Oakland A’s: Three options to shore up the middle infield
With spring training just two weeks away and free agency finally heating up, the Oakland A’s have found themselves in a bit of a situation.
Their always tight budget has reportedly left them with very, very little to spend in free agency and their pool of minor league talent to deal from is slim. In fact, the Oakland A’s were the only franchise to not feature a prospect on MLB Pipeline’s latest Top 100 list.
Middle infield options for the Oakland A’s
Oakland does have one positive thing going for them as they prepare for the 2021 season, they play in the American League West, a division very much up for grabs with Seattle and Texas still in a rebuild phase and the Angels continuing to refuse to add quality pitching to their roster.
But there are some holes on this Oakland A’s roster that will need to be addressed if they want to put themselves in a position to take the West.
Tommy La Stella is now in San Francisco and Marcus Semien didn’t receive his $100 million contract, but is off to join an exciting team in Toronto, leaving Oakland in need of some middle infield help.
The free agent shortstop market is virtually cleaned out, but here are three ways in which the Oakland A’s can shore up their infield without spending very much money.
Oakland A’s may have to look to the trade market.
Without a deep talent pipeline to deal from, the Oakland A’s will have to buy low on a shortstop option who they think can rebound in 2021. One name that fits that mold and immediately jumps out is former New York Met and current Cleveland Indian shortstop Amed Rosario.
Rosario put together back-to-back decent seasons to kick-off his career with New York, including a 2.7 fWAR season in 2019 in which he slashed .287/.323/.432 with 15 home runs, 30 doubles, and seven triples.
His production dipped significantly in 2020 as he was worth just 0.1 fWAR across 46 games as the Mets turned more to Andres Gimenez. Unfortunately for Rosario, Gimenez has followed him to Cleveland, who also recently brought back Cesar Hernandez, leaving Cleveland with plenty of options up the middle.
Coming off a down season, Oakland may be able to buy low when it comes to Rosario. Having very little competition in the market also helps as most teams have filled their voids at shortstop now.
Perhaps a change of scenery would help Rosario, who wouldn’t have much competition behind him in Oakland. He also brings a few years of control which may be attractive for a team like the Oakland A’s who are reluctant to spend much money this offseason.
Jonathan Villar is a rebound option for the Oakland A’s.
The Oakland A’s have some viable options currently on the roster if they elect to stand pat and piece together a lineup each night, but if they want to compete for a divisional title then addressing the shortstop position specifically would be a big boost.
Unfortunately, the free agent options are severely limited at this point. The top name available is Jonathan Villar.
Villar’s defense is questionable, but he can play either second or shortstop full-time and has experience at third base and in the outfield. He’s also coming off a down 2020 season and hasn’t been involved in very many rumors this offseason, certainly leading to an eventual team-friendly deal for someone.
The 29-year-old switch-hitter played in all 162 games as recently as 2019. He put together a career-year with the Orioles that year, hitting 24 home runs and swiping 40 bags with a career-high 4.1 fWAR. Despite being Baltimore’s top hitter that year, the Orioles shipped him off to Miami for a minor league pitcher instead of paying him in arbitration.
Villar struggled last season with Miami and Toronto, hitting .232 with a career-low wRC+ of 66 and just two home runs.
A normal year for Villar is a league-average hitter with good pop in his bat and the ability to steal 30+ bases. It’s reasonable to believe that 2020 was just a weird year for Villar and his versatility could be an asset for the Oakland A’s.
The Oakland A’s need a shortstop.
If the Oakland A’s had any shortstop options they felt comfortable with, looking at someone like Jonathan Schoop would be a solid option, but the combination of Chad Pinder, Tony Kemp, and Sheldon Neuse are all much better suited for second base. The real issue is shortstop.
In that case, another intriguing option may be Brad Miller.
Miller played in 48 games for the St. Louis Cardinals last season, slashing .232/.357/.451 with seven home runs. His 14.6 percent walk rate is a big number that sticks out here. Of course, that’s over a small sample size but his career rate of 10 percent is still impressive.
Over the last two seasons, Miller has been impressive at the plate, putting up a wRC+ of 127 and 121 in primarily a reserve role. He may not be someone who Oakland can plug in every single day at shortstop but his extensive experience at the position and recent success could come in handy as Oakland pieces a lineup together.
Potential landing spots for Matt Chapman. dark. Next
With little to offer prospective options, the Oakland A’s are left searching the depths for middle infield help this season. There is a little value out there, but the big question is whether or not the Oakland A’s are going to be willing to pay for it, either in free agency or through a trade. Either way, time is ticking.