Rooted In Oakland

[Hendu Style]

"Absolutely no way in hell," Billy Beane shouted on the phone. Amit Patel took that as a "no."

Beane's reaction to trading the foundation of the franchise away shouldn't have been too surprising, but Amit realized that for Billy, this was personal. One of Beane's last big trades as GM of the Oakland A's came in 2014, when he dealt Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for Kendall Graveman, Brett Lawrie, Sean Nolin, and Franklin Barreto. The trade was viewed as one of Beane's few bad trades. Not just bad. Awful. Donaldson immediately had an MVP season for the Blue Jays, hitting 41 home runs while driving in 123 runs. Lawrie never panned out. Nor did Nolin or Graveman. Barreto was the last reminder of the failed Donaldson trade, but if he were to eventually turn into an All-Star, Billy could live with it.

"You can make the trade, but you can't trade Barreto," Beane said a little more calmly. "He's our future. The deal gets done, but not with Barreto."

The "done" deal was now on life support. Billy Beane had just pulled the plug. Amit considered going over Beane's head and taking it right to team owner John Fisher, but he decided he would take his medicine on this one. Tail between legs, he called Indians GM Mike Chernoff.

"I've got bad news," Amit said reluctantly, "Ownership wouldn't approve."

"You mean Billy wouldn't approve," Chernoff corrected him.

The two reminisced about what could've been, as they had been so close to a true win-win for both GM's. The A's would get a marketable player to draw fans to their new ballpark, and the Indians would set up the entire middle infield for their franchise for the next decade. But neither seemed ready to give up on the trade. Surprisingly, trade talks picked back up when Chernoff mentioned third baseman Matt Chapman. He had been prone to strikeouts, but you couldn't deny his power. Chapman had bashed a total of 56 home runs over the previous two seasons, and had just come off a 30 homer, 101 RBI campaign in 2019. Patel was understandably hesitant to give up Chapman, who was primed to become a Gold Glove third baseman with a sure glove and a rocket arm. But if that's what it was going to take to pry Lindor away from Cleveland, he would do it.

In the end, Patel agreed to trade 2B Max Schrock, 3B Matt Chapman, reliever Joba Chamberlain, and prospects Edward Cabrera and Jhonny Rodriguez to the Indians for SS Francisco Lindor. Cleveland even agreed to bump up their salary payoff of Lindor to 35%, and pay an additional $4 million of his contract in cash considerations for 2020.


Oakland's hard fought negotiation with Cleveland

Amazingly, despite taking on much of Lindor's salary, the A's wound up coming out $1.5 million ahead, which meant even more money to spend in free agency. And they were going to need it, as they now had holes to fill at third base, second base, and in the bullpen.

When news of the trade broke, the A's fan base went wild. The national media proclaimed, "Billy Beane is Back!" Beane, who played such an insignificant role in the process, had received almost all of the praise and did nothing to discourage the notion that he was the one behind the trade. In fact, it was Beane who was front and center for the introductory press conference for Lindor as he wore his new #14 for the Oakland A's. But that was okay with Amit. He was already working on another trade.


The newest member of the Oakland A's, Francisco Lindor

[GoPedro99]

Ballsy! I like it. Haha. This is awesome

[Hendu Style]

Internet forums were going crazy over the Francisco Lindor trade. One writer on "Athletics Nation" dubbed the trade "ballsy." Yet still others were hoping the A's would finally go after a big fish in free agency, like either of the two new Japanese players coming to America. The signings, though, would have to wait.

While A's President Dave Kaval had perfected his ground-breaking formula for "Fan Interest," team GM Amit Patel was making use of a software program he had developed to enhance trade negotiations. With endless statistics and ratings at his fingertips, there was even an algorithm that accurately predicted opposing general manager behaviors. It had great success in its Beta stage in the trade with the Indians, and he was ready to take it to "Alpha" against other unwitting trade partners.

Patel had been negotiating fiercely with former A's GM David Forst and the Boston Red Sox. Forst was clamoring for A's closer Sean Doolittle. Patel was intrigued by current Boston closer Carson Smith, who was looking to bounce back from a horrific 2019 season that saw him blow 5 of 31 save opportunities while posting a 4.07 ERA. But Patel was confident it was just an "off" year, and that Smith would return to the 40 save/2.65 ERA form he assembled in the 2018 season. However, Patel was dissuaded by the fact that this was a contract year, and Smith would become a free agent at the end of the season.

Instead, Amit shifted his focus to another reliever, former Giants closer Nate Jones. He was about to enter the final year of his contract with a team option for 2021, and he was demanding a trade out of San Francisco so he could be a closer for another team. Nearing his 34th birthday, this would likely be Jones' last chance at getting a big contract. He had been demoted to a setup role when the Giants signed Kelvin Herrera to a 2-year, $28 million free agent contract. Herrera rewarded the Giants with a 42-save effort, good enough for NL Reliever of the Year honors for 2019.

In what Patel figured would be a one-year rental, he agreed to surrender outfield prospect Marco Rivera for Jones, who had saved 44 games the year before, but struggled to a 3.90 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 2019. Patel also managed to convince Giants GM Bobby Evans to pay all of Jones' $5.2 million salary for the upcoming 2020 season, plus another $3 million in cash considerations. Even Billy Beane couldn't find anything bad to say about the deal, telling Amit in a text, "There is a lot to like about this trade!"


Amit Patel's trade program in action with the San Francisco Giants


The A's land reliever Nate Jones from the Giants

With the new reliever Jones in hand, Patel finally got back to dealing with the Red Sox. Forst was growing restless in his attempt to get a closer, while the team was also planning to be very active in free agency.

"Amit, it's about time, man," said Forst as they began their FaceTime session. "You had me worried there for a while."

Patel could tell that Forst was still very much interested in Doolittle. This was a good sign.

"My apologies," he said. "As you can tell, we've been busy."

"Yeah, I just heard the news about Jones," Forst replied. "I'm assuming that means we're still on for Doolittle."

"We are," Patel said, reassuring Forst. "We'll get back to that in a moment. I'd like to talk about Harvey."

Matt Harvey was a 30 year-old right hander signed to a 6-year, $130 million deal after he bolted the Mets for free agency in 2018. Harvey was an albatross hanging around Boston's neck, being limited to just 3 starts in his first season with the Red Sox. The elbow strain he had suffered was the latest in a long line of arm injuries Harvey had suffered in his snake bitten career. Patel figured Harvey could be had for a song.

"I'm assuming he's available, and I'd like to take him off your hands," he said. "In return, I'd be willing to offer you Ben Bracewell."

Amit knew that Forst was hell-bent on landing the A's farmhand, but the team couldn't find a spot for him in the rotation. Bracewell had finished each of the previous three seasons in AAA Nashville, but had never broken through to the Major Leagues.

"Harvey for Bracewell?" Forst asked suspiciously. "Done. But we're not paying a dime on his contract."

The contract, of course, was the problem with Harvey. Without it, he was a longshot with still lots of upside. But with it, he was radioactive. Nobody would touch him.

"Alright, let's say we go through with that," Amit said as the negotiations continued. "What if I gave you Doolittle? Would you pay half his salary?"

Forst couldn't hide the excitement in his face. He probably shouldn't have conducted the conversation in a video chat.

"You'd have to throw in a couple of veterans of course," Amit said before he got an answer. "I'm thinking Tobias and Dickerson."

Corey Dickerson was a middling outfielder entering the last year of his contract. His best year had come in 2014, when he hit .312 with 24 home runs in hitter-friendly Coors Field. Since then, he had regressed into a barely above-replacement outfielder. Josh Tobias wasn't any better, with just 31 Major League games under his belt at the age of 27. They were throwaway players.

"And I'd like you to pay both of their salaries for this season," Patel shot off again before Forst could respond. The demands altogether were considerable, but separately, they were chump change. Dickerson and Tobias were due a total of roughly $1 million for the 2020 season.

"Deal!" Forst said, "Deal! I'll do it!"

"Okay, Doolittle and Bracewell for Harvey, Dickerson, and Tobias," Patel said, summing up the trade. "You'll eat half of Harvey's salary, and all of Dickerson and Tobias for this year."

Then Patel moved in for the kill.

"You're going after that Japanese first baseman, right?" Patel asked harmlessly. "Sueo Mihara?"

Forst was caught off guard. Where was Patel's interest in him coming from?

"Well, I have a way for you to get a power-hitting first baseman without paying him 20 mil a year," Patel said. "How would you like Olson?"

Matt Olson had hit 25 home runs in 2019, and 35 the year before that. Plus, he had a great eye, drawing 160 walks over the last two years. He wasn't sexy, but he was a serviceable first baseman, without the giant price tag a guy like Mihara would command on the open market.

"How about we take Doolittle off the table, and I give you Olson instead," Patel said as he tried to renegotiate the deal. "And let's say I give you another reliever on top of that."

Forst leaned back in his chair.

"What's the catch?" he said.

"I want you to pay Harvey's salary," Patel said. "All of it."

It was a tough pill to swallow, but the Red Sox were surprisingly agreeable to it. Their lust for Olson and Bracewell was so high that they were willing to pay all of Harvey's annual salary, with the caveat that the A's pay any obligated bonuses due to the pitcher. The two sides agreed on adding the vastly underpaid Matt Bush, an A's reliever with closer-type stuff and a 98 mph fastball. The Red Sox kicked in a couple of low-level minor leaguers and the deal was done.

Later that night, Forst kept wondering why Patel had brought up the Japanese first baseman. Had the A's just taken out a potential bidder so they could pursue Mihara themselves?


Former A's first baseman Matt Olson, gone to Boston

[PFCtaylor]

Athletics Nation

The A's pulled off another big trade that possibly puts them in position for Japanese 1B Mihara.

It'll be an interesting situation to watch, we'll update as soon as we know more.

P.S. the A's should go after him.

Sent from my SM-J700T1 using Tapatalk

[GoPedro99]

Go after imamura. Younger but much more versatile and has some speed

[Hendu Style]

The A's hadn't intended to do much, if anything, in free agency. Amit Patel had already succeeded in landing an All-Star in the offseason by trading for Francisco Lindor. He had no intentions of spending hundreds of millions of dollars and giving up a first round draft pick to sign a free agent. Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was on track to command a yearly salary of $25-30 million. So was Boston pitcher Chris Sale. To spend that kind of money and give a team a compensatory pick was not in the cards for Oakland.

All of that changed when two all-stars in the Nippon Professional League decided to come to America together. Sueo Mihara of the Rakuten Golden Eagles and Daisuke Imamura of the Yomiuri Giants had just finished up the final year of their respective contracts and stunned the NPL by becoming free agents. Because neither player was under contract, there would be no posting fee due to the league or their old teams. They would enter free agency in MLB just like any other player.

This was a fortuitous turn of events for Oakland, which had just enough money in its coffers to make a move, and had a large Asian population in the Bay Area that would welcome either player with open arms and open wallets.

Mihara, 31 years old, was heralded as the greatest Japanese-born power hitter since the great Sadaharu Oh, who to this day remains the all-time leader in home runs with 868. Through twelve professional seasons, Mihara had swatted 404 home runs, while carrying a .308 average on 1,821 lifetime hits. Many figured he might have a chance to at least give Oh's home run record a run for his money. He was coming off a 30 homerun season in 2019, and the year before that, he hit a career-best 54 round trippers. Meanwhile, at the age of 28, Imamura had boasted a .325 lifetime batting average to go with 1,185 career hits and 168 home runs in eight seasons in Japan. He was drawing comparisons to Ichiro... with power. To lose one of these players to America was tough. To lose both was devastating to the Nippon League.

The A's organized a flight to Japan to try to woo both players. Their primary focus would be on Imamura, the younger and likelier more inexpensive of the two, but would meet with Mihara while making the rounds overseas. The A's contingent consisted of Executive Vice President Billy Beane, President Dave Kaval, General Manager Amit Patel, and Scouting Director Eric Kubota. Trying to avoid a potential bidding war, their trip was completely off the books and beneath the radar.

The traveling party's first destination was Imamura's hometown of Koriyama. They spent the first day visiting with Daisuke. Accompanied by a Imamura's agent and an interpreter, they visited a local ballfield and conducted a hush-hush workout, with Kubota evaluating the proceedings.

Kubota was especially impressed with Imamura's bat speed and fluid swing, at one point calling it "magic." All four, though, were a little put off by Daisuke's apparent lack of motivation.


Scouting Director Eric Kubota's assessment of Daisuke Imamura

They made an opening offer of 6 years for $103 million to Imamura and his agent. They liked the offer, but Patel got the feeling they wanted a shorter contract with a higher salary. To hedge their bets, Patel and Kubota took a 5-hour drive south to Shizuoka to visit with Sueo Mihara, the power hitting first baseman. At 6'5" and 250 pounds, Mihara was a true specimen. Patel began to wonder if the A's were chasing the wrong player. To make room on the budget sheet, Patel scratched out the extra $16 million he had intended to add to the A's scouting and development budget so he could make a 2-year, $40 million offer to Mihara. Patel never planned to land both players, but he knew the A's had to negotiate with both players as a contingency plan.


Scouting report on Sueo Mihara

Negotiations stretched into a second week overseas as Patel stayed behind with Kaval, while Beane and Kubota returned home to the USA. The San Francisco Giants had entered the fray, and were on the hunt for Imamura. The stakes were high, as the A's could only watch as other teams back home were taking players off the board. Chris Sale signed a 6-year, $153 million tender to remain in Boston. The world was passing the A's by, as they put all their eggs in the Japan basket.


Chris Sale re-signs with David Forst's Boston Red Sox

Kaval left the contingent ten days into the Japan mission, with only Patel remaining. And now he had unwanted company as the Toronto Blue Jays joined the fold in the Mihara sweepstakes. Patel had planned on spending a week quietly hammering out a deal with one of the prospective signees. Instead, he was going on two weeks overseas, with the Giants and Blue Jays at the gates.

Finally, on December 9th, Patel's patience had paid off. Two weeks after flying halfway across the globe to Japan, the rookie GM had landed his big fish: Daisuke Imamura agreed to the A's offer of four years and $76 million. Patel and Imamura flew to Oakland to announce the biggest free agent signing in team history. But many of Imamura's new teammates were leery of the Japanese sensation...

[GoPedro99]

As long as there is winning. All is right

[Hendu Style]

If what transpired in the first of the offseason said anything, it was that that AL West had turned into a two-horse race. The reigning division champion Texas Rangers weren't about to lose their stranglehold on the West, signing free agents Seth Smith (.252, 14 HR in 102 games) and Hector Rondon (8-5, 7 saves, 3.69 ERA) and trading for Mike Foltynewicz (11-4, 3.29 ERA, 125 K in 136.2 IP). Oakland had bolstered its lineup with Francisco Lindor and its rotation with Matt Harvey. Now the team also had a surefire .300 leadoff man in Japanese signee Daisuke Imamura.

That left three also-ran's in the West. The LA Angels (84-78) were unusually quiet in free agency, presumably to free up as much money to re-sign Mike Trout when he hit free agency the following winter. The Seattle Mariners (80-82) were coming off their third straight losing season and were waiting out the rapidly declining Robinson Cano (.255, 4 HR in 63 games) and his remaining $92 million in salary over the next four years.

The third unlikely member of the bottom portion of the division was the Houston Astros. Just two years removed from an 88-win campaign in 2017, the Astros foundered in 2019 to a disappointing 80-82 finish. The front office had hitched its wagon to Dallas Keuchel, Jose Altuve, Lance McCullers Jr., and Carlos Correa. Correa had turned in a career-year in 2019, hitting 55 home runs with 153 RBI on the way to AL MVP honors. But the rest of the club struggled. Keuchel was sidelined in 2018 with a elbow injury, followed by a devastating UCL tear that kept him out of the 2019 season. The former Cy Young winner had over $80 million due to him over the next four seasons. Altuve, meanwhile, hit a career-low .266 in 2019, hardly justifying the $143 million extension he signed midway through the season.

With the dominance of the Rangers and the rise of the Athletics, the Astros could sense which way the wind was blowing and were eager to sell high on Correa in an effort to rebuild for the future. The A's were only too happy to oblige.

Just days after introducing Imamura to the American media at a press conference in Oakland, A's GM Amit Patel was at the Winter Meetings in San Diego, hunting for a deal with Houston. With the blessing of team owner John Fisher, Patel was allowed to enter negotiations with the Astros for the recently anointed MVP. To complicate matters, Billy Beane had insisted that he sit in on negotiations.

"I thought it was just going to be me and you," Houston GM Jeff Luhnow told Patel as he skeptically glanced at Beane. The two sides had set up shop in a suite at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The suite afforded a majestic view of San Diego Bay and Coronado Island, but it went wasted on a group of baseball executives anxious to make a deal.

"If it's a problem, we can all just leave right now," Beane responded as if to get up from the table.

"Billy represents ownership, so we don't have to wait on a call from Mr. Fisher for final approval," Patel interceded. "Please, Jeff, let me know what kind of package you'd like to put us together."

"Kendall, Barreto, Cotton, and Arenado," Lunow said sternly. "No more, no less."

Jeren Kendall had just been named AL Rookie of the Year, thanks to a debut season that saw him lace 26 doubles, 11 triples, and 14 home runs while swiping 29 bases. He was regarded as baseball's next premiere centerfielder, with unparalleled range, a rocket arm, and speed to burn. Patel figured Kendall would be the centerpiece of any reasonable trade offer, and he didn't blush at the thought of trading him.

Franklin Barreto was another matter entirely. He was part of the original package offer to Cleveland for Lindor, and Beane nearly blew up the trade when he pulled Barreto out of the swap.

"Barreto is a no-go," Beane said coolly. "You can forget his name, and forget this trade if you think you're going to get him."

Patel knew he had no chance of convincing Beane to part with Barreto, so he moved the discussion to the other players involved.

"Let's start with Kendall, who I think we can all agree is a tremendous asset and will be a Gold Glove outfielder," Patel said as he tried to draw both Beane and Lunow back in. "We could go Kendall for Correa, straight-up."

"Hah!" Lunow exclaimed with a mocking laugh. "An MVP for a Rookie of the Year. I don't think so!"

"Come on, Jeff, you know we can't take on a salary like Correa's without some sort of compromise on your side," pleaded Patel. "Nobody else is going to offer you a player like Kendall."

Correa was due just $9.6 million in 2020, but his salary would jump to $12.4 million in 2021, and then $14.7 million for the final two years of his contract. His recently-signed extension would send him to free agency at a prime age of 29, another consideration in the proceedings. With the A's already committing so much money to their new Japanese import, they had little money to spare this offseason.

"How about I throw in Phegley as well?" Patel said promisingly. "He'd make a solid starting catcher for you."

Josh Phegley had been mired in AAA Nashville, last playing in the Majors in 2018 for a brief 38-game stint with Oakland. But he still had promise, evidenced by the 23 home run season he put together for the White Sox AAA affiliate before being traded to the A's in the Jeff Samardzjia deal in 2014.

"Barreto," Lunow said, "What would it take to get him into this package?"

"That's it!" Beane shouted as he got up from his chair. "This is over! No Barreto. Period!"

Beane went for the door, looking back at Patel.

"Are you coming?" he said expectantly.

"Not yet," Patel said. "Let me just finish up here. Give me just a minute."

Beane stormed out of the room, leaving only Patel and Lunow.

"Look, you have to understand that Franklin Barreto is not going to be a part of any deal," Patel said apologetically. "Billy wants to save face on him in that Donaldson trade, and there's nothing I can say to change that. He'll never let it happen. I'm sorry."

Patel started to gather his things, shaking Lunow's hand and thanking him for his time.

"Now I'm sure he could sign off on letting me trade you a couple of good prospect," Patel said as he felt out the situation, "if it meant you would agree to pay Correa's contract in return."

"Which prospects?" Lunow asked.

Patel handed him a sheet of paper.

"Any two on this list," Patel said. "Plus you throw in Teoscar Hernandez and Framber Valdez."

Lunow was intrigued. The prospect list was promising. Hernandez had been shuttling back and forth between AAA Fresno and Houston since 2016, never quite catching on in the Majors. Valdez had faltered in AAA and the bigs after a promising start to the 2019 season in AA, getting rocked for 7 runs on 8 hits in just 1.1 innings in Fresno, and then posting a 14.49 ERA in 9 MLB appearances late season.

"But we've got to make this fast," added Patel. "Billy is going to take some smoothing over, and he's going to be real pissed if I'm here much longer."

"Arenado and Papantonis," Lunow hastily replied. "I'll do it if you'll give me Kendall, Phegley, Arenado, and Papantonis."

Kyler Arenado was a 7th round pick out of Mississippi State in 2018. The young second baseman hit .298 the previous season in the AZL, hitting 7 home runs in 36 starts. Andrew Papantonis was the more promising of the two minor leaguers, boasting a flawless glove and defense at shortstop in the low minors at the young age of 20. He was exactly the kind of middle infielder Patel had envisioned in the A's new ballpark, but was now expendable with the acquisition of Lindor.

"Done," Patel said smiling. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Amit couldn't believe his good fortune as he buttoned up the trade with the Astros. Neither could Beane, who conceded that Patel had pulled off a coupe in landing Correa from Houston. The trade left a gigantic hole in the A's outfield and they couldn't exactly place Correa at his natural position with Lindor occupying shortstop. But the deal was lauded by fans and media alike as news broke from the Winter Meetings back home in Oakland. Finally, the A's had some pop in their batting order.


The Astros trade AL MVP Carlos Correa to the A's


Carlos Correa's impressive resume

[GoPedro99]

Holy cow!!!

[Hendu Style]

The praise was plentiful for the A's front office. The team had landed not one, but two All-Star shortstops in Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. It was akin to the Yankees adding Alex Rodriguez to the roster when they already had Derek Jeter. Like A-Rod, the plan for Correa was to move over to third base to replaced the departed Matt Chapman. But still, an enormous void was created in center field with the loss of Rookie of the Year Jeren Kendall.

Amit Patel was too engrossed in his work to notice that the congratulatory pats on the back from the media were going to Billy Beane. It was Beane who had nearly put the kibosh on the Lindor trade, and Patel had to overcome Beane's missteps to pull the trigger on the Correa swap. But Patel wasn't doing this for glory or praise. He was maniacally assembling the best team possible.

One last chip remained in Patel's cache. He had managed to hold on to Sean Doolittle despite the best efforts of David Forst and the Boston Red Sox. Doolittle was a tremendous closer, but he just didn't fit into Patel's calculations and projections inside the A's new home field. An extreme fly ball pitcher in a hitter's ballpark was a bad fit, and Patel wanted to capitalize on Doolittle's 41-save season in 2019.

Suitors were not hard to find, but Baltimore was bar far the best trade partner, offering up Andrew McCutchen. The former Pittsburgh Pirate had a respectable .262/.351/.450 slash line along with 23 home runs in his first season with the Orioles. He had signed a 2-year, $24.7 million to join Baltimore after seven All-Star seasons with the Pirates. At the age of 33, he was still an offensive threat and a serviceable center fielder. Just what the A's needed.


The A's trade Sean Doolittle to the Orioles for Andrew McCutchen

The trade thrilled A's President Dave Kaval, who was now seeing a score of 90 on the Fan Interest Index, the exact number he was hoping to reach before the start of the 2020 season. This was despite the free agent losses of Sonny Gray (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Khris Davis (Colorado Rockies). Season ticket sales were brisk in anticipation of the team's inaugural campaign in its new stadium. But still, Patel felt like his work was far from done. The Angels weren't standing pat, scraping together enough money to sign the top free agent on the market, Paul Goldschmidt.

With the team dealing Matt Olson to the Red Sox in the offseason, the A's had turned to Chris Shaw as its first baseman for the upcoming season. Shaw hit 26 home runs with 85 RBI the previous season, but had a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of just 0.7, and his defense was atrocious. Patel knew he could do better. In a move that sent a clear picture that the A's were going "all in" on the present, Patel abandoned his plan to pour money into the farm system and scouting, choosing instead to pull every available penny to get into a bidding war for Sueo Mihara.

The negotiations stretched well into February, as the A's held off bids from Boston, Chicago, and finally Toronto to sign the Japanese first baseman. The signing took every last dollar of the A's budget, spending $88.5 million to ink Mihara to a 3-year deal. Oakland had mortgaged its future for a player that Patel believed could put the A's at the top of the AL West.


Sueo Mihara signs with the Oakland A's for an average of $33.1 million (4th highest salary in MLB)

[Hendu Style]

Give the Oakland A's credit: they know what they want to be. First-year GM Amit Patel was tasked with overhauling a batting order that ranked second-to-last in the American League in runs scored. He did so at the risk of neglecting the pitching staff and outfield defense. The A's added 2019 AL MVP Carlos Correa, Gold Glove shortstop Francisco Lindor, and two Japanese stars to the lineup, but did little to nothing to improve the pitching staff.

Gone is longtime ace Sonny Gray to free agency, with nothing but a compensatory draft pick to show for it. They'll need that extra draft pick to replenish a farm system that was raided in offseason trades and now ranks 28 out of 30 MLB teams. Their payroll of $90.7 million is the highest in franchise history, but still lags behind all but eight other big league teams.

After a surprising 85-win season in 2019, Oakland stunned the baseball world by not renewing the contract of longtime manager Bob Melvin. In his place comes Chip Hale, who has reportedly rubbed several players the wrong way already without even playing a game under their first-year skipper. To make matters worse, several of the team's key offseason acquisitions were injured in Spring Training and won't be with the team when it christens its new 36,000 seat stadium April 3rd against the Texas Rangers. Will the A's gamble pay off, or has Patel just set the team back another 10 years in its perpetual rebuilding process?


American League Predictions


National League Predictions

Projected Batting Order:

1. Daisuke Imamura (RF)
The Japanese import hit a scorching .371 in Spring Training before being hobbled by a case of plantar fascitis. The injury is expected to cost him the first three weeks of the season, but the A's hope that Imamura is everything as advertised. The expectations are high considering his $19 million salary and .319 batting average last season in Japan.

2. Franklin Barreto (DH)
The so-called shortstop of the future was moved over to second base in the offseason, and then to A DH role with new manager Chip Hale's commitment to defense. Despite the position upheaval, Barreto figures to be a key part of the A's offensive resurgence, leading the Cactus League with 17 runs scored in the Spring.

3. Francisco Lindor (SS)
The A's landed an MVP candidate in Lindor, evidenced by his .313 batting average and 27 home runs last season for Cleveland. But how much of him will the A's see in 2020? The All-Star shortstop seemed to have kicked the injury bug after being limited to 118 games in 2017 and 73 games in 2018, but Lindor will miss Opening Day due to a back strain.

4. Carlos Correa (3B)
The reigning AL MVP is coming off a 55 home run, 153 RBI season wih the Houston Astros, and has turned heads after making the switch from shortstop to third base since joining Oakland. The A's aren't worried about his awful Spring (.171, 1 HR), and are excited to see what Correa can do as the team's new cleanup hitter.

5. Sueo Mihara (1B)
What does $33 million a year get the A's? They hope 40+ home runs and a hitter to protect Correa in the lineup. Mihara seemed to have no problem adjusting to American pitching, hitting 6 homers and driving in 17 runs in Spring Training. He could be the latest in a long line of Athletics greats at first base, starting with Jimmie Foxx and continuing with Mark McGwire and then Jason Giambi. Or maybe they've found the next Billy Butler. Let's hope not.

6. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
The veteran outfielder had to hold off prospect Akil Baddoo, after the 21 year-old hit .400 in 40 Spring Training at bats. But the A's are practicing patience with Baddoo, leaving him in the minors to grow while McCutchen holds down the job in center. He hit .262 with 23 homers for Baltimore last season, and if he can provide that sort of production in 2020, Oakland will be more than happy with their decision.

7. B.J. Boyd (LF)
Hit .252 in 101 games in his first full MLB season last year, but the sophomore jinx may have already struck the 26 year old outfielder. Boyd had an abbreviated Spring Training while suffering a torn thumb ligament. Others will have to step up in Boyd's absence while he's on the mend.

8. Sean Murphy (C)
In perhaps the surprise development of the Spring, he beat out incumbent Bruce Maxwell for the starting catching job. Murphy spent each of the last two seasons in AA Midland and has never played AAA baseball. But Oakland was impressed with Murphy's defensive skills, and will be patient with his bat as he adjusts to Major League pitching.

9. Richie Martin (2B)
Not known for his bat (.252 in 114 game MLB career), Martin has Gold Glove-type talent at second base. If the A's need an offensive jump start, don't be surprised to see Barreto settle back into playing 2B and having Alen Hanson get time at DH.


Starting Rotation:

#1 Jharel Cotton
Posted a very respectable 3.90 ERA with 163 K in 190 IP last season playing second fiddle to the departed Sonny Gray in the rotation. Now the A's are hoping Cotton can lead a rotation that is devoid of a true ace. Cotton could be that guy.

#2 Adam Conley
The lone lefty in the rotation won just 9 games combined between the A's and Yankees last season, but his .264 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was the lowest in the American League. His walk numbers, though, are still a concern. Conley issued a league-high 81 walks two years ago, and walked 80 more last season.

#3 Grant Holmes
Just 24 years old, he had a rough go of it in his first MLB season last year. His 6.08 ERA in 31 starts would be enough to scare off most teams, but the A's have faith in their former top-50 prospect. Holmes fits the mold of ground ball pitchers that the team is leaning on in 2020.

#4 Jacob Turner
Went 8-4 with a 3.87 ERA last season, while striking out just 42 batters in 76.2 innings. But he's the prototypical pitcher on this staff: low 90's fastball, ground ball tendencies. As Holmes and Turner go, so will the A's this season.

#5 Mark Appel
By far the biggest surprise out of Spring Training on the pitching staff, the former #1 overall draft pick in 2013 is finally showing signs of turning into a starting pitcher at the Major League level. He came over to Oakland on a trade that sent first baseman Chris Shaw and catcher Carlos Perez to Philadelphia, after posting a 3.14 ERA in 27 appearances (3 starts) in 2019. He outpitched Matt Harvey and others for the final spot in the A's rotation with a 3.31 ERA in Spring Training.


Bullpen:

Closer - Nate Jones:
Took over the closer role after Sean Doolittle was traded and Bobby Wahl suffered a torn rotator cuff in Spring Training. Which version of Jones will the A's get? He disappointed the Giants with a 3.90 ERA and just two saves in a setup role last season, but flourished as the team's closer in 2018 when he saved a NL-best 44 games.

Frankie Montas:
Could be the A's most reliable reliever after appearing in 25 games last season. He's the hardest thrower out of the bullpen, with a fastball that touches 98 mph on the radar gun.

Logan Shore:
25 year-old prospect had a 1.88 ERA in a late-season call-up last year.

Simon Castro:
Boasts a 96 mph fastball and struck out 99 batters in 86 innings last season. His 4.69 ERA was on the high side though.

Daniel Magnifico:
Magnificent in Cactus League play, posting a microscopic 0.67 ERA.

AJ Puk:
Another ground ball pitcher, the one-time can't-miss prospect is hoping to catch on as a lefty specialist out of the bullpen. He's still only 24 and could someday become a starter.

Matt Harvey:
His last full season came in 2017, and Oakland is hoping to resurrect his career under the watchful eye of pitching coach Curt Young. His 0-4 record and 7.20 ERA in Spring Training were discouraging, costing him a spot in the A's rotation.


Summary:
The A's broke the bank to bring an entertaining brand of baseball to Oakland. But the combination of a first-year manager, a rookie general manager, and a nondescript pitching rotation may be too much for even Carlos Correa and company to overcome. 90 wins seems like a reach in a very tough American League West in 2020.

[Hendu Style]

The offseason was a blur. The A's had hired a new manager. Traded for an All-Star and a Most Valuable Player. Gone to Japan and back to sign two free agents. And they had moved into a new ballpark. Tonight was opening night.

Team President Dave Kaval was down in the stands, glad handing fans and season ticket holders. Executive Vice President Billy Beane was sidled next to John Fisher in the owner's luxury box. And team GM Amit Patel was a nervous wreck, watching the scorecast on his home from the tunnels underneath the stadium.

On the field, the A's were tussling with the defending AL West Champion Texas Rangers in their season opener. 35,838 fans had crammed into the new stadium to witness the first-ever game at "Athletics Ballpark." The preseason had been full of hype, but the A's were simply outnumbered with All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and Japanese outfielder Daisuke Imamura both sidelined with injuries. Still, they were eager to make a statement that they would be a force to be reckoned with in the West. Unfortunately that message was never delivered to Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar.

Profar was once the #1 minor league prospect in all of baseball, but had never quite realized his full potential. Now 27, he was still looking to put together his first injury-free season with the Rangers. Profar strode to the plate in the 6th inning in a 3-1 game. A's starter Grant Holmes had hit the showers with his team trailing by one run. Frankie Montas, a hard-throwing right hander, had come out of the bullpen to try to keep Oakland in the ballgame. But he had already allowed Texas to score a third run, and now the bases were loaded for the switch-hitting Profar.

Montas shook off the sign from rookie catcher Sean Murphy. He had a 1-1 count on Profar and wasn't about to throw a change-up as directed by Murphy. Instead he would go with straight heat. The fastball.

Not many pitchers in Major League Baseball can touch 100 miles an hour on the radar gun. Montas was one of the few. He reared back with all his might and whipped a fastball on the inner part of the plate. Profar jumped on it, pulling it down the line in right. It cleared not only the fence, but also the stands, and landed in the San Francisco Bay. The new ballpark's first-ever splash home run was a grand slam. And it was hit by the other team.


Jurickson Profar hits a grand slam home run against Frankie Montas

The radar gun flashed on the board. 102. Montas hung his head in disgust as Profar circled the bases. The Rangers had jumped out to a 7-2 lead. In the dugout, first-year manager Chip Hale looked to his pitching coach, Curt Young. Both shrugged as if to say, "Might as well leave him in. The damage is done."

Upstairs, team owner John Fisher was seething. He had opened his wallet to unprecedented levels in Oakland, and his team was getting embarrassed in its brand-new stadium on Opening Day. Down below, Patel's scorecast was just now updating the news he knew was coming after the unmistakable grown that he had heard echo into the tunnels. So much for making a statement on opening night.


The Texas Rangers drub the Oakland A's in their season opener, 11-2

[Hendu Style]

Despite an inauspicious 10-16 start in April compounded by numerous injuries, the A's managed to pull it together with a 17-10 month of May and moved to 2 games above .500 (30-28, 5.0 games out of first) by early June. The team was showing signs of life, with its veteran core of Carlos Correa (.288, 16 HR, 57 RBI) and Francisco Lindor (.369, 10 HR, 36 RBI) leading the way.

Still, there was much work to be done. The offseason veteran acquisitions the A's made had gutted their farm system, ranked 28th out of 30 MLB teams. General Manager Amit Patel and the rest of the Oakland front office were determined to replenish the minor league system. Patel was joined by Scouting Director Eric Kubota and Assistant GM Billy Beane as they gathered in Secaucus, New Jersey, site of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft.


2020 MLB Draft, First Round Order

The lowly Kansas City Royals, coming off a miserable 102-loss campaign in 2019, held the #1 overall pick. Not surprisingly, they took 18-year old high school phenom Chad Starr of Schlagle HS in Kansas City with the top choice. When the A's first-round choice finally arrived at #20, the front office team huddled up to make their pick.

"I say we go with Aquino," said Kubota, referring to Arturo Aquino, a hard-throwing right-hander out of Henry High School in San Diego. He had a mid-90's fastball and good movement on his slider, plus a promising changeup. He had sported a 0.64 ERA in 14 starts during a banner senior season, fanning 190 batters in 112 innings pitched.

"Marotto," Beane said stoically, wanting the A's to take high school infielder Brad Marotto. He hit .485 and struck out just 3 times in 97 at-bats during his season year at New Harvest Christian in Southern California.

Patel looked intently at his laptop as it spit out data on the prospects Kubota and Beane suggested.

"Who do you like, boss?" Kubota said, breaking the silence.

"I prefer the kid out of Hattiesburg," Patel answered. "Ellman."

Chris "Monument" Ellmann sported a 97 mile an hour fastball, whiffing 152 batters in just 94 innings his senior year. More crucially to Patel, Ellman was a groundball pitcher. A perfect fit for Athletics Ballpark.

"He'll never sign," Beane groaned.

He was right. All signs pointed toward Ellmann going to college and eventually become a #1 overall draft pick. The A's had allotted only $3.4 million for draft expenses, and it would likely take that kind of money just to sign Ellman alone.

"Aquino will be a front-line pitcher," Kubota said as he pointed to Patel's laptop screen. "It's easy to project plus pitches across the board."

Patel nodded in agreement, as did Beane. The A's had their first pick in the books.


A's first round draft choice Arturo Aquino

Oakland's compensatory pick for Sonny Gray soon followed, sandwiched between the first and second rounds. Beane was astounded to see his favorite, Marotto, still on the board.

"Yelder's still available, too," Kubota suggested. Kymani Yelder was a 6'3" righty from Jamestown, North Carolina. His 97 mile an hour fastball was lively, but as Kubota also conceded, "it sometimes straightens out and gets hit hard."

But Patel still liked him. Like Ellmann, who was still on the board, Yelder was also a groundball pitcher. Much to the chagrin of Beane, the A's took Yelder with their compensatory pick. With its first two choices, Oakland took two high school pitchers, a rarity for the A's front office until now.

"These guys are like scratch-it tickets," Beane said. "But with crappier odds."

As the A's second round pick rolled around, Beane's mood lightened when he realized Marotto was still there for the taking.

"Unbelievable!" Beane exclaimed. "This is a no-brainer, fellas."

It was hard to deny, Marotto had star talent. Though he only hit 5 home runs in 21 games as a high school senior, he was still a line drive hitter with good power into the gaps. Better yet, he was a slick fielder with excellent range. But still, both Patel and Kubota were setting their sights on yet another high school pitcher.

Mike Morales had wowed the A's scouts with his impressive repertoire: fastball, changeup, splitter, and forkball. His fastball topped out in the low to mid 90's, with room for improvement.

Amit wanted Morales, but he knew he had to placate Billy as well. With Beane, you had to pick your battles. And this wasn't a battle worth fighting. So with their second round choice, the A's selected Brad Marotto. Three picks later, the Indians jumped on Morales.


A's second round draft pick, middle infielder Brad Marotto

As the draft progressed, Patel put more and more faith in his Scouting Director. He wanted to build faith with Kubota, and he figured he could forge an alliance with him now so Kubota would go to bat for him in future drafts. That meant taking a pass on the coveted Ellmann, who went in the 5th round to the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Don't worry, Patel," Beane said slapping Amit on the back. "They'll never sign him."

[GoPedro99]

Maritto needs moved to first. Not very good defense

[GoPedro99]

Hope all is good. Been missing this series

[22tbrads22]

Miss this series!!

[Hendu Style]

I was wondering if anyone was still reading. I'll get back on track with updates. Thanks guys.

[GoPedro99]

It was something I looked foreword to every morning

[Hendu Style]

To Billy Beane's credit, Chris Ellmann failed to sign out of high school. Milwaukee had thrown at least two million dollars Ellmann's way, and even as a fifth round choice, he barely gave it a sniff. To Amit Patel, though, this was an opportunity to learn. If the A's had budgeted more money for the draft, Ellmann could've been a steal. Then again, it could've been millions of dollars wasted on a player who may never pan out. It would be a lesson for another day.

The A's entered the 2020 All-Star Break at a respectable 48-42, but ahead of only the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. The Texas Rangers (57-34) had a sizable lead in the division, and the best record in the league to boot. Hitting, not surprisingly, was the strength of Oakland, as the team led the AL in runs (496), batting average (.277), and on-base percentage (.346). Francisco Lindor was leading all of baseball with a .374 average. Sueo Mihara and Carlos Correa were 1-2 in the league in RBI, and Lindor led MLB with a WAR of 5.6.

But the experiment to put low-cost, ground-ball pitchers on the mound had disastrous results. The A's starting pitchers had accumulated a 5.30 ERA, the second-highest in the AL, with a subpar defensive efficiency of .673, 10th out of 15 teams in the league. If not for Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.47 ERA, 104 K in 106.1 IP), the A's might very well have had the worst pitching staff in baseball.



Despite all of the shortcomings, the A's were competitive, and Patel had made good on many of his promises to team owner John Fisher: Score more runs (1st in the AL). Have a winning record (.533 winning percentage). Acquire a hometown player (Mark Appel). All of this, Patel hoped, was in line with the long term goal of reaching the postseason. But he also knew as quickly as he had been named the A's GM, it could all be taken away with one misstep or one bad break.

[smythejd]

Looks like it's time to call up SP Heath Filmyer (4-0 2.66 ERA in AAA)