A’s focused on bullpen, but team needs hitters too
The A’s have primarily sought pitching at the trade deadline for several years now, going back to the 2014 all-in trades for Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester. They just agreed to a deal — pending physicals — to acquire reliever Andrew Chafin from the Cubs, solidifying the bullpen. But the A’s front office must not ignore their struggling lineup this trade season.
Despite skittering to a July record of 8-11, the A’s are right in the thick of a playoff push. They sit 51/2 games back of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West and 11/2 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the AL’s second wild card spot.
The A’s should be serious about adding more pieces to their roster to bolster their postseason run. Expect them to add some bullpen depth, at least. But this month, it’s clear that the A’s underperforming offense could use a spark.
Matt Olson is arguably putting together a season worthy of MVP consideration. The rest of the A’s offense hasn’t been able to find its footing, a few key contributors in particular.
Matt Chapman is allowed a grace period after returning from his hip surgery last September, but he’s tumbled into far more cold streaks than hot ones. He leads baseball with 125 strikeouts, a statistic that doesn’t spell disaster when many hitters are sacrificing their strikeout rate to swing for power. But Chapman isn’t hitting for much power. He’s slashing .218/ .313/.372 with a .685 OPS and 12 home runs in 98 games. Chapman isn’t chasing out of the zone, but he’s struggled with pitches up, including a 40% swingand-miss rate on pitches up in the middle of the plate. In other words, his timing still looks off and, at times, his at-bats aren’t as competitive as they have been.
Ramón Laureano flip flops between hot and cold, too, but he’s maintained a .242/.314/.439 slash line and a .753 OPS. He bounced from a treacherous June, in which he batted .204, to a more productive July in which he’s batting .231. Both sit in contrast to his .292 average in May. Like Chapman, the strikeouts have been adding up. While he doesn’t chase and he’s not missing much in the zone, his 25% strikeout rate ranks in just the 27th percentile of MLB.
This is all to highlight that the A’s offense has been good, but not as good as it could be.
The A’s ownership has never spent in excess on the on-field product. But with a stagnant offense that’s mostly remained the same through this contention window, maybe a few new bats — even without the splashy name attached — could send a jolt through the lineup.
Here are a few they may look into.
ADAM DUVALL, MIAMI MARLINS OUTFIELDER >> The sinking Marlins could place Duvall on the trading block, and he may not cost a fortune in terms of prospects or extra cash. Duvall, 32, is on a contract that guarantees him $2 million in 2021, with a $7 million mutual option or a $3 million buyout for 2022.
Though Duvall is righthanded, his split favors atbats against right-handed pitching — a need for the A’s as their wins tip favorably against left-handed pitching this year. Duvall has hit .255 with 17 home runs against right-handed pitchers this year.
BEN GAMEL, PITTSBURGH PIRATES OUTFIELDER >> The tanking Pirates have already traded away their All-Star Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres. Maybe the A’s could barter a trade for Gamel, a lefthanded-hitting outfielder with one more year left of arbitration before he hits free agency. Gamel, 29, is on a one-year, $1.5 million contract for 2021.
Gamel’s 26% strikeout rate is a little high, but he’s batting .261/.333/.443 with a .776 OPS in 61 games this year.
ROBBIE GROSSMAN, DETROIT TIGERS OUTFIELDER >>
Could a reunion be on the table? The switch-hitting Grossman, 31, is making $5 million on a two-year deal. His 16% walk rate and .356 on-base percentage is the big draw along with a .231 average and a solid 15 home runs.
JONATHAN SCHOOP, DETROIT TIGERS SECOND BASEMAN >>
Schoop draws a walk only 5.5% of the time, but has an impressive 9.3% barrel rate and is batting .287 with 17 home runs this year. Schoop, 29, is on a one-year $4.5 million deal — a free agent in 2022.