Oakland A’s
The thought of the Athletics as players in MLB free agency seems somehow unsettling. Don’t, however, dismiss it entirely.
In Oakland’s case, the biggest unknown may be what progress, if any, is made toward finalizing a new stadium. Modern stadiums are designed to be money-makers, so such a concrete plan would open a new revenue stream.
In other respects, the A’s are already well-positioned to be aggressive in 2020. They do lose star DH Khris Davis to free agency, but have just $8 million in pre-set commitments, almost all of that to outfielder Stephen Piscotty. Their two best every-day players, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, will still be pre-arbitration eligible. And if they’re really lucky, the core of their young pitching staff – Sean Manaea, Daniel Mengden, Jhareal Cotton – will be returning from the epidemic of arm injuries that is expected to sideline them for much or all of 2019.
The future of the stadium negotiations really is central to the A’s prospects to compete for talent. Their payroll has never topped $90 million. But with a stadium deal in place by this time next year, they could jack that payroll north of $100 million and find themselves flush with the kind of cash that would enable them to pursue whatever the 2019 season shows that they need to continue to be competitive.