The Athletics seem to be in no-man’s land. They don’t have as much big-league talent as contending teams, yet they aren’t committing to a full-scale rebuild, either.
As we approach the 2017 season, we’re previewing what’s ahead for each of the 30 MLB teams. The Oakland Athletics are next:
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Up-and-coming player to watch
In all likelihood the Josh Donaldson trade will be remembered as one of the worst deals of Billy Beane’s tenure. If there’s a silver lining in place for Oakland, it’s that Franklin Barreto now looks like one of the most intriguing pieces in the Athletics organization.
The 20-year-old shortstop hit .281/.340/.413 with 10 home runs against older competition at double-A last year before making a triple-A cameo to cap off the season. Baseball America now ranks him tops among all Athletics prospects, suggesting the big leagues are within reach for Barreto in 2017.
What a successful 2017 season would look like
Big picture, it’s just about impossible to imagine the Athletics building a contender through free agency, which means they’ll need another wave of homegrown players to compete for the playoffs. Right now, they don’t have enough in that department, so the success of their 2017 season hinges in large part on how much young talent they add.
Most rebuilding teams need strong drafts, aggressive international spending and productive minor league player development. Beyond those pillars, the Athletics can add young talent in a couple of ways: breakout seasons at the MLB level and trades of veterans for controllable players. More specifically, continued progress from potential long-term pieces such as Ryon Healy, Marcus Semien, Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea and Jharel Cotton would go a long way. The Athletics could conceivably acquire young talent from other teams if veterans such as Rajai Davis, Jed Lowrie, Matt Joyce, Stephen Vogt, Sean Doolittle and John Axford produce before July 31.
None of those players has the potential to bring back as much as Sonny Gray, but a lat strain will sideline the right-hander for the beginning of a season. That’s a blow for Gray, whose 2016 season was generally unproductive, and for the A’s, who might now have a harder time getting real value back for the 27-year-old.
Off the field, the A’s need resolution when it comes to their long-term home. Chances are the the baseball side will have more direction once plans for a new stadium are solidified.
Biggest remaining question
What are the Athletics doing? Seriously, that’s the biggest question. They don’t look like contenders now, that’s for sure. They ranked last in the American League in runs scored, last in on-base percentage, last in slugging percentage. Their pitching staff doesn’t look much better after posting a 4.51 ERA that ranked second-last in the AL.
If Oakland’s farm system was bursting with prospects, those big-league shortcomings would be understandable, but their farm system actually got worse last year, dropping from 18th to 23rd in baseball, according to ESPN.
Once industry leaders, the A’s now seem directionless. Maybe it’s time for the kind of all-in teardowns that preceded contending teams in Houston and Chicago. At least they should have enough pieces to sell aggressively this summer.
