Moneyball II

[Hendu Style]

Moustakas, Gregorius Sent Packing By A's

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Just two days after celebrating the tenth World Series title in franchise history, the A's made their first significant moves of the offseason on Wednesday, trading veterans Mike Moustakas and Didi Gregorius in separate deals with the Reds and Yankees.

Moustakas was packaged along with minor league reliever Manuel Rivera to Cincinnati for Reds second baseman Billy Hamilton, and minor leaguers Carl Abbott and Mike Stewart. Moustakas, a third baseman, is entering the final year of his contract and is due $9 million in 2018. The acquisition of Hamilton, a speedy second baseman who stole 66 bases this past season, made Gregorius expendable.

Gregorius was shipped to New York along with minor leaguers Shawn O'Halloran, Jorge Alfaro, and Dan Charters in exchange for Hunter Morris and minor league pitcher Alberto Lopez. The trade brings Gregorius back to the National League, where the second baseman won a batting title with Arizona in 2016. Morris, an outfielder/first baseman, gives the A's some much needed power after hitting a career-best 37 homeruns for the Yankees.

"We feel like we had a certain amount of depth at second and third base," A's general manager David Forst explained at a press conference at AT&T Park. "Two of our biggest needs were at first base, and at starting pitcher. We addressed both to some extent."

Lopez was the 13th overall pick out of Michigan by the Seattle Mariners in 2015, but has bounced around from the Tigers to the Angels to the Yankees, and now the A's, in recent years. Nearing his 24th birthday, he has yet to pitch an inning past Class A ball.

"Alberto is on the verge of becoming Major League ready," said Forst. "He has command of four pitches (a cutter, curveball, slider, and changeup) and has some real velocity (estimated at 94-96 mph). Once he gets a little more movement and control on his pitches, he'll be a top tier starter."

The A's are believed to be actively shopping for another starting pitcher to round out their rotation. Depending on how the team's arbitration hearings go, the A's could have anywhere from $20 million to $27 million to spend on free agents, according to one team insider. St. Louis pitcher Lance Lynn (15-9, 3.70 ERA) would be the prize of this year's free agent class unless Masahiro Tanaka (16-7, 2.57 ERA) declines the final year of his contract that would pay him $17 million next season in Milwaukee. Eligible players will file for free agency on November 23rd.

[fromtheline]

Hamilton is still a middle infielder in your game? Thought he would have been a fourth outfielder type by 2017.

Also a pitcher still in A-ball is on the verge of becoming a major league regular? Who is this guy?

[CarolinaSoxfan]

This is great stuff. I was just curious how you get a picture of your complete box score like that into your post?

I usually do screen shots and save them but with the boxscore it is too big. I am sure this is a dumb question but I have never figured out how to do it. Thanks

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by fromtheline

Hamilton is still a middle infielder in your game? Thought he would have been a fourth outfielder type by 2017.

Also a pitcher still in A-ball is on the verge of becoming a major league regular? Who is this guy?

Hamilton is a second baseman/shortstop in my game. I guess circumstances in Cincy dictated he be a middle infielder.

As far as this Class A guy, I'm not quite sure what to make of him. My scouts see him as a four star potential, but the Yanks didn't object much when I threw him into our trade. The fact that he bounced around from 3 different teams in the same year is a little unsettling, but I think he's worth taking a chance on.

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by CarolinaSoxfan

This is great stuff. I was just curious how you get a picture of your complete box score like that into your post?

I usually do screen shots and save them but with the boxscore it is too big. I am sure this is a dumb question but I have never figured out how to do it. Thanks

I actually clip two screenshots together and line them up and save it as one pic. Takes a steady hand, but pretty straightforward. The b---- is doing the champions pic... it's three plus pages and you have to fill on the left.

[CarolinaSoxfan]

Thanks. I was hoping there was an easier way. lol

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 31
Sticker Shock

The 2017-18 offseason presents a series of challenges and obstacles for the A's. Though they are the defending World Series champions, David Forst knows the next few months will be fraught with lofty expectations and ongoing budget concerns.

Yes, the A's are owned by an eccentric billionaire, and yes, the team will move into a posh new stadium after the upcoming season, but David will have to exercise caution when going up against the so-called "big market" ballclubs.

Owner Larry Ellison has told the A's front office in no uncertain terms that he wants to go after free agent pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. After getting embarrassed in their bungled attempt to get Stephen Strausberg, Larry has made it clear that he wants a front-line ace to lead the A's staff. One with name recognition and global appeal. Tanaka is the guy.

And, oh by the way, he also has to keep the team payroll under $90 million.

David immediately starts making moves to clear budget space. Short of trading MVP Justin Upton, David will have to tighten the belt across the board, trading away anyone who might be considered one iota overvalued, and acquire anyone undervalued. The A's Way.

Just days after winning the World Series, the A's make their first trade, shipping veteran third baseman Mike Moustakas (dubbed "Mistake-as" after committing 35 errors over the last two years) and his $9 million salary to the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Billy Hamilton and cash. The move nets the A's $6.5 million in budget room for 2018. Within hours of the Moustakas trade, knowing the A's now have a new leadoff hitter and middle infielder in the speedy Hamilton (.292, 66 SB in 2017), David sends second baseman Didi Gregorius to the Yankees for first baseman Hunter Morris. The deal also includes a swap of promising minor leaguers, but the centerpiece is Morris, who hit a career-high 37 homers and drove in 114 runs in 2017. The deal cuts about $3.5 million out of the space the A's had just created by trading Moustakas, but the hope is that it will get Ellison off his quest to sign the seemingly unsignable Tanaka.

It doesn't work.

"For a guy who claims to be very hands-off, Larry sure does let you know when he wants something," says Scouting Director Eric Kubota.

The problem is, Larry's not the only one who wants Tanaka. The Japanese import declined a $17 million option with the Brewers so he could become a free agent, after another stellar campaign in which he went 16-7 with a 2.57 ERA and 245 strikeouts. But when the L.A. Angels shell out $90 million in a 5-year deal for St. Louis pitcher Lance Lynn, David knows the bar has been set ridiculously high for top shelf free agent pitchers.

Nonetheless, the A's enter the Tanaka sweepstakes against the likes of the Angels, Dodgers, and Yankees. This time, though, there will be no flying the free agent into the Bay Area for a night out on the town. Tanaka's agent has asked all contract offers to be presented to Tanaka at his home in Japan. An odd request, but when you're the biggest free agent to enter the market since perhaps Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez, you pretty much suck it up and do what you're told.

Sadly, David's flight across the Pacific nets little more than a meeting with Tanaka's agency, and not even a minute of facetime with the pitcher himself. David knows the negotiations are doomed.

"They seemed a bit... disinterested," David says, scratching his head. "I get the feeling they want a record contract and want to play in New York or Los Angeles. I felt like I just wasted my time going there."

David's hunch is confirmed on February 3rd, just days before pitchers and catchers are to report for Spring Training, when the Angels sign Tanaka to a 4-year deal worth $134 million. His $33.5 million salary will make him by far the highest-paid player in baseball history.

"We never even had a chance," David sighs.

His backup plan includes the unremarkable Matt Harvey, who is only too happy to sign a 4-year deal that pays him $800,000 per season. The once promising right-hander is supposedly in the peak of his career, though he walked 98 batters and posted a less-than-stellar 5.15 ERA with the Astros in 2017. It is expected that he will battle for the fifth spot in the A's rotation.

"Larry was none too happy," David says. "We made moves that will probably get us wins on the field, but won't put butts in the seats."

Already the A's front office is finding that there is a high price for having a big spending owner looking over your shoulder.

[rpriske]

(People are seen walking around the stadium with placards. The placards read: WE MISS HENDU!)

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 32
The Young Buck

Kind. Patient. Reasonable. These are not words used to describe A's owner Larry Ellison. But you couldn't debate his passion, intelligence, or efficiency. When the billionaire founder of Silicon giant Oracle passed in April, 2018 after a previously undisclosed battle with liver cancer, there were few tears. But there was certainly respect.

And with that, the torch is unceremoniously passed on to Larry's eldest son. David Ellison, 35, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but an iron will and tenacity to go with it. With executive producer credits in Terminator 5, World War Z 2, and GI Joe: Serpantor's Revenge, the young Ellison has forged a name for himself in Hollywood. But he has quickly let everyone in the A's front office that he will be very active with the team in the Bay Area as it transitions to a new ballpark in San Jose next season.

"He's made it very clear that he expects us to play in the World Series again," A's general manager David Forst says. "He has some ideas about how he would like the team to move forward from here on out."

The Ellison's have obviously prepared for this day. Unbeknownst to anyone outside of Larry's immediate family, he had already laid out plans for his son and daughter (Megan, also a film producer) to carry on the family name. What David has up his sleeve is anyone's guess. But it's obvious that anything less than a championship will not go over well with a young buck looking to prove himself to 29 other Major League owners.

And it doesn't take long for David to make his presence known in the Athletics front office when, after a lackluster 21-23 start, he orders his general manager to make a deal.

"I hear Slade Heathcott is on the trading block," Ellison tells Forst. "Go get him."

Heathcott is in the first year of a four-year contract extension. An extension, mind you, that everyone in baseball feels is way overpriced. Heathcott's salary with the Yankees will jump from $6.5 million in 2018 to $9.5 in 2019. The $3 million a year price hike continues all the way up to the final year at $15 million.

"We can't afford a guy like that," Forst tells his new boss. "And besides, he's an outfielder. We're already stacked in the outfield."

"You'll figure it out," Ellison says with a smile and a slap on Forst's shoulder.

With a roll of his eyes, Forst gets to work. He has no idea where he's going to fit Heathcott into his lineup. 20 year old Sancho Fajardo is entrenched in rightfield, Heathcott's native position. Yes, Slade is a former All-Star, but his production has slipped since that career year (.303, 22 HR, 71 RBI in 2015), dipping to .258/19/64 in 2016 and .264/18/58 in 2017. It doesn't help matters that Slade is off to a torrid start this year, with a .308 average to go with 9 homers and 28 RBI in 41 games.

Lucky for the A's, the Yanks are desperate to shed payroll, presumably to make a major play for free agent-to-be Bryce Harper in 2019. Forst is stunned to learn when he calls the Pinstripers that all they want in return is pitcher Trevor Rosenthal. The same Trevor Rosenthal who, up to this point, has gone 0-6 in 8 starts with a 6.85 ERA. It seems too good to be true.

Forst might actually come out on top on this deal. He'll earn points with his new boss for making a deal, and it could end up improving the team this year. Next year and the two years thereafter? Not so much. But he has no choice. Forst makes the deal.

The A's are 21-23 and in 4th place in the AL West, 6 games behind the Los Angeles Angels. It's a deal that Forst knows can make or break the team. And it's only May.

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 33
Not Your Father's A's

The tremendous expectations of the defending World Series champions by an overzealous new owner have proved to be a handful for the A's in 2018. The A's have always been a team that's been ahead of the curve, mostly by necessity. The team's front office has always found a way to maximize its production by finding market inefficiencies. If On-Base Percentage isn't properly valued by other owners, the A's jump on guys who walk a lot and get on base. If defense is grossly undervalued, the A's find the best fielders possible to back up a strong pitching rotation.


But now the A's are playing the game like everyone else.


Taking on Slade Heathcott's salary from the Yankees was very un-Athletics like. So was signing Justin Upton to a gargantuan deal. Where once the A's were led by their ahead-of-his-time GM Billy Beane, now they take their orders from billionaire software and entertainment magnates.


All of that aside, the A's still managed a respectable 86-76 record and a Wild Card bid out of the AL West. They had three All-Star outfielders in Justin Upton, James Ramsey, and Slade Heathcott (though his numbers were skewed by a great start with the Yankees, and a sub-par effort with the A's). They even knocked off the Cleveland Indians to reach the AL Divisional playoffs, where they took the first two games against the heavily favored Los Angeles Angels, before bowing out in the best-of-five series to the best regular season team in the A.L. (100-62) and eventual World Series Champs (beating the N.Y. Mets, 4 games to 1).


The A's identity this season was small ball and pitching. Last in the league in homeruns and first in steals, the A's scored just 693 runs during the regular season, their lowest total since 2012. A stellar bullpen helped mask a woefully ineffective defense (ranked 9th in the AL) and a rotation that was undone by the spectacularly horrible Michael Pineda (10-15, 5.93 ERA in 30 starts). Despite those shortcomings, the A's were still a win away from going to the ALCS.


Now as the team looks forward to finally becoming more financially viable, the A's front office will have to make the transition from small ball and small market to, well, big. Bigger in everything. Bigger in salary. Bigger in power. Bigger in expectations. Something the A's have grown quite accustomed to in recent years.

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 34
The Tanaka Factor

The offseason can bring upon many things. Optimism. Rebirth. And in some cases, dread. Looking at the soon-to-be San Jose A's, it's a combination of all three heading into the 2019 season.

Optimism is never in short supply for the A's who have had a knack for picking up promising young players year after year. 24 year old Cliff Jensen (14-10, 3.05 ERA in 2018) has emerged as the team's unlikely ace. Late blooming outfielder James Ramsey (.311, 12 HR) has turned into an All-Star in just his second full season in the majors.

Rebirth is just months away with a highly anticipated move to the South Bay into a state-of-the-art new stadium, a far cry from the squalor of the Oakland Coliseum and the less than ideal "roomie" situation with the Giants in San Francisco.

But there is also dread. Dread as you look at a possible downward spiral, a year removed from a World Series Championship. Dread in the impending fiscal obligations that come with rookies turning into salary arbitration eligible players. Dreading the inevitable meeting with an impatient and entitled trust fund owner.

The meeting with David Ellison comes sooner than expected for A's General Manager David Forst. Over the course of a 2-hour meeting, Forst is absolutely eviscerated by his 35 year old boss. Why doesn't this team have any power hitters? Why don't we have an ace pitcher? Why can't we beat the Angels in a 5-game playoff series?

The answers don't come easy for Forst, who is only five years Ellison's senior. But the answers are painfully obvious. The A's don't have any power hitters because nobody in their right mind would want to hit in the cavernous Coliseum or pitcher friendly AT&T Park. The A's don't have a true ace because their whole mission operandi is stacking their rotation full of #2 and #3 starters. And why can't these guys beat the Angels? Frankly, because Los Angeles has more money. Lots more money.

Forst leaves his meeting worried for his job. He doesn't think he'll even be able to unpack his boxes in the team's new headquarters in San Jose. And for good reason.

"Ellison wants to win, and he wants to win now," Forst confides to me. "The expectations were set the moment we won the Series last year. But what this kid doesn't understand is that we caught magic in a bottle that year. All you can do as a GM is put together a playoff team, and hope to God you win a couple of series. Anything beyond that is honestly a bonus."

There is truth to what Forst says, but there's also a hint of bull****. The Angels won the World Series this year not because they won a few games in the playoffs. Their 100-62 record makes it clear they are no fluke. Their rotation is anchored with a perennial Cy Young contender Masahiro Tanaka (21-5, 2.62 ERA in his first season in L.A.). Their lineup is built around Michael Trout, a centerfielder just entering his prime at the age of 27, never hitting below .291 or belting less than 31 homeruns in each of his last four seasons. The A's answer to Tanaka and Trout is a very respectable Cliff Jensen and Justin Upton. Very good, but not great players.

So how do the A's get to where the Angels are? First off, remember the Halos were asking themselves the same question about the A's not so long ago, when they had sloughed their way to a second straight losing season in 2016. But to answer the question, the A's need money. Plain and simple. The Angels stand to make a total of $172 million in media revenue next year. The A's? $41 million. That's a differential of $131 million. Enough to pay Tanaka's yearly salary almost four times over in 2019.

Luckily for Forst, and the A's for that matter, the franchise has one of the game's shrewdest tacticians lurking in the shadows. No longer encumbered by the weight of negotiating a treaty with the Giants, Billy Beane is about to lend a hand to a former protégé desperate for some sage wisdom.

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 35
Cup of Coffee

Pardon the cliché, but the A's are at a crossroads. For all the progress that has been made by winning the World Series in 2017, the A's have been overtaken in the AL West by the newly crowned champion L.A. Angels. Even with a new stadium in San Jose, there is no hope of catching Los Angeles when it comes to money. Whatever magic bullet the A's are looking for, it won't be found in their wallet. But then again, the A's have never been ones to throw money at a problem.

The new A's ballpark, still yet to be named, is nearing completion in its third phase of construction. We're still months away from the sod being laid, but it's finally starting to look like a ballpark. While the din of nails and rivets fills the stadium, the A's front office members have sought refuge in a nondescript office space in nearby Milpitas.

General Manager David Forst is a picture of frustration in his temporary digs. Disheveled and weary, he is trying to piece together a plan that will lift the A's back to the ranks of relevancy. His new trust fund baby boss has made it clear he wants a World Series contender when the team takes the field in San Jose in 2019. Easier said than done.

In comes Billy Beane. He has a tray full of coffee from Kopitiam Cafe, a Malaysian shop from across the street. It's part of his new zen thing, and it's clearly working. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, he is the antithesis of Forst's unshaven, bloodshot state.

"Look what the cat dragged in," David says with his first smile in weeks, giving his old chum Billy a fist-bump (still around in 2018!).

"I heard you could use a little pick-me-up," Billy says with a wink.

Over the next few minutes, David bitches about the new billionaire owner and the wall he's been hitting since the end of the season. Billy takes it all in like a father catching up with a son after his first semester of college away from home. This is a one-way conversation. Billy is here to listen. It's only fitting that this discussion is happening over a cup of Kopi Luwak, the most unique and highly coveted coffee in the world. Its sweet, ripe coffee cherries are digested and fermented by wild civets, according to an informative blurb on the back of the biodegradable cup. Sounds great, doesn't it? In reality, these coffee beans are harvested from ****. They are the excrement coming from Northern Thailand's version of a raccoon. How's that for zen?

After the two have downed their Kopi Luwak, the real **** hits the fan. Billy challenges his former protégé and asks him what he's going to do about it. How are you going to make this right? How are you going to build a World Series contender and beat the Angels? The same questions David Ellison had for his GM are now being asked by Forst's mentor.

"Gee, I don't know, Billy," David answers sardonically to the question. "I guess we could trade for Clayton Kershaw. Sign Bryce Harper. And why don't we get Giancarlo Stanton while we're at it?"

Billy pauses for a moment before he answers with a simple, "Why not?"

Why not trade for an ace? Why not sign a mega-million slugger? Why not add some juice to an anemic lineup? Why not? What's stopping you?

Of course, the answers are complicated. First off, teams aren't exactly lining up to part with their ace pitchers. Same goes for sluggers like Stanton. And Harper? The A's went down that road before when they tried to sign Masahiro Tanaka, and got laughed out the door.

But Billy isn't ready to let this hypothetical "Why not" question go without a fight. He asks David to name his top five aces in baseball. Without hesitation, he answers "Tanaka, Strasburg, Kershaw, Brasoban, Bundy."

Masahiro Tanaka is about to win his second Cy Young award in four years after coming to the US from Japan. Stephen Strasburg nearly won his first ERA title with a career-best 2.49 line in his second season in San Diego. Kershaw has struck out 250 or more hitters in each of his last five seasons with the Dodgers. 100 mph fireballer Yimmi Brasoban won a career-high 18 games with a 2.66 ERA and 253 strikeouts for the Cardinals this past season at the age of 24. And Baltimore's Dylan Bundy has struck out an even 1,000 batters over the course of the last four seasons for the Orioles.

"Okay, let's say you're... the Padres," Billy posits to David. "You just won the NL West and you came a win away from going to the World Series (both true). What do you need to improve your team and get to the Series next year."

"I need more depth in my rotation," David says, playing along. "I want some power in the order to back up my pitching. And some speed at the top of the order wouldn't hurt."

The two former front office mates go back and forth, dealing out hypothetical trades. Eventually, it comes down to a package that both Billy and David can live with.

"Now, pitch trade to the Padres," Billy says with a knowing smile. "See what they say."

But the conversation doesn't end there. Billy and David reverse roles this time, with Beane playing the Orioles and Forst the A's. They run a similar pattern with the Rangers, Marlins, and Diamondbacks, too.

"But, Billy," David says with a worried expression, "even if I miraculously pull one or two of these trades off, how in the world am I going to get the boss to sign off on it?"

"As far as you know, I'm the boss," Billy answers. "You let me deal with the kid. Go build us a World Series team."

The jam session that started with an early afternoon coffee has turned into an early evening cold call for executives around the league. Little do they know, within the next 24 hours, the A's will have pulled off a succession of trades that will go down as the single biggest shakeup in franchise history.

It starts with the Padres. What opens with an expected laugh from San Diego general manager Josh Byrnes suddenly turns into an honest to goodness blockbuster trade. The next morning, Padres owner Henry Moores approves a deal that sends Strasburg to the A's along with corner outfielder Yeison Asencio and utility infielder Cory Spangenberg for starting pitchers Jarrod Parker and John Gast, outfielder Slade Heathcott, and middle infielder Billy Hamilton.

Before news of the trade gets out, David swings another deal with the rebuilding Texas Rangers for infielder Jurickson Profar and cash, in exchange for prized minor league pitcher Alberto Lopez, reliever Eric O'Flaherty, and Triple-A catcher Robert Mullen.

Those two deals, though, surprisingly pail in comparison the one David will pull off early the next morning. Centerfielder James Ramsay, shortstop Addison Russell, and second/third baseman Cavan Biggio -- considered the future of the A's organization, are shipped off to Baltimore with veteran slugger Mark Trumbo and pitcher Michael Pineda in exchange for 2017 AL Cy Young winner Dylan Bundy and low A-ball shortstop Michael Pryor.

In a span of 24 hours, the A's have added two former Cy Young winners to their rotation and a two-two Gold Glover to their infield. The cost is great. The A's have lost the heart and soul of their team in Parker, a two-time All-Star and Cy Young recipient in 2016. They will have to replace three potential All-Stars in Ramsay, Biggio, and Russell. They have also lost a certain big league pitcher in Lopez, who was set to join the A's rotation in 2019.

With all of this said, it's lauded as a huge win for the A's. An ill-equipped ticket office is flooded with phone calls for the upcoming season. Baseball pundits herald David as the second coming of Billy Beane. And still, the A's are about to make another big play. One that could dwarf these three trades, or make those so-called experts regret their premature adulation of Forst as a wiz GM.

[Jythier]

This was spectacular, but I'm confused as to why you're getting away from your roots. 90million payroll? Signing big players? That's not moneyball, that's BASEball. Bah.

Hope to read more soon, love it anyway!

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by Jythier

This was spectacular, but I'm confused as to why you're getting away from your roots. 90million A's payroll? Signing big players? That's not moneyball, that's BASEball. Bah.

Hope to read more soon, love it anyway!

I actually prefer the A's way of doing things, but I also want to know what it's like to have a team that can sign its stars to extensions and go after free agents. All that being said, you look at a payroll of $90-$100 million five years from now, and that's still in the bottom quarter of baseball, which is still a challenge.

Thanks for reading!

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 36
Hook, Line, and Sinker

In free agency, there is no testing the waters when you're the one doing the fishing. If you want to go after a big fish, you have to use big bait. So when Bryce Harper hit the market on November 23, 2019, the lines hit the water from Los Angeles to New York.

A five-time All-Star selection with the Washington Nationals, the 26 year old Harper is as prized a free agent you'll ever find on the market. Harper won the NL MVP Award at the age of 23 when he batted .350 with 30 homeruns and 91 RBI in 2015. After belting a career-best 32 homeruns last season, the former #1 draft pick left no doubt that he could hit for both average and for power. He also left no doubt he would want a mammoth contract.

The Angels set the bar impossibly high when they made Masahiro Tanaka baseball's first $30 million a year pitcher. There was word they would want to do the same with Harper as baseball's first $30 million position player. Luckily for the A's, talks between Harper and the Halos hit a snag when Mike Trout (LA's 7-time All-Star outfielder) openly complained about not getting a contract extension going into the final year of his deal. It was a PR nightmare for the Angels, essentially having to choose between arguably the top two outfielders in baseball. They decided to side with Trout, though the damage was already done with their prized centerfielder.

The A's, meanwhile, had gone full-bore on their drive to land Harper. The team went all-in the moment it voided the final year of its contract with Justin Upton. You cannot underestimate the risk GM David Forst was taking by letting Upton go to free agency. The leftfielder was one season removed from an MVP campaign with the A's, when he hit .342 with 41 homers for the 2017 World Series champs. But Upton's contract would call for a $27 million salary in 2019, and Forst felt that money would be better spent on Harper.

Of course, actually signing Harper was another deal entirely.

The most coveted free agent in a decade was content to let negotiations to drag on end well into the New Year. The White Sox, Yankees, Mets, and even the Giants all wined and dined Harper. But the A's had a couple of aces up their sleeve that none of the other teams could match.

First off, they had Harper's former teammate in Washington, Stephen Strasburg. The newly-acquired pitcher became the A's biggest recruiting tool, though Strasburg had yet to even throw a pitch for his new team. When Harper visited San Jose, Strasburg was there. When the A's brass traveled to visit Harper at his home in Las Vegas, Strasburg was there.

The other chip in the A's favor was the possibility of a new TV deal. Locked in a grossly undervalued contract that pays the A's just $16 million per season, the franchise can opt out of the 25-year contract in 2025. So part of the A's contract offer to Harper was heavily backloaded. After several rounds of negotiations, Forst drew up an incredibly savvy offer:

2019 - $20.460 million
2020 - $20.460 million
2021 - $29.460 million
2022 - $29.460 million
2023 - $29.460 million
2024 - $39.460 million
2025 - $39.460 million

The last two seasons would be team options, to automatically exercise if the A's get a TV deal worth in excess of $100 million per season. If the A's were not to get their new TV deal, Harper would then walk in free agency at the age of 30, in position to land a new contract while still in the prime of his career.

In the end, Harper took the deal, though it took him until mid-February, just before the start of Spring Training, to pull the trigger. The A's got their man, and Harper got his deal. 7 years for $208.2 million. His average salary would fall just below $30 million at $29.7, but he would also get to play in a new ballpark for a World Series contender.

The A's finalized their roster going into Spring Training by trading pitcher Matt Harvey to Baltimore for outfielder Louis Lechich, and backup catcher Beau Taylor to Cleveland for pitcher Danny Salazar. Money, it seemed, was no longer for the A's. Now it was up to this team to live up to its billing.

[Hendu Style]

2019 Season Preview

Last Season: 86-76 (2nd in AL West, lost to LAA in Divisional Round)
Predicted Finish This Season: 103-59 (1st in AL West)


A new ballpark and billionaire owner have freed the A's from the shackles of small market baseball, landing several high-priced players via free agency and trades during the offseason. The team will look to reach the postseason for a seventh consecutive time in 2019 with a revamped rotation and beefed up lineup. Anything less than a League Championship Series appearance would be considered a failure for the A's this season.


Outfield:
Bryce Harper (.318, 32 HR, 107 RBI for Washington) is the main attraction here, signing a free agent deal in the offseason that will net him an average of nearly $30 million per season. The 2015 NL MVP will become the A's everyday centerfielder, after playing predominantly as a corner outfielder for the Nationals. Sancho Fajardo (.278, 6 HR, 93 R), the AL's steals leader in 2018, will split will remain San Jose's starting rightfielder while serving as the team's leadoff hitter in his second full big league season. Hunter Morris (.249, 19 HR, 76 RBI) will make the move from first base to left field, while Louie Lechich (.285, 16 HR, 64 RBI for Baltimore) figures to be in the lineup against right-handed pitchers, and Yeison Asencio (.279, 14 HR, 81 RBI for San Diego) sees time in the outfield and DH.


Infield:
Jurickson Profar (.272, 16 HR, 34 2B for Texas) returns to his natural shortstop position after playing at second base for the Rangers. The two-time Gold Glove winner is a big upgrade over the injury-prone Addison Russell up the middle. Second base, though, will be a big question mark, with Cory Spangenburg (.264 in 18-game call-up for San Diego) and utility man Wilmer Flores (.303, 8 HR, 55 RBI in 108 games) platooning at that position. Flores will also platoon at first base with Cuban slugger Arturo Baca (.286, 1 HR, 7 RBI during Spring Training).

Third base is also looking like a shared position on a platoon-heavy team. Chad Lewis (.220, 3 HR in 64 games) looks to rebound from an abysmal rookie campaign, wowing coaches in Spring Training with a .423 average and 10 RBI in 26 Cactus League at-bats. Rookie Will Craig (.279, 38 HR in AAA Sacramento and AA Midland) will push Lewis for playing time at the hot corner, by far San Jose's weakest position.

Catcher is a position of strength for the A's, as Travis d'Arnaud (.261, 21 HR, 83 RBI) returns for a fourth full season in the Bay Area. He admits he was much more comfortable hitting on the road the last two seasons outside of AT&T Park, and could benefit from a move to the more hitter-friendly Cisco Field in San Jose. He will be backed up by power-hitting rookie Mike Stewart (.261, 31 HR in 96 games for AAA Sacramento).


Starting Rotation:
The A's will have a whopping four All-Star pitchers in their rotation when they open the season in 2019. 2-time NL Cy Young winner Stephen Strasburg (17-7, 2.49 ERA, 238 K for San Diego) headlines the list as the team's clear ace. Former Cy Young winner Dylan Bundy (17-9, 3.29 ERA, 265 K for Baltimore) gives the A's a feared 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation which could prove lethal come the postseason.

The A's Opening Day starter from last season, Cliff Jensen (14-10, 3.05 ERA, 187 K) returns for his second full big league season and will give San Jose an obvious upperhand at the #3 spot in the rotation. Taijuan Walker (10-8, 3.69 ERA, 171 K) has yet to reach his high ceiling, though he's only two years removed from an All-Star season and could benefit from the lower expectations as a #4 starter.

Danny Salazar (6-9, 5.64 ERA for Cleveland) dazzled the A's with an impressive spring, winning two of his three Cactus League starts while posting a 0.75 ERA. He beat out Michael Ynoa for the fifth spot on the staff, though the A's have several young pitchers waiting in AAA should Salazar falter.


Bullpen:
Ryan Cook (4-2, 1.78 ERA, 3 saves) flopped miserably in Spring Training after being given a shot at earning the team's closer role, blowing 3 of 8 save opportunities and recording a 5.23 ERA. Mark Montgomery (5-5, 2.75 ERA, 37 saves) should be the A's closer once the season starts, but that's far from a sure thing.

Sean Doolittle (4-3, 3.47 ERA, 107 K in 70 innings) gives the A's a go-to lefty set-up man. Rookies Lou Barnes, Andrew Brockett, and Mike Harris will all join the bullpen for the upcoming season, giving San Jose one of the youngest 'pens in baseball. Harris will be the biggest question mark, making the transition from starting pitcher in the minors to set-up man in the majors. The former first-round pick has a fastball that tops out at 96 mph, and a devastating curveball. He struggled to find a changeup in the minors, but should make for a very capable two-pitch reliever in the majors.

[Hendu Style]

San Francisco Chronicle Report:
A's Make Two Swaps at All-Star Break

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In the heat of a pennant chase with the Los Angeles Angels, the San Jose A's raised eyebrows when they traded outfielder Louie Lechich, third baseman Chad Lewis, and relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook in separate deals with the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.

"To the casual observer, this looks like a simple case of trading established Major Leaguers for prospects," A's general manager David Forst told the Chronicle. "This move should actually help us this season by freeing up spots in our bullpen, and in the outfield."

Lechich hit .279 with 8 homeruns and 28 RBI in 79 games this season with the A's, after coming over in an offseason trade for pitcher Matt Harvey. He goes to Philadelphia along with third baseman Chad Lewis, right-hander Ryan Cook, and minor leaguers Jotaro Kaneko and Nelson Cervantes. In return, the A's get 17 year old Octavio Hernandez, a minor league outfielder from the Dominican Republic, and 22 year old minor league pitcher Manny Luna, the fifth overall pick out of Towson College in 2017.

"I don't think there's any question that our farm system needs a little TLC," said Forst of the A's minor league system, which ranks 25th out of 30 teams according to Baseball America.

In San Jose's second deal, the A's acquired Colorado catching prospect John Ellison, a first round choice from last season, in exchange for Doolittle, and minor leaguers Dan Smith (LF), Manuel Amaya (3B), and Michael Ynoa (SP). San Jose also got cash considerations in both transactions.

The departures of Doolittle and Cook allows the promotions of fellow relievers Mike Harris and Ismael Guillon from AAA. The A's also announced that outfielder Carlos Mendoza (.273, 13 HR in 87 games in AAA Sacramento) will be promoted and will compete with Yeison Asencio (.264, 2 HR in 129 at-bats) for playing time in right field. Current starter Sancho Fajardo will shift over to left.

The A's enter the All-Star Break 1.5 games ahead of the Angels at 61-34 to lead the AL West. While Bryce Harper (.356, 21 HR, 66 RBI in 90 games) has put together an MVP season, the surprising contributions of rookies Will Craig (21 homeruns at third base) and Lou Barnes (1.29 ERA in 17 appearances, including 18.1 inning scoreless streak to being his MLB career) have been lauded by Forst.

"Those two guys (Craig and Barnes) illustrate how much talent we've had coming through our minor league system over the last few years," Forst said. "And I think these two trades will put us in that same position for the next few years as well."

Forst also used the opportunity to quash recently circulated reports that the A's have been in negotiations with the Angels about acquiring Mike Trout, who is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season.

"Absolutely false," Forst said. "We're quite happy where we are at this point in the season, though we would certainly love to create some distance between us and the Halos."

[Hendu Style]

Chapter 37
So Much for Big Market

For all of the bluster of the 2019 season, the A's went out with a whimper in their first season in San Jose. After handily winning the American League West with 104 regular season victories, the A's got summarily dismissed from the Divisional Series by an upstart Baltimore Oriole squad. Staff ace Stephen Strasburg, who skipped his final start of the regular season to rest up for the postseason, lost both of his playoff starts against the O's with a disappointing 6.55 ERA. His former Washington National teammate, Bryce Harper, was absolutely pitiful in the postseason, going 1-for-17 at the plate.


The 5-game series exposed a glaring weakness on the A's roster. Their pitching rotation feature five bonafide stars, but all were righthanders. Their bullpen, ranked third in the league in ERA, had but one southpaw in Ismael Guillon. General Manager David Forst had envisioned Guillon as San Jose's go-to setup man, but he was nothing better than a long reliever and mop-up duty guy down the stretch.


Despite San Jose's regular season success, new stadium, and record ticket revenue, the A's go into the offseason with even more uncertainty than ever. Owner David Ellison, who raked in a staggering $45 million in profits from the team, has set strict $148 million budget for the upcoming season, the 9th lowest in all of baseball.


"People like to think of us as a big market team all of a sudden, but we're really not," A's minority owner and President Billy Beane explains. "Without a TV deal, we're right up there with the Royals and Rays at the end of the day."


Billy is right. Both Kansas City and Tampa Bay will have budgets of $138 million for the 2020 season, just $10 million below the A's. For all the progress the team has made in the last decade, the game remains the same. This is still Moneyball, but with a couple of high-priced stars weighing the A's down. Making budget next season will prove to be Forsty's biggest challenge yet.

[Hendu Style]

Wow. Somehow I missed this back in September. My former MVP outfielder, Justin Upton, suffered a career-ending labrum injury at the end of the season. He was a 7-time All-Star and helped my A's win the World Series. He finishes his career just 6 homeruns shy of 300, and 81 hits shy of 2,000. Looks like I dodged a bullet by voiding the last year of his contract and going after Bryce Harper in free agency, especially considering Mike Trout just signed an extension to stay in Los Angeles. That would've left a huge hole in my lineup and outfield had I stuck with Upton. Sad to see him go out like that.

[Hendu Style]

San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed:
No Way, San Jose? No Action from A's

The A's have remained uncharacteristically silent in free agency, after signing Bryce Harper and Justin Upton in recent years, and making unabashed pursuits of Masahiro Tanaka and Stephen Strasburg.


"Everyone just kind of assumed they would be making a play for guys like (Jose) Fernandez and (Yasiel) Puig," one AL West executive told the Chronicle on the condition of anonymity. "But I haven't heard one whisper of them even making an offer to a free agent. I'm stumped."


While the team has stayed out of the fray in free agency, General Manager David Forst has been active on the trade market. In November, cut payroll by packaging 3-time All-Star first baseman Hunter Morris, starting pitcher Danny Salazar, and three more pitchers to the Milwaukee Brewers for top pitching prospect Ken Taylor. The A's also shipped four minor leaguers to the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed reliever Carlos Anaya, addressing a glaring weakness in the A's bullpen. And in a Halloween night deal, the A's and Indians swapped rookie third basemen Will Craig and Ronnie Gideon, along with relievers Lenny Linksy and Phillip Bickford.


Some are speculating the A's intend to make a silent bid for a superstar, while others believe the team is already stretched thin financially. Jurickson Profar is eligible to become a free agent after the upcoming season, and he's reportedly asking for a $20 million salary to stay in San Jose. Whatever the A's are planning to do, they are not sharing their plans with any outsiders. But San Jose had better act quick, before it's too late.