State of the A’s: Sifting Through the Pain
I’ve been going back and forth in my head for months. I’ve been trying to decide whether A’s ownership is incompetent, to a concerning degree, or they just hate me. Either way it sucks. The fanbase is maligned and dwindling. What I have settled on, however, I think is worse. Much worse. They just don’t care.
Scrolling Twitter, someone said the A’s are not a real baseball team. At first I thought that was ridiculous. Of course they are, they play in the leagues like the other 29 teams. They have the same number of players on the roster (at least before all the free agents left), the same infield dimensions, play with the same ball etc, etc. But I sat on Monday morning looking at Kyle Schwarber’s big smiling face on my TV and I felt ill. He had just received 4 years for 79 million from Philadelphia. That’s nearly 20 million a year for a 29 year old power bat without an ounce of fielding value. I realized it was true, they are not a real baseball team. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, two all- star corner infielders with generational value for an organization, traded. They were both making less than that. Big lineup anchoring bats with gold gloves(one platinum) taken in the first round in a three year span. Gone with two years of team control remaining. Two years until free agency! It was demoralizing. It was heartbreaking. It had to be done.
It had to be done because they are not a real baseball team. They don’t have the same resources, this has been made abundantly clear. It seems this is a choice by owner John Fisher. They have to tear it down because without an implosion style rebuild the river that is their talent pipeline will be bone dry. The front office is good at what they do. With a farm system ranked in the bottom 5 by most publications the clock was ticking. There is no replenishment in the free agent market. Signing a real free agent is legitimately inconceivable.
Recent misses in the draft have also increased the pressure. Kyler Murray(2018) of course but also first rounders Austin Beck(2017), and Logan Davidson(2019) who continue to plod along in the minors. Davidson had a nice showing in the Arizona Fall League last year but has struggled to impact the ball as a pro. He came off the pandemic and was sent to AA Midland where he struggled, batting .211/.307/.313 with 7 homers. Prior to the season he had only played 54 games in A- where he hit .239/.345/.332. It was an aggressive assignment but his ceiling looks limited. On the mound, the cream of the pitching crop to pair with the Matts was either traded to Miami for a rental, as Luzardo was for Marte, or remains unable to stay on the field to this point in AJ Puk and Daulton Jeffries. The farm, the river, whatever metaphor you prefer, it was barren.
The Retool
I’ll say it again, the front office is really good at what they do. As of Wednesday March 16th, as Frankie Montas and Sean Manea’s names litter the MLB Trade Rumors page, the plan has been clear. Acquire pitching. So far they’ve netted 2 recent 1st round arms. From the Olson deal, Ryan Cusick, a lefty with a big fastball. He was the 24th overall pick out of Wake Forrest in 2020 and netted a $2.7 million bonus. From the Chapman deal, righthander Gunner Hoglund, the Jays pick at 19th overall in 2021. The former Ole Miss Rebel received a $3.2 million bonus on draft day. By inheriting a little risk in that Hoglund is currently out from TJ, the upside grows. The A’s also netted 3 lower profile arms in the deals, most of whom should fill out their top 30 prospects lists nicely. Let’s not forget about the Chris Basset deal which cranked these flood gates wide. Two arms were acquired from the Mets, including GT Jinn who was selected 30th overall in 2020 ($2.9 million signing bonus). The value acquired in draft slot money here is significant. Everything related to money for this club is. Every successful A’s rebuild cycle has featured its respective crop of arms. I expect the names to continue to flow in as Manea and Montas are served greener pastures.
The bats are already percolating but more are needed. 2020 first rounder Tyler Soderstrom impressed at Low A Stockton before being sidelined with injuries. He looks like the first baseman of the future. 2021 2nd rounder Zack Gelof continued his hitting ways since his days at Virginia. He hit well in his first taste of pro ball this summer. He is the other corner. I think both could see AA this year with strong showings at the lower levels, health permitting. Nick Allen, long considered the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues, profiles as a perennial gold glove candidate and the bat has been progressing. Drafted out of high school in 2017 in the 3rd round, with a bonus way over slot value, he should see time in the big leagues this year. Aside from those three, some major projection is needed to envision lineup anchors.
Kevin Smith, acquired from the Blue Jays, is a solid player who was waiting on playing time in Toronto. He’s versatile, able to handle the left side of the infield with an above average arm. Smith looks to fill the mold of the Chad Pinder utility knife. The acquisition makes sense. Christian Pache, a long-time Braves top prospect, is enticing for his defensive skills. He struggled badly at the plate last season striking out at a 27.5% clip in AAA while batting .265. He’s only 23 though and his ceiling had him in top 100 prospect lists for years running. If nothing else he’ll be fun to watch patrol center field at the Coli. For Olson, they also received their catcher of the future in Shea Langeliers. The Baylor product, a 2019 1st rounder himself, should be near big league ready.
The seeds of the rebuild are beginning to populate. It hurts but it makes sense. You want to give up but you can see the direction, the reality of the situation. All that said, some questions remain:
Why does ownership hate me? Why is the rebuild accompanied with doubled ticket prices? Why must we be unable to enjoy anything anyway with the immense threat of relocation? Will Howard Terminal actually get built? Is Dave Kaval serious? Will $20 be enough to buy one IPA this year? Will there be many Tweets about 3,000 paid attendance on a Tuesday night against Texas at the Coliseum? Wait, how many tweets about it? Why is parking $30? Was A’s access a sick joke(but seriously is it coming back?)? Can we be a real baseball team now?
The questions will remain and so will the hurt.
