The Oakland Athletics could use upgrades at a number of positions if they’re hoping to begin their climb towards relevance in 2017. With the team likely targeting a centerfielder and potentially a full-time DH, here are a couple of options for the A’s to consider.
Last winter the Oakland Athletics took a chance on Khris Davis‘s power numbers from 2015 with Milwaukee, sending minor league catcher Jacob Nottingham to the Brewers in exchange for the slugger. Well, that bet paid off as Davis became the first Oakland player to hit 40 home runs (he ended 2016 with 42) since Jason Giambi in 2000.
The A’s ranked last in the American League in runs scored with 653, for an average of just over four per game. While their 9th place ranking on FanGraphs at the DH position isn’t atrocious, it also includes all of the production from Davis at the position, even though he played just 53 as the team’s designated hitter, compared to 93 in left field.
The A’s could also use some help in center, and with the small market operation that the Oakland Athletics have, it’s unlikely that a big free agent expenditure is in store. Instead, they’ll have to look for a buy-low candidate or two to fill both positions.
That’s where Sean Rodriguez comes in. Rodriguez played in a career-high 140 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, his age 31 season. There likely won’t be teams lining up to acquire the services of a utility player on the wrong side of 30, which is something that the A’s have specialized in in recent memory. Think Rich Hill, Brandon Moss, Grant Balfour and a number of others.
Rodriguez was primarily the Pirates’ first baseman this past year, but also logged time at short, second and third along with all three outfield positions. Granted, he only totaled twelve total innings in center across five games (no starts), but that typically doesn’t scare off the A’s.
Why is Rodriguez, who is most known for destroying a water cooler in the dugout of a wild card game the answer? Well there is no guarantee that he is, but he won’t command a high salary in 2017, and there is one thing that he and Khris Davis (sort of) have in common: Barrels.
If you’re familiar with the Statcast Podcast, the idea of barreling up a ball is nothing new to you. For the uninitiated, there is a stat on Baseball Savant that seeks to uncover hidden power, or at least who is crushing the ball. That stat is “barrels” which they define as “a well-struck batted ball with an estimated batting average/slugging percentage above .500/1.500.” Essentially, it’s when a batter squares the ball up and it goes a long, long way, resulting in at least extra bases. Khris Davis led all of baseball in barrels per plate appearance last season with a Brls/PA percentage of 10.7%. The two players behind him were Miguel Cabrera and Gary Sanchez, so it appears there is something to this stat.
Roriguez wasn’t as prestigious as any of those three, coming in with a Brls/PA of 6.7%, which is the same percentage as NL MVP candidate Daniel Murphy and noted slugger Matt Adams. The difference is Rodriguez could potentially play center for the A’s, and is available. A number of the players between the top three and Rodriguez are either free agents well out of the A’s price range (Mark Trumbo), established veterans that would cost too much to acquire (Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout) or young and controllable assets for other teams (Trevor Story, Miguel Sano).
In his very limited action in center, FanGraphs rated Rodriguez as an average defender according to DRS (Defensive Runs Saved), and graded as average or better at every position other than third, which the A’s seemingly have covered with the emergence of Ryon Healy.
Is Sean Rodriguez a sexy option? Not at all. Is he an option that fits the mold of what the A’s tend to go for? Absolutely.
While the next candidate is hard to term a “buy-low” player after a 2016 season that saw him hit 31 bombs and drive in 83, it’s his defense that has been his main detractor, because it’s not very good.
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Yasmany Tomas was a force in the Diamondbacks lineup, and with a regime change underway in the desert, there could be changes coming to the roster as well. One of those changes could be moving Tomas, who had a DRS of -16 while patrolling the outfield (-8 in both right and left field) to an American League club that values his bat. It would be a smart move for both sides.
Tomas had a Brls/PA percentage of 7.1% and may take a bit more than a highly touted catching prospect to acquire if he is headed to the AL, but Billy Beane and David Forst could make the argument that his production was aided by Chase Field in hopes of lowering the cost of acquisition just enough. The D-Backs need pitching, and the A’s have a number of arms that could become available in trade talks down on the farm.
Even with his 30+ home run season, Tomas still came in with a wRC+ of 109, which is above league average by 9%, but not in the realm of Adrian Beltre, who also had 32 homers, but a wRC+ of 130, which would aid to the A’s claim that Chase Field helped Tomas’s numbers, if the D-Backs believed in analytics. Baltimore’s Chris Davis put up 38 long balls and had a wRC+ of 111. Think of Tomas as similar Chris Davis, but with a higher batting average (.272).
Neither player is an exceptionally good base runner, so if the Oakland Athletics are looking to improve upon their stolen base total of 50 from this season, then neither of these two players will fit that bill. With the trades of Coco Crisp and Billy Burns, it looks as though speed isn’t necessarily a concern, however.
The one big concern regarding Tomas would be his contract. He is set to make $9.5M in 2017, which is already a bit rich for the A’s, especially considering that they gave Billy Butler roughly $10M a year to DH and didn’t get a whole lot to show for it. Tomas is also due to make $13.5M in 2018, $15.5M in 2019, and $17M in 2020. Obviously the A’s would be gambling here. They could reasonably afford him for a year, maybe two, but his contract for 2019 and 2020 wouldn’t make much sense for them. If he continues to trend upwards, however, he could become a nice trade chip at Oakland’s disposal. Khris Davis is certainly worth more than what they gave up after another good season, but he isn’t going anywhere because he’s affordable.
Trading for Tomas to increase his value, while limiting his playing time in the outfield would certainly be a risky move, but it’s one that could help the A’s both in the short-term and the long-term. It could also sink a large sum of their payroll for two years if it doesn’t pan out. There aren’t a ton of impact options on the free agent market this winter, and certainly none within the A’s price constraints. Making a bid for Tomas could be one avenue to consider.
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