Lowrie a good bet to stick around
BALTIMORE — Even with a last-place team, there are intriguing questions, and one of the more interesting developments in the last month concerns Jed Lowrie’s future.
Going into July, it was a given that the A’s would deal their second baseman before the deadline to open a spot for top prospect Franklin Barreto. But with no trade materializing and with Lowrie quietly turning in a solid season — he homered in Oakland’s 7-3 loss to the Orioles on Monday — it’s increasingly apparent that Oakland not only plans to keep Lowrie but also will exercise its team option on him for next year.
Team officials, so sold on Lowrie they’ve traded for him twice, appreciate the season he has had. And there is a general feeling that Barreto, at 21, wouldn’t be hurt by getting in a full season or more at the Triple-A level. The front office would like to see the middle infielder force his way onto the roster by dominating at Nashville. Barreto is batting .280 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs; he has walked 22 times and has 137 strikeouts in 105 games. There’s no guarantee he will be among the September call-ups.
Lowrie, meanwhile, has the top WAR (wins above replacement) among players who’ve been with the A’s longer than two months, at 2.4, better than departed All-Star Yonder Alonso and power hitter Khris Davis. Lowrie is batting .271 with 11 homers and 64 runs, his best season since 2013, and his defense is the best it has been in years.
Lowrie knew he was a likely trade option in July and realizes that the fact he’s still with the team means he very well might wind up back in Oakland.
“I think it’s certainly a possibility, given the team option, and it’s something I assume they considered at the trade deadline,” Lowrie said. “I’m looking forward to what’s ahead because I feel a little rejuvenated.”
Next year is a win-win for Lowrie. Either the A’s pick up his $6 million option, or they pay his $1 million buyout and he hits the free-agent market.
“That’s a bridge that’s best crossed when you get there,” he said.
Lowrie was one of few nice notes for the A’s at Camden Yards, along with rookie Boog Powell, who hit his first bigleague homer. After a string of good starts at Houston and only one win because of a tepid offense, Oakland got neither a good start nor much hitting.
Baltimore’s Adam Jones homered twice, once off Chris Smith and once off Ryan Dull, and Jonathan Schoop blasted a three-run homer off Smith. Welington Castillo homered off Michael Brady.
Over Smith’s past five starts, he has allowed 20 earned runs in 242⁄3 innings and has given up eight homers — six of them by the Orioles, three by Jones. “I haven’t really shown that I can get him out,” Smith said.
The A’s first run came in the second, when Ryon Healy singled, Chad Pinder walked and Matt Chapman whacked a double to right, scoring Healy. Pinder tried to make it two runs on the play and was thrown out by a sizable margin. Chapman was stranded at second when Dustin Garneau struck out.
Oakland loaded the bases against Wade Miley in the fifth, but Rajai Davis hit into his second double play to end the inning. “That’s been our problem for a while now,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We’re hitting into too many double plays. We’re not getting good balls to handle in those situations.”
Chapman’s error in the fifth was the team’s major-leagueleading 100th and led to an unearned run against Smith.