Like the Brewers, the Oakland A’s came out of nowhere in 2018. While they didn’t make it far in the playoffs, they got there. And, the majority of the MLB couldn’t say that.
Even though Billy Beane is no longer making the general manager moves, he’s still in the front office. With this quiet off-season, it seems as if his legacy of making fantastic moves is a figment of our imaginations.
The A’s need several things – especially starting pitching. They only have three of them on the depth chart. THREE. That’s it.
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THREE!
You can’t field a team with three starting pitchers. Even the Tampa Bay Rays have four (which isn’t much better). The A’s problem is that they also don’t have much available in the bullpen either. The bullpen depth chart is full, but one of those players on the list is Fernando Rodney (who will be 41 in March) and some names don’t even have numbers.
The A’s have a few players that seem unstoppable. The Matts – Matt Chapman and Matt Olson at the corners. Khris Davis at DH and Marcus Semien at shortstop. There’s a few pretty good outfielders, too – but many of the names on the depth chart are minor league players.
A’s fans are used to mediocrity, but it doesn’t mean they have to like it. The AL West still has the tough Astros, who just got better by adding Michael Brantley. But, the Rangers and Mariners aren’t going to be competitive. And, the Angels still need pitching. The A’s could be competitive and could make the playoffs again – but they need pitching, too.
Something needs to happen in Oakland because the team is incomplete.
These three teams have holes that need to be filled. Top players are being picked off by teams that can make decisions in a reasonable time frame. These three teams shouldn’t wait too long, or their choices (if they any in mind) could be long gone.