A’s might look to add, not subtract
Oakland appears to have staved off annual July purge
OAKLAND – The running joke around the Athletics at this time of year is that any veteran having a good season should keep his bags packed.
On the way to finishing last in the American League West each of the last three years, the A’s entered July with 35 wins every time, a clear signal to their already trigger-happy management to start moving assets.
That’s how the likes of Ben Zobrist, Rich Hill, Josh Reddick, Sonny Gray, Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson, Yonder Alonso and Scott Kazmir wound up finishing their seasons elsewhere.
“We joke about that,” said infielder Jed Lowrie, who’s making a case for his first All-Star Game invite. “We’re not naive to the track record of the organization.”
So it’s hard to bet on Oakland keeping valuable players such as Lowrie and closer Blake Treinen past the July 31 trade deadline. But given their June surge and 48-39 record, the A’s could be open for business again this month — this time as buyers.
General manager David Forst said he’s telling opposing clubs that Oakland is looking to upgrade, though that could be subject to change depending on what transpires in the next few weeks. Even after winning 14 of their past 16 games, the A’s trail the Mariners by seven games for the second AL wild card.
Still, for a team that raised few outside expectations coming into the season and has six starting pitchers on the disabled list, arriving at this point with a fighting chance merits acknowledgment and perhaps extra support.
“This team has played well, and if there’s a chance to make them better right now, we have to consider that,” Forst said. “We know how precious any playoff opportunity is. You don’t take that for granted just because maybe coming into the year you weren’t expected to be there. We will certainly spend the month of July talking with other teams and looking to see what upgrades are possible for this team but also keeping an eye on the future as we always do.”
The A’s did not join the game’s widespread tanking trend in the offseason but didn’t make major acquisitions either, opting to continue building around a young nucleus that features third baseman Matt Chapman, first baseman Matt Olson and left-hander Sean Manaea.
All three have been factors in Oakland’s improvement — Manaea’s eight wins lead the pitching staff, and the Matts have combined to hit 28 home runs — but a good chunk of the contributions also have come from more established players.
DH Khris Davis has hit 20 home runs and driven in 57 runs, two fewer than Lowrie’s team-leading 59. Both rank among the league’s top 10 in RBI. Lowrie, besides providing a stabilizing presence as an 11-year veteran, has the high- est OPS of any Athletic at .855.
And Treinen, 30, is having the best season of his career, not only converting
22 of 24 save chances but boasting the AL’s best ERA among relievers at 0.84. He heads a solid late-inning corps that has allowed the A’s to go 34-0 when leading after seven innings, the majors’ only unbeaten team in those situations.
No wonder, then, A’s players are ready to move past the old joke and set their sights on contending.
“Although I can see the comedy in it,” outfielder Mark Canha said, “I like to think that right now we’re thinking more along the lines of, ‘Who are we going to get?’ ”
The A’s could possibly upgrade without making any moves, considering starting pitchers Trevor Cahill, Daniel Mengden and Brett Anderson figure to be back in the next couple of weeks. That would leave management enough time to assess whether the chances of challenging for a playoff spot are real or chimerical.
Lowrie, now in his second tour of duty in Oakland, played on the 2013 and
2014 teams that reached the postseason and says this is the most fun he’s ever had in baseball, partly because this mix of veterans and youngsters has bonded so well.
The never-say-die A’s have scored the winning run in the eighth inning or later in eight of their last 17 victories, and they’re among the majors’ most prolific clubs scoring from the seventh on.
So while aware of the possibility he might get traded, Lowrie is not discounting an extended run.
“I’ve been here when we’re acquiring people at the deadline,” said Lowrie, who will be a free agent after the season. “In my experience, the front office is cognizant of that. I don’t think they’re going to waste opportunities. I think they’ll do what’s best if we’re in a position to compete at the deadline and we’re in it. In the past they’ve given the club a chance. I don’t think it’s out of the question.”