What the Marte trade means for the A’s core

The Oakland A’s swapped a cost-controlled, high-ceiling pitcher for a 32-yearold rental outfielder, an uncharacteristic move that tells us the organization may see this 2021 run as the last hurrah for this core of players

On its surface, the trade for former AllStar Starling Marte that sent Jesús Luzardo — the 23-year-old pitcher once seen as the future of the organization — to the Miami Marlins improves the A’s drastically for their run at a 2021 postseason berth.

General manager David Forst’s claim that Marte was “frankly, the best position player available on the market” isn’t too far off. His 3.3 WAR, per FanGraphs, not only ranks him on par with New York Yankees’ outfield acquisition Joey Gallo (3.4 WAR) but ranks him among MLB’s outfield leaders. Ronald Acuna Jr. leads all outfielders with a 4.3 fWAR. Mark Canha (2.7) and Ramón Laureano (1.9) are ranked in the top 20.

Statistically, once Marte joins the A’s he’ll rank as the best among his teammates in most major categories. In 63 games — he missed most of May with a rib fracture — his .305 average ranks ahead of Matt Olson’s team-leading .285 average. His .859 OPS ranks second to Olson’s .956 and his .407 OBP ranks first over Canha’s .385.

For an offense flatlining of late, contributions like that can make a world of difference. With a 9-12 record this month, the A’s will need to win out the remaining three games of July to avoid their first losing month since April 2019. They are hitting .234 overall, which is the fifth-lowest mark in the American League as they sit a season-high six games out of first place entering this weekend’s four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Marte is due to earn $12.5 million on the final year of a six-year deal he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the A’s shipped Luzardo only because the Marlins paid most of what remained on Marte’s contract, which is around $4.5 million until he hits free agency in 2022. So Marte is coming to Oakland at virtually no financial cost.

Oakland’s $86,579,618 payroll ranks 23rd in baseball, but is the franchise’s fourth-most expensive team this century. History indicates ownership won’t increase the budget much higher, perhaps until a new ballpark is built. The front office may feel pressure to take advantage of the talent on hand before they exceed their price range and start to consider trading off the core after this season.