No one on the Oakland A’s roster is/was safe leading up to the trading deadline and that was as clear as could be given the acquisitions that Billy Beane signed off on. Beane and the A’s are now 100% all-in on winning the World Series in 2014. After pulling off a blockbuster in the beginning of July, the A’s were positioning themselves for a deep run in 2014 and 2015. With today’s trade of Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes (along with moving picks and cash back and forth), the A’s told the rest of the league, “come get us”.
As a fan, your ultimate goal is to win a championship and you want your team in position to do so. The A’s and Red Sox trade does have a little bit more to it though. Lester is due to become a costless agent after this season and it would stun the MLB world if he resigned with Oakland. Yoenis Cespedes is under contract through the 2015 season, so it was a bit surprising to see Beane willing to deal him. While there was virtually no way the A’s were going to be able to keep Cespedes away from costless agency, his bat is going to be missed the rest of this season and in 2015.
What concerns me, the A’s fan, more about this deal is the offensive production left in the A’s lineup and their (lack of) production in the postseason to date. The past two postseasons, albeit against a loaded Tigers staff, leaves a lot to be desired from who is left in the A’s day to day lineup. Here is a quick look at the numbers of several key players:
- Josh Donaldson has hit .211 in the postseason.
- Not to be outdone, Josh Reddick hit .176 during those two postseason runs
- Finally, and maybe most worrisome of them all, Brandon Moss has hit .121 with 20 K’s in 39 plate appearances
- Some will point to the fact that the A’s simply don’t match up well against the Tigers and there is a lot of truth to that. However, you have to start worrying about the psyche of these guys if the A’s wind up facing the Tigers again in 2014 - as the teams are currently positioned to do so given the current standings in the AL.
That said, Jon Lester’s career numbers in the World Series are staggering - 3-0 record with a 0.43 ERA in three starts. The A’s starting rotation not only competes with any other in MLB, it surpasses them. A playoff rotation looks something like this: Lester, Gray, Kazmir, Samardzija. That’s amazing and we have yet to talk about the heart and soul that Jonny Gomes brings back to the Oakland clubhouse.
Gomes left the A’s after the 2012 season as a costless agent. However, his impact off the field helped guide the A’s into the postseason that season. His timely hitting and ability/willingness to platoon with several other A’s players on the current roster will make the rest of the regular season very enjoyable for the A’s and their fans.
If you thought Billy Beane was done, you were mistaken. After acquiring Lester, Beane knew he had enough pitching to go the distance. The A’s traded LH SP Tommy Milone to the Minnesota Twins for OF Sam Fuld to help sure up the rotation in the outfield. Fuld heads back to Oakland after being claimed by the Twins off of the A’s waiver wire back in April. Milone, who requested a trade several weeks ago following his demotion, essentially ran out of real estate on the A’s roster. The trade request probably didn’t help his cause. He’ll now spend more of his time in a hitter friendly field like Fenway Park.
All in all, the A’s were probably the favorites for the World Series entering Thursday and they remain in that leadership position as the deadline passes. The team probably shortened its window from two years to one, but that will need to work itself out in the offseason, whenever that may start for the club.