Kuzul

The Oakland A’s are always filled with entertaining storylines, and 2015 is no different.

The team is fun. From the white cleats to the famed right field bleacher crew, the A’s are exciting and unique. 

They made a big splash this offseason with a ton of moves, and many worried the A’s took a step backward. But then they moved on to spring training, where they finished with the best record of any team.

But is it all a facade?

The A’s have four major storylines to follow with another four that should be fun to watch early on, ranked from least important to most for your convenience. 

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With the production of the film Moneyball back in 2011, Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane became a nationally known figure.

Since that outstanding movie’s release, the A’s have been even more successful and Beane has been even more daring.

The Athletics have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons—two American League West titles and one Wild Card Game appearance—which is the most consecutive postseason appearances under Beane.

Even though they have failed to advance to the next round in any of those years, it’s hard to argue with that kind of success in a frugal environment like Oakland.

Not only is Beane very smart, but he is also so innovative that it’s incredibly hard for the rest of the game to keep up.

Moneyball mainly outlined the importance Beane placed on patience and getting on base, but now he is adjusting his philosophy a bit to concentrate on getting maximum production out of all 25 roster spots. In other words, he feels that loading up on platoon players is the most efficient way to allocate the meager resources he is given.

Joe Lemire summed it up nicely in an article he wrote last year for the Wall Street Journal:

Part of Oakland’s motivation was to maximize all 25 roster spots in a contending season; platoons are a cost effective way of generating production, as two part-time players tend to cost less than one full-time regular. 

Beane was already revered as a genius, and he could have stuck with his notion of getting on base and would still be considered among the best executives in baseball. But he is never satisfied, especially without a ring, and that is why from now on the A’s will always be legitimate contenders.

Because Beane won’t allow them not to be.

How often can a team trade, over the course of 14 months, three Baseball America Top 100 prospects in Grant Green, Michael Choice and Addison Russell, trade an All-Star outfielder in Yoenis Cespedes, trade away one of the best third basemen in the game in Josh Donaldson, fail to re-sign All-Star pitchers Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija, and still have a legitimate chance to compete in arguably the toughest division in baseball?

Not often at all, but in Oakland it is just another day at the office.

The A’s have 16 players on the roster who weren’t with the club at all last year, including eight pitchers according to ESPN.com’s Christina Kahrl.

This offseason, the Oakland front office has pursued plenty of different faces. Ben Zobrist, Billy Butler, Brett Lawrie and Ike Davis were among the club’s major hitting additions, while Jesse Hahn and Tyler Clippard should contribute to the pitching staff.

While they don’t have any true superstars anymore, they definitely have a slew of above-average players who have the potential to be a very good team.

Baseball Prospectus projects the A’s to win 84 games, finish third in the AL West and make the playoffs as the second wild-card team. Fangraphs is even more optimistic, predicting Oakland to be good for 88 wins.

How a team that overhauled most of its premier players from last year can even be close to competitive is a miracle, and the fact that the A’s have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs is simply remarkable.

I am going to say that they will make the playoffs. I think the Zobrist addition and the host of other platoon options gives Bob Melvin the most flexibility of any manager in the league.

The pitching will be solid, especially in cavernous O.co Coliseum, and they will score just enough runs to win games.

Also, maybe most importantly, if the A’s are in the hunt when the trade deadline comes around, Beane will do everything in his power to add any pieces necessary to win.

Beane has never overseen a World Series victory, and he maybe never will, but the way he is able to maximize his team and keep them toward the top of the standings seemingly every year is absolutely phenomenal.

I’m not a gambler, but if I were to put money on how the A’s will do in 2015, there is no way I could bet against Billy Beane. 

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Spring is the perfect time for young, inexperienced players to take that next step forward into one of the game’s elites. With the importance of the games, and thus the pressure on the players, decreased compared to that of the regular season, it is a time for youth prospects to thrive.

One such prospect in the early stages of spring training this year has been Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien.

After spending time with the Chicago White Sox, Semien was sent to Oakland as part of the Jeff Samardzija deal and wasn’t seen as anything special in his limited time in the majors to that point.

Hitting .240 with four home runs and 35 RBI, Semien wasn’t exactly tearing it up, and expectations were middling heading into this spring from everyone outside of the Athletics organization.

But, as has become something of a norm, Oakland proved just how much smarter it is than the experts around the league, as Semien has been nothing short of a star so far in spring training.

In his six games in the Cactus League with the A’s, Semien is hitting .500 with two homers, seven RBI and an OPS of 1.454. His first game in the spring featured a two-homer performance against the defending champion San Francisco Giants.

The power is something that the Athletics were hoping to get out of the 24-year-old, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that continue as he gets more at-bats throughout the season. With only 85 games in the majors, the sample size for Semien is small, and hopes are his power will benefit as he becomes more comfortable in the majors.

Perhaps the biggest issue Semien has dealt with in his limited career thus far has been on the defensive side of the ball.

After being forced to play at second and third base for most of his time in Chicago, Semien has been inconsistent in the field while playing out of his natural position. But with the issues the A’s have had in recent years at shortstop, it is fair to expect that a long-term stint at shortstop would help boost Semien’s defensive numbers in the season.

“I think the White Sox believed in me at short too, but they had Alexei Ramirez,” Semien said, according to ESPN.com’s Christina Kahrl. “I was happy that they worked with me at those other positions, but now, here? Every rep that I get at shortstop, that’s what I’ve always wanted.”

It is almost always better to keep a player happy and comfortable, and it will usually result in an increase in production, which is exactly what the Athletics were hoping for when they dealt Samardzija.

If Semien can develop into the regular starter at short for Oakland, it will be yet another swing and a hit for one of the smartest franchises in the league.

Although, if he doesn’t, the A’s always have Will Ferrell to fall back on as an everyday shortstop.

In a year where the American League is as wide open as it has been in a long time, every move matters. And if the early parts of spring training are to be believed, Oakland made a good one with the addition of the power-hitting Semien.

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Barry Zito and the Oakland Athletics are reuniting. 

The team announced Zito has been signed to a minor league deal: 

The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Susan Slusser initially reported the news on Monday.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman added some monetary details: 

Zito commented on the news, via Slusser: “I just want to pitch. I love baseball. I want to enjoy the game…I’ll let my pitching speak for itself—or not speak for itself. Talk is cheap. We’ll see what happens when it happens.”

Zito, a first-round pick by the A’s in 1999, spent seven seasons with the team, compiling 102 wins, a 3.55 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He won the Cy Young Award in 2002 and was named to three All-Star Games, serving as a crucial piece on some very good Athletics ballclubs. 

Still, expectations will obviously have to be tempered. 

Zito, who failed to live up to a massive contract with the San Francisco Giants, last pitched in 2013, when he went 5-11 with a 5.74 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and a career-worst 11.7 hits allowed per nine innings. 

Perhaps the lefty’s year off will help him enjoy a career revival, but ultimately, it’s going to be difficult for the 36-year-old to crack a spot in the starting rotation. 

Still, it’s a low-risk move for Oakland, and it brings a fan favorite back home. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless noted otherwise.

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Oakland Athletics‘ FanFest is in the books, which means the next big event is the beginning of spring training.

It’s been a hectic offseason, so whether you’ve lived under a rock or paid full attention, you’ll probably need a refresher course regardless.

The team made plenty of additions. That, of course, was to fill the myriad losses. Oakland made some coaching changes. The farm system has been shaken up. All in all, the A’s have changed—big time.

As we head into spring training, let’s take a look at all of those changes and preview the lineup, rotation, bullpen, potential breakout candidates, prospects to watch and likely position battles.

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Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane has had the busiest offseason of any GM, making nine trades involving 27 players in total. His most recent deal, swapping shortstop Yunel Escobar for Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, was his best one of the winter.

Beane acquired Escobar and utility man Ben Zobrist from the Tampa Bay Rays for catcher John Jaso and prospects Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell on January 10.

The Athletics needed someone to fill in at short after allowing Jed Lowrie to walk, and they got their man from Tampa Bay. But it was Zobrist, not Escobar, as he was flipped to the Nationals for Clippard four days later.

Shortstop is arguably the weakest offensive position in the league, and Escobar has long enjoyed a reputation as an above-average hitter. His best season came with the Atlanta Braves in 2009, when he hit .299/.377/.436.

The problem is, he hasn’t hit at such a high level since 2011. His OPS has fallen under .700 in each of the last three seasons, and he’s only hit double-digit home runs in three of his eight major league seasons.

Middle infielders don’t often carry a lot of power, so Escobar‘s waning power isn’t a deal-breaker on its own. But his 31 career stolen bases are surprisingly low for such a tenured shortstop, and if he’s not a threat in the batter’s box or on the basepaths, where is he a threat?

The answer: he’s a threat in the field—for his own team.

Defensive regression is natural for an aging shortstop, and Escobar is 32. Many players’ arm strength and/or agility starts disappearing around then.

Escobar was actually a good defensive player as recently as 2013, when he posted a 10.7 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), more than double his previous career high and third in the majors among everyday shortstops, per Fangraphs. For comparison, Lowrie had a -6.7 UZR that season, third-worst in the majors for his position.

But Escobar‘s UZR shot down to an abysmal -17.0 in 2014, worst among starting shortstops by a wide margin. His range has all but disappeared, and the Nationals are expected to play him at second base, as the A’s would have.

In fact, Escobar‘s UZR over 150 games (UZR/150) in 2014 was the worst by a shortstop since Fangraphs began keeping track of the stat (h/t Athletics Nation’s Jeremy F. Koo).

Escobar never wanted to play for the A’s, and he would have been a horrible fit in Oakland. The A’s weren’t going to win over Bay Area fans by employing a middle infielder who once wrote an anti-gay slur into his eye black.

After the A’s claimed Escobar on waivers last August, his agent, Alex Esteban, told CBS’ Jon Heyman he was “very concerned” with Oakland’s selection. Tampa Bay pulled Escobar back from waivers after Esteban continued to drop hints about Escobar‘s aversion for suiting up in Oakland.

Clippard, on the other hand, shows no signs of fitting in poorly for the A’s. The Washington Post‘s James Wagner called him “an earnest, thoughtful and funny teammate, who was always accountable—good or bad—for his performances and the teams’s performance.”

He has been named to two All-Star Games despite functioning as a set-up man—not a closer—for most of his career. With a 2.68 ERA in just over six years with the Nationals, he’s been one of the most consistent relief options in baseball throughout his career.

Clippard was the Nats closer in 2012 and has the stuff to end for the A’s—which he may be expected to do after Sean Doolittle’s slight rotator cuff tear.

 Oakland acquired a similarly steady relief arm last season in Luke Gregerson, who turned in a 2.12 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his one season with the A’s. Clippard is more of a power arm than Gregerson, but he should be just as good in an eighth-inning set-up role once Doolittle returns.

The A’s are flush with back-of-the-rotation starters, some of whom may turn into bullpen guys. They don’t actually have too many true right-handed relievers like Clippard, though, so he and Ryan Cook will be counted on as dependable late-inning arms.

Fans have bemoaned Beane‘s trading of five of the A’s seven 2014 All-Stars, but Clippard appeared in last year’s Midsummer Classic for the National League team. Oakland flipped an old, defenseless middle infielder with little pop for a shutdown bullpen arm.

Trade information courtesy of Athletics Nation. Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.

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The Oakland A’s have planned to contend in 2015 all along.

While they were dumping All-Stars and stockpiling younger talent over the last two months, they were still planning on making their now-annual run at the top of their division. Billy Beane is still the organization’s general manager, and he still can draw his six shooter with the best in the American League West.

The A’s pulled off a stunning trade Saturday in what has been an offseason full of them, particularly for Oakland. Beane acquired second baseman/utility man Ben Zobrist and shortstop Yunel Escobar from the Tampa Bay Rays, pushing the A’s into contending position with a steady lineup and good-looking pitching staff.

It cost them, though. The Rays received Oakland’s top prospect, as rated by Baseball America last month and the publication’s No. 39 prospect overall, shortstop Daniel Robertson. Catcher John Jaso and outfielder prospect Boog Powell also go to Tampa Bay. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the trade Saturday morning, and others trickled in with further details.

Full trade, as first reported by @susanslusser: Zobrist and Y. Escobar to #Athletics for Jaso, SS Daniel Robertson and OF Boog Powell.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 10, 2015

Several baseball pundits and analysts have criticized Beane’s offseason moves, but those people had tunnel vision. The A’s were not being blown up, and the GM was not the bad guy. He was again surviving in the environment he’d been placed in and had a plan on how to do so the entire time.

“Billy is about as good as it gets as far as being able to handle that balance, keeping us competitive currently and looking down the road for the future,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told Slusser a month ago after the team traded away Brandon Moss.

When Beane was shuttling out All-Stars Josh Donaldson, Moss, Jeff Samardzija and Derek Norris, he was looking toward the future. His move to acquire Zobrist and Escobar, as when he traded Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester last July, is playing to win immediately.

Starting with that Cespedes deal, the A’s have dealt away five All-Stars in the last five-plus months, a block of trades that have sent some scrambling to put Beane in the stocks while prompting others to preach patience as we see how it ultimately plays out.

A’s fans don’t have Billy Beane‘s phone number so they’re taking it out on me on twitter.

— Ann Killion (@annkillion) October 3, 2014

Now we know. The A’s are pretty much done making moves now, and here is what we know heading into spring training in about five weeks: Their lineup is solid with an upgraded infield overall, they have a good starting rotation even without Lester and Samardzija, and the bullpen is still one of the best in the majors.

After double-checking the math, that outlook is pretty damn good.

“That total rebuild is not something we really believe in, and not something Billy or I want to do,” A’s assistant GM David Forst told Eno Sarris of FanGraphs last month. “It’s not enjoyable to sit through six months of a season and lose 95-100 games. Luckily, I’ve never had to do it.”

This year will not be any different. The A’s plan to play for a fourth consecutive playoff berth and a third division title in four years. With the addition of Zobrist, who is in a contract year, this team will contend.

If you don’t know Zobrist’s skill set or what he is worth to a team, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Zobrist is the most underrated, undervalued player in the game who can play multiple positions, though he will primarily play second base for Oakland.

Making $7.5 million next season, Zobrist has a 23.2 WAR since 2011 based on FanGraphs’ calculations. That is the fourth-highest total in the American League during that time, trailing a trio of superstars in Mike Trout (29.1), Miguel Cabrera (26.5) and Robinson Cano (24.3).

In each of the last six seasons, only Zobrist and Cabrera have been worth at least a 4.5 WAR by the Baseball-Reference.com calculation.

The A’s are losing a couple of highly regarded prospects in this deal—Powell was the Class-A Midwest League All-Star Game MVP last season before being suspended 50 games for amphetamines—but people can’t complain when Beane builds for the future, or future trades, and when he goes for it in the now.

That double standard is undeserved, especially since virtually the entire baseball-loving world slammed Beane for his “rebuild” before the 2012 season when he traded away three All-Stars only to win the division the following two years.

Beane’s track record earned him the benefit of the doubt during all of his earlier trades this offseason, even if he did not get it from everyone. This Zobrist/Escobar trade is why. Before Saturday, knee-jerk reactors had the A’s being a terrible baseball team next season. That was always laughable considering what remained, mainly a very good rotation and bullpen.

Now, those same people may very well call the A’s contenders even though Zobrist by himself does not make them such.

Beane traded away his recognized talent, but plenty is left, much of it still unrecognized by casual observers. With a spotlight on Beane and the A’s in 2015, the rest of the talent will soon be known commodities.

And maybe this offseason will be the reason people are patient with Beane if he makes other trades shortly down the road.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent the previous three seasons as the national baseball columnist at Sporting News and four years before that as the Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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Ben Zobrist, one of the most versatile players and best bargains in Major League Baseball since becoming a full-time player with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009, has a new home. 

After playing more than 1,000 MLB games with the Rays, Zobrist has been traded to the Oakland Athletics, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports:

An offseason of change continues for the Rays, who lost their best front office man when Andrew Friedman joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Joe Maddon exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and moved to the Chicago Cubs. 

Trading Zobrist is the latest sign that the era of Rays baseball that we knew, which produced great success for seven years, is no more.

The Rays were thought to be contenders for a playoff spot in 2014—no surprise since they made the postseason in 2013 and won at least 90 games five times from 2008 to 2013—but a rash of injuries and poor performances left them with a huge hole to climb out of last season. 

Last summer, before the Rays went into sell mode and moved David Price, Peter Gammons, during an appearance on the Dennis & Callahan radio show in Boston, via WEEI.com, said the team was close to a deal involving Zobrist going to Seattle before pulling the plug on it:

I know this: Tampa Bay really thinks it has a chance. Now their pitching has come back together again, I talked to people in Seattle who thought they were very close to a deal for Ben Zobrist and they said the Rays pulled back the last couple of days because they want to take it right down to the last 48 hours before the deadline.

Since Tampa Bay can’t compete financially with other teams in the American League East, it has to make some drastic moves in order to field a competitive team. No player has better exemplified the Rays’ style during their run of success than Zobrist, who has played every position except pitcher and catcher at some point in his career. 

A sixth-round pick by Houston in the 2004 draft, Zobrist and Mitch Talbot were dealt to Tampa Bay in July 2006 for Aubrey Huff. Zorilla debuted on Aug. 1, 2006, and played 145 games through 2008 before becoming a regular in 2009. 

The 2009 season saw Zobrist turn in a superstar campaign with a .297/.405/.543 line and 27 home runs. He finished eighth in AL MVP voting that year. The Rays signed the versatile utility player to a contract extension in 2010 that includes a $7.5 million option for 2015 that looks like a bargain now. 

The Rays picked up Zobrist’s option for 2015, which is no surprise given how cheap it is compared to what he would be worth on the open market. He told Adam Berry of MLB.com at the time that it was a thrill to know Tampa Bay is where he would be playing in 2015:

I’m absolutely ecstatic that they picked up the option for 2015. The fact that I have been here as long as I have makes this very special to me. When I first signed this contract, I thought then that if we got to the point where they picked up the options, that would be icing on the cake and that both sides would be really happy. And that’s how it has played out.

Dealing cost-controlled assets isn’t something that Tampa Bay usually does, especially with the market it plays in, but the Rays were stuck in limbo this deadline season and had to make tough choices. 

It also doesn’t help that the farm system is lacking in impact talent at all levels, ranking 23rd on ESPN.com analyst Keith Law’s (Insider subscription required) preseason list last year, but especially at the upper levels so they can’t supplement any injured player with a cheap player at the minor league level. 

Zobrist’s presence gave the Rays versatility that few players can match. Now, the talented utility player will bring his versatile all-around ability to a new manager who can take advantage of those unique gifts. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 

Follow @adamwells1985

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You can bet, like most people, the players on the Oakland A’s have New Year’s resolutions for 2015.

During the week of Christmas, I asked A’s fans what would be on their wish list. This week I’ll keep the holiday spirit alive and venture a guess as to what many of the A’s starters’ New Year’s resolutions might be, specifically pertaining to the 2015 baseball season.

Of course there are a few disclaimers to mention.

First, the following list is made up by me. The resolutions on this list were not provided by the player unless otherwise specifically stated. As such, take them lightly and enjoy.

Lastly, because many resolutions could be similar for a few guys, I combined them to save you a slide.

You’re welcome. And Happy New Year!

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Dear Santa,

I don’t want too much for Christmas. There are just a few things I would love to see. I don’t even care about the presents underneath my Christmas tree.

I just want you to do a few things for the Oakland Athletics.

Please make the following wishes come true. If you can’t make all of these happen, Santa, then for your convenience, I have ordered them from least realistic to most realistic.

A Big-Name Slugger

After trading away five All-Stars since July, including big names like Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Donaldson, A’s fans need some assurance. They could use a big name to keep the hope alive that Oakland won’t fall deep into the cellar of the AL West.

Perhaps a shortstop?

Troy Tulowitzki would be fun to watch in green and gold, no doubt about it. And if he can stay healthy, he’d easily come close to (or jump past) Donaldson’s production.

The A’s like versatile players, and there are few more versatile in Major League Baseball than Ben Zobrist.

Look, some of us aren’t even picky.

Of course, that’s assuming the Cuban bat you bring us is of the power-hitting variety.

Mr. Kringle, I know this request is unlikely. But having a guy like Tulowitzki or Zobrist would mean a lot to this fanbase. It’d give us a sign that not all is lost. Simply put, it’d be exciting.

Increased Production from Second Base

Santa, I’m unsure if you are an A’s fan, let alone a baseball fan, but Oakland recently allowed Alberto Callaspo to sign elsewhere and released Nick Punto. That leaves Eric Sogard as the starting second baseman with Andy Parrino behind him (assuming Marcus Semien plays shortstop).

In 2014, Sogard appeared in 117 games, finishing with a batting average of .223 and an on-base percentage of .298. It wasn’t the best season for the king of the “#nerdpower” movement, and we’d like to see that change.

They didn’t provide specifics, but some A’s fans want that particular spot upgraded.

A few fellow fans and I would like you to simply gift Sogard a career year instead of bringing in outside, more expensive competition. Because why not have one of “our guys” succeed?

At the Least, Health for All

Mr. Claus, if there’s just one thing you can give the A’s in 2015, we humbly request good health for all.

There are a few nights before Christmas left, and many of us are stirring at the thought of what’s next. Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care. We can’t wait for you, St. Nicholas, to get here. You know we’ll be dreaming—dreaming of a green Christmas—just like the ones we used to know.

Hopefully, the 2015 season is somewhere between this:

And this:

And if it is, baseball season will be the most wonderful time of the year—just the way it always is.

Sincerely,

Oakland A’s fans

PS: Seriously, please don’t let the A’s lose 100 games.

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