CUT OUT FOR THIS
Billy Beane: Oakland exec believes team can change playoff fortunes
Yes, the A’s are well aware that the White Sox, their firstround playoff opponents, are supremely tough on lefthanded starters. They have a plan for that.
“Well, they’re really going to be surprised when they see Sean Manaea and Jesús Luzardo throwing from the right side,” vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane told The Chronicle on Monday morning. “That’s really going to throw them for a loop. We have a little something up our sleeve.”
All joking aside, Luzardo will start Game 1 and Manaea also could wind up with a start in the bestofthree series that begins Tuesday at the Coliseum. Chicago went 140 against lefthanded starters this season.
“We’re aware of the success they’ve had against lefthanders,” Beane said. “I’ll look at
it the other way: Our lefthanders have had some success themselves.
“That’s what the playoffs is, it becomes mano a mano. It’s Fight Island.”
This is the 11th time the A’s have made the playoffs during Beane’s 23 years as the A’s top baseball executive. The club has advanced beyond the first round just once in that time, making it to the ALCS in 2006. It’s a question Beane gets almost annually, but he’s in favor of this year’s unusual playoff format, with the extra round and the wildcard series rather than just the one wildcard game. Oakland’s past three playoff appearances were wildcard losses.
“You add layers and layers to the playoffs, it’s harder on the best teams, if that makes sense,” Beane said, “I’m not saying we’re one of those teams, but let’s say if you think the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, and you could certainly make that argument, adding another round, especially a short series, makes winning the championship even harder.
“The more short series you play, the more randomness comes into the outcome, but as one of the lower payroll teams, you prefer that randomness. It hasn’t worked in our favor, but I do like that we’re playing more games, I think that’s better. We’ll see. It would be nice to end that streak, that’s for sure.”
The expanded playoff series was the result of the coronavirus pandemicshortened 60game season. Beane is proud of the way the A’s handled adversity, particularly after missing a number of games at the end of August and start of September, including two postponements that were the result of racial injustice protests and a fiveday break after a positive coronavirus test on the team. As a result, Oakland played 26 games in the regular season’s final 24 days.
“The season itself was difficult enough, even without any hiccups, then that created another hurdle for us,” Beane said. “I was surprised with how well we recovered over the next two weeks — we found a way to handle those games thrown into the schedule and came through pretty well under the circumstances. What really helped a lot was the trades; Mike Minor was a godsend, a quality starter like that to slide into those extra games.”
Another key acquisition who helped in a big way was Jake Lamb, signed as a free agent after Matt Chapman had yearending hip surgery. Lamb has chipped in with a number of key hits.
“I had to doubletake when I saw him on the waiver wire, he’s always been one of Arizona’s core guys — I saw him on outright waivers and was like, ‘Jeez!’ ” Beane said. “We were pretty lucky to have a guy like that out there available for basically nothing. He’s been great, he gave us a shot in the arm.”
Then there’s second baseman Tommy La Stella, added in a deal with the Angels before the deadline. He’s now hitting first or second in the lineup most nights.
“I’ve known about La Stella going back to the Braves (2014), but you don’t realize how good this guy is until you see him on an everyday basis, he just puts a good atbat on you every single time,” Beane said. “Even his ability to put a good atbat on a lefthander. I’m just amazed; he’s really impressive, he never gives an atbat away. It’s hard to believe this is his fourth team. We were so fortunate he was available.”
Could La Stella have finally found a home in Oakland? Beane seldom discusses offseason plans when it comes to free agents, but asked about La Stella, he acknowledged the team will have definite interest in bringing him back.
“I would normally say, ‘We’ll deal with it at the end of the season.’ But based on what I just said about him — well, you’d be crazy not to put him at the top of your list,” Beane said. “I normally kind of hedge on everything because you never know, but goodness, he’s been so impressive it would behoove us to put him at the top of the list, at least have a discussion with him.”