*Photo from The Athletic*
For about as long as the Moneyball and Billy Beane era in Oakland, and probably even longer than that, the Oakland Athletics have been a small market, low payroll baseball team, with an emphasis on player development and prospect growth, targeting under the radar players in trades and free agency. However, this small market attitude has reached a precarious spot for the A's.
Why, you ask? Well, the A's have reportedly put several of their homegrown developed stars on the trading block this winter, as they look to slash payroll to perhaps an MLB low, and this is coming after they let longtime manager Bob Melvin leave for San Diego earlier this month. In reality, Melvin was just the warning shot. It's going to be a long winter for the fans of the Oakland Athletics.
Starting the 2021 season, the Athletics had a payroll of over $100 million. That's about an average payroll level, it's not close to the luxury tax threshold of just over $200 million, but it's not catastrophically low. According to multiple reports, the A's front office is planning to cut that number to around $50 million, which would be at the very bottom of the league in terms of team payroll.
Despite the reports, Oakland GM David Forst didn't want to commit to anything, saying in an interview that "Everybody clearly drew that line from the time Bob left. I think, right now, we're in the middle of those conversations with John Fisher. We don't have an exact direction yet. But you look at our history, and we have three or four-year runs, and recognizing where we are makes it necessary to step back."
In terms of the stars they are putting on the market, my god it's a lot of talent. On the pitching side, they're putting aces Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, and Chris Bassitt on the trading block. All 3 have their strengths and weaknesses, but when they're at the top of their games, all 3 are excellent and efficient starting pitchers that plenty of teams would love to have.
The hitting side is where things get more interesting. Star slugging first baseman Matt Olson tops the list, and for good reason, as he is a terrific contact and power hitter, and is a two time gold glover at first base defensively. Then there's Matt Chapman, who may be the best defensive 3rd baseman in baseball, who also offers incredible pop with the bat. Chad Pinder, Stephen Piscotty, and Tony Kemp also offer value as platoon pieces in an outfield picture, with Pinder able to play himself into a starting role with his skills.
On top of the potential mass trading of star players, the A's still don't know where their home will be. The current coliseum is a dump, everyone has acknowledged that. Their best shot to stay in the Oakland area is the Howard Terminal ballpark proposal, which reportedly gained some traction during the playoffs, but nothing new has come out for a while. Their top destination, should they leave Oakland, appears to be Las Vegas, but there's nowhere near a conclusion on that front either.
So, for A's fans and anyone who has a spot in their heart for the A's, I would say strap yourselves in. It's going to be a long, long winter in the Bay Area.
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