Oakland Athletics 2016–17 Offseason Review
After two straight years failing to eclipse 70 wins, 2017 is looking just as grim for the Oakland A’s.
After three straight seasons of making the playoffs from 2012 to 2014, the Oakland Athletics are a team now seemingly stuck in reverse. After finishing last in the American League West in 2015, going 68–94, the A’s made it a repeat campaign in 2016, finishing 69–93 to finish in last place once again.
Unfortunately for Billy Beane’s club, 2017 isn’t looking like the year the A’s start to turn things around. With few promising moves made, it’s looking like another race for last place between the Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.
Oakland’s 2016 Story
It was another abysmal year for the Oakland Athletics. If 2016 told us anything about the A’s, it’s that they’re still a team in rebuilding mode. The team went all in during their 2014 run when they traded up for Jon Lester, Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. In doing so, they gave up Yoenis Céspedes and then highly-touted prospect Addison Russell, who’s now flourishing with the Chicago Cubs.
What you’re seeing now is a team suffering from the after effects of those moves. After a fruitless playoff run, the A’s are now trying to pick up the pieces and build for the future.
People weren’t exactly sure what to make of the Athletics going into the 2016 season, but the consensus seemed to be they weren’t much of a threat in the AL West. Even the idea of a Wild Card push never appeared to be a realistic expectation early on.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the A’s season was the inconsistency and injury problems surrounding staff ace Sonny Gray. Plagued by lingering injuries all year long, Gray went 5–11 with a 5.69 ERA over a paltry 117 innings pitched. Gray also posted a career-worst FIP of 4.67. There was plenty of speculation before the 2016 season started that the A’s would trade Gray at some point. But his nagging injuries and poor performance on the mound effectively killed any hopes Billy Beane had of dealing the young righty.
Though Gray ended up having a disappointing year, some of the Athletics’ young starters showed promise. Breaking into the majors for the first time in his career, Sean Manaea pitched 144 2/3 innings for the A’s, posting an ERA of 3.86. The 25-year-old lefter-hander looks like a dependable middle-of-the-rotation guy in the making.
The brightest spot of the Athletics’ rotation was veteran Rich Hill. The 37-year-old left-hander went 9–3 with a 2.25 ERA over 76 innings with Oakland before being traded. The A’s sent Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick to the Los Angeles Dodgers for right-handed pitching prospects Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton.
Of the three prospects, Cotton is the only one who pitched for the club in 2016. Projected to make the starting rotation this season, he went 2–0 with a 2.15 ERA over 29 1/3 innings pitched. Though it’s a small sample size, Cotton is another young pitcher who could make an impact down the road.
The Athletics’ young arms have some potential, but it’s probably going to take some time before we see them fully reach that potential. The 2016 season allowed some of them to dip their feet in the water; 2017 will be their first test of endurance to see how they fare over the long season.
Oakland was atrocious at the plate last season, ranking 28th in the league in runs scored (653), OPS (.699) and OBP (.304).
Josh Reddick was the team’s most consistent hitter before he was traded to the Dodgers. In 68 games with the A’s, Reddick hit .296 in 272 plate appearances.
Beyond Reddick, third baseman Danny Valencia was the Athletics’ most dependable hitter, posting a slash line of .287/.346/.446 with 17 home runs in 517 plate appearances. Though he was arguably Oakland’s best hitter, he proved to be somewhat of a clubhouse cancer, getting in a fight with then-teammate Billy Butler.
The Athletics only had two players who really hit for power in 2016, Khris Davis and Marcus Semien. Davis hit 42 long balls while batting .247 over 610 plate appearances. Semien, who has not yet developed into the productive hitter many thought he would be, hit 27 home runs while hitting a meager .238 over 621 plate appearances.
The Offseason
Oakland didn’t make any big splashes over the free agency period, but it really wouldn’t have made much sense for them to try and land one of the big fishes.
It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is the most glaring issue for the A’s becasue, well…they leave a lot to be desired in almost every category.
The A’s signed 32-year-old veteran outfielder Matt Joyce to a two-year, $11 million contract. Joyce figures to be a regular starter in the Athletics’ outfield in 2017.
In an attempt to bolster a weak bullpen, the A’s also signed 36-year-old right-hander Santiago Casilla to a two-year, $11 million deal. This will be Casilla’s second stint in Oakland.
The Athletics also signed veteran outfielder Rajai Davis, who will likely start in the outfield along with Khris Davis and Matt Joyce. Now 36, this will also be Davis’s second time playing for the Athletics. The A’s signed him to a one-year deal worth $6 million.
On the trade market, the A’s acquired right-handed pitching prospect Paul Blackburn from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for third baseman Danny Valencia. Blackburn, who has a career 3.24 ERA across the minor leagues, could soon find himself called up to an A’s team that is desperate for all the pitching help it can get.
Additionally, the A’s also traded pitching prospect Dillon Overton to the Mariners for catching prospect Jason Goldstein. Goldstein, 23, could be the Athletics’ catcher of the future, as current A’s catcher Stephen Vogt is entering his age-32 season.
What Wasn’t Answered?
The A’s didn’t make any moves indicative of a team on the rise. Every move the team made is only a temporary solution to a long-term problem. Rajai Davis and Matt Joyce will suffice in the outfield for the short-term, but soon enough, the A’s will have holes to fill once again.
Though Santiago Casilla might be of some help in the Athletics’ shaky bullpen, at 36, how long can you count on him? You do the math.
The young starters on this team may very well develop and take their first steps in learning how to be effective MLB pitchers, but it likely won’t be enough to carry this team to even a .500 record.
All in all, this A’s team heading into the 2017 season looks much too similar to the one that struggled so much in 2016.
The 2017 Outlook
The bottom line is the Athletics don’t look to be substantially improved at any position heading into the regular season.
Even if moderate improvements are made at the plate, it likely won’t be enough for this team to stay competitive in the AL West. The rotation’s ceiling doesn’t look particularly high in 2017, and the floor is pretty low.
The reality is, this is a last place team in the midst of a total rebuild. If this team doesn’t finish last in their division, they’ll finish fourth. The Oakland Athletics may be on the right path toward building a contender, but there will be no playoffs in this team’s immediate future.
In an Indiana Jones-like quest in an endless search to find something good to say about the Oakland A’s, perhaps the best that can be said is at least they play in a truly gorgeous ballpark…oh wait…they don’t have that either. But they do have cool uniforms. Well done!
