s arbitrage. And it would sure beat tanking.


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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by Sexymarinersfan » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:35 pm

There could be other options, however. Much has been made of the Mariners’ ability to take on a player with an undesirable contract as part of a trade for a desired target. The Mariners also could make a bulk, lower-level prospect deal, something the A’s in particular could be attracted to. One trade target we surprisingly haven’t heard much about this winter is the young club controllable player. The player who is ready to go now, perhaps to bolster the lineup of a young, rebuilding team. This also could be of interest to the A’s, who could further develop said players and flip when they become expensive.

This could all go out the window depending on what happens with the new CBA, but the Mariners have two such players in Abraham Toro and Luis Torrens that perhaps could be attractive parts of bigger deals. When Toro was acquired shortly before the trade deadline, Dipoto received calls from clubs believing he was going to flip him. Where are those teams now? We are currently seeing an absolutely terrible catchers market, so could Torrens be of intrigue to another team particularly if the universal DH is part of the new CBA? Could Miami have interest?

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by Case_Of_The_Runs » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:37 pm

Interesting. Based on all of the action and inaction these days, my guess is JD does the following:

Sign Suzuki 4/$50M
Trade Lewis, Then and Toro for Chapman
Sign Gausman 4/$80M
Trade prospects for one of the A’s pitchers (beyond that I can’t predict)

IMHO.

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by ice99 » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:10 pm

Chapman looks slightly better than a right handed Seager, pass. Besides, signing Suzuki and getting Chapman is going to make the M's more right-handed.

It would be preferable if they can fit a trade for Olson. JRod should be up sometime this year to add to the rh power. If they trade for Olson and sign Suzuki, they can move Suzuki to somewhere in the infield or to DH when JRod arrives.

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by D-train » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:17 pm

ice99 wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:10 pm
Chapman looks slightly better than a right handed Seager, pass. Besides, signing Suzuki and getting Chapman is going to make the M's more right-handed.

It would be preferable if they can fit a trade for Olson. JRod should be up sometime this year to add to the rh power. If they trade for Olson and sign Suzuki, they can move Suzuki to somewhere in the infield or to DH when JRod arrives.
Depends who is better defensively but I would think it would be Suzuki so Haniger to DH would be another option.
dt

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by ice99 » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:19 pm

D-train wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:17 pm
ice99 wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:10 pm
Chapman looks slightly better than a right handed Seager, pass. Besides, signing Suzuki and getting Chapman is going to make the M's more right-handed.

It would be preferable if they can fit a trade for Olson. JRod should be up sometime this year to add to the rh power. If they trade for Olson and sign Suzuki, they can move Suzuki to somewhere in the infield or to DH when JRod arrives.
Depends who is better defensively but I would think it would be Suzuki so Haniger to DH would be another option.
True, but I'm hoping that Suzuki can play 3B, or 2B.

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by D-train » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:35 pm

Maybe but doesn't look like he has played INF since 2014.
dt

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by Sexymarinersfan » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:39 pm

D-train wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:35 pm
Maybe but doesn't look like he has played INF since 2014.
It'll be interesting to see how they use Seiya if they can land him.

They took a versatile player such as France and pidgeon-holed him into one position with ability to play others. I could see them doing the same with Suzuki. Like DT said, move Haniger to DH and Seiya to RF. There's a gold glover out there now.

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by Sexymarinersfan » Wed Nov 24, 2021 8:03 pm


Depends who is better defensively but I would think it would be Suzuki so Haniger to DH would be another option.
I wonder if Ichiro is doing any recruiting for Seiya just as Ty France and Marco are for others?

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Re: The Oakland A’s are prepared to tear down

Post by Donn Beach » Wed Nov 24, 2021 9:23 pm

he wears ichiro's number

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