#30
It's that magical time of year! As I look out my window and see a foot of snow on the ground, it's hard to believe that today is also the first day of Spring Training games. Baseball season is just around the corner, and I can't wait! Every year as we lead up to the season starting, I preview each team and how I think they will do over the next 8 months of baseball. We start at the bottom and work our way to my World Series prediction. So let's get at it!
First up, the Oakland Athletics. This organization is constantly reinventing itself out of necessity due to a horrible ballpark and a need for an extremely low budget. They peaked a few years ago and started the tear down before last season. Are they ready to start taking steps forward again, or will the downward spiral continue?
#30 - 5th in AL West
MIH - Sean Murphy
MIP - Frankie Montas
PTW - Cristian Pache
2022 Results
#29 - 60-102, 5th in AL West
Highest WAR (Position) - Sean Murphy
Highest WAR (Pitching) - Cole Irvin
The Oakland A's made the predictable tumble to the bottom of the league in 2022 after trading away many of their best players before they were going to need to pay them. They even let their manager walk away instead of rebuilding the roster again. Their most interesting players last year were the only established veterans that hadn't been traded yet. The important word there is ... yet.
Additions / Subtractions
The offseason spoke loud and clear that the A's were not done tearing down their roster. Of their top 12 players last year in terms of WAR, 5 of them are no longer on the roster. Frankie Montas and Elvis Andrus were traded mid-season last year, Sean Murphy became the second A's star in as many offseasons to be traded to Atlanta, Cole Irvin was traded to Baltimore, and A.J. Puk was traded to Miami. Very little big league talent was brought in through the offseason. The most notable addition might be J.J. Bleday, a young outfielder with huge promise still trying to figure out how to be a big leaguer. He was acquired from Miami in the A.J. Puk trade. The rest of the additions were established veterans on one-year deals trying to have a strong first half so they can be a trade target for contenders. These include catcher Manny Piña, first baseman Jesús Aguilar, utility man Aledmys Díaz, and reliever Trevor May.
Most Important Hitter
Shea Langeliers
Along with Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers was the other centerpiece of the Matt Olson trade last offseason. Now, with catcher Sean Murphy also getting traded to Atlanta, it is time for Langeliers to take a big step forward and become the everyday catcher for the A's. Having veteran Manny Piña to learn from will help him learn for sure. This is one of many opportunities around the diamond in Oakland for once highly-touted prospects to prove they can be the new nucleus of the A's. What makes Langeliers so intriguing, the A's top prospect is Tyler Soderstrom, another catcher that should be ready to make his big league debut this season. If Langeliers doesn't seize this opportunity early, he could lose his job to the next prospect coming up.
Most Important Pitcher
Shintaro Fujinami
None, I repeat NONE, of the A's projected starting rotation were above average in 2022 according to ERA+. Although some up-and-coming prospects might have some top-of-the-rotation potential, the likes of Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian are probably not going to wow you. The only new arm in the rotation mix is the Japanese import Shintaro Fujinami. The 28 year old comes over as a relative unknown as most Japanese players do, but he is one of the few in the rotation that has some intrigue and could become a fun watch every five days.
Prospect to Watch
Ken Waldichuk
The A's have two top 100 prospects: the first being the aforementioned Soderstrom, and the second is starting pitcher Ken Waldichuk at 76. Waldichuk got 7 starts at the big league level last season with little success, but he has a lot of promise, and the A's are hoping a guy like him will emerge as their new ace moving forward.
2023 Prediction
5th in AL West
The Oakland A's have now accomplished what they sought out to accomplish a year ago. They have reached rock bottom. A successful season in Oakland will be seeing progress from names like Pache, Bleday, Langeliers, and Waldichuk that shows they can be part of the next contending version of the A's.
Fearless Prediction
In the next 12 months, it will be announced that the A's are moving to Las Vegas.
It has been rumored for awhile. Their stadium is a mess, and the city of Oakland refuses to cooperate in any efforts to get a new stadium and keep them in town. It seems inevitable that they move at this point, and it seems most likely they follow the NFL's Raiders to the bright lights of Las Vegas. If they move to Vegas, maybe they can finally compete consistently instead of trading away all their best players before they have to pay them significant money.
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