Are The Athletics a Playoff Team?
July 27, 2018
BY WILL MCGUINNESS
Another day, another win for the Oakland Athletics, who now stand at an impressive 61-43 after beating the Texas Rangers last night by a score of 7-6. In the last 30 days, the A’s lead baseball with a record of 23-7. For a team without household names, without any real flair or talent that jumps right at you, their production astounds fans and analysts across the league. But are they truly a playoff team?
This is an important question for a few reasons. One because it would be cool to see a star ladened AL Playoff Race infiltrated by the underdog Athletics. For General Manager Billy Beane though, this is an important question right around the trade deadline. As a small market team with a lower payroll, Beane has made a name for himself by building a roster with savvy smaller moves, but often he is outpaced by richer teams. Indeed, it is tough for the A’s to regularly compete for playoff spots. Beane can seize the opportunity he has this year and go all in, adding more talent to areas of need, or sell high on some of his players (Jed Lowrie) that are probably outperforming their abilities. Packaging some of the A’s veterans to get talented prospects would help the A’s build around some young talent they do have to be competitive for years to come.
It seems Beane has made his decision though, and I believe it to be the right one. By trading for Jeurys Familia of the Mets, Beane adds to an already stellar pen and shows that he’s going all in now. As mentioned, this is not a star ladened roster, but it has certainly been a good one. Statistically, their record does not appear to be a fluke. Their lineup does not have anyone hitting over .300, but they are still 6th in runs scored. They score in bunches, and are actually fun to watch, hitting the second most home runs in the MLB. In the middle of their lineup, they are anchored by Jed Lowrie who has seen a career resurgence year. Then Khris Davis continues to be a big time power threat, already having mashed 27 home runs. Another interesting bat in this lineup is Stephen Piscotty, yet an additional talented guy who Beane acquired to see a career resurgence.
The problem with the A’s lies with their starting pitching, which ranks 20th in the MLB, never a good sign for a team looking to go to the Playoffs. They’ve been serviceable but they are still a hole in this team, mainly because they are not trustworthy talents. I am, however, a big fan of their bullpen. Blake Treinen is a top-notch closer people don’t seem to know about (26 saves, 1.04 ERA!!) and they now have former star closer Jeurys Familia as their setup guy. In addition to that, they have another stud in young reliever Lou Trivino who boasts a 1.30 ERA in 48 innings this year. Beane should look to add a veteran starter first and foremost and then a contact bat, possibly a Tyson Ross from the Padres, a Mike Fiers from the Tigers or a James Shields from the White Sox. I would have loved a move for Cole Hamels, but it was announced yesterday that Hamels will be going to the Cubs pending physical. Another juicy possibility is Chris Archer, which would solidify the A’s rotation, making a solid 1-2 of Sean Manaea and Chris Archer, but probably too pricey for Billy Beane.
So we have an offense that produces, a top-end bullpen, and a serviceable rotation. Is that enough to outpace the Mariners for the 2nd Wild Card spot? It’s an interesting question because the A’s current torrid pace is unsustainable and the Mariners are actually 15-15 in their last 30. Now they stand just a game ahead of the A’s, but surely they should start to play better right? To that question I answer with maybe not. Offensively the Mariners are only 21st in scoring runs and on the mound they are only 14th in ERA. Even their bullpen is only 13th in ERA, so this probably a team that’s coming back to earth. They might have more household talent but a lot of their big name guys have started to get older, i.e. Nelson Cruz and Dee Gordon. Outside of stud Jean Segura, the Athletics have a better lineup top to bottom. And the best singular unit between both these teams is without a doubt the Athletics pen. I will take the Athletics to outpace the Mariners in the final 60 or so games and play in October. This should be a great race to watch in a stacked American League.
