How will newest A’s acquisitions fit into Melvin’s lineup?
With their division rivals putting up unparalleled offensive numbers, the A’s needed to add offensive production at the trade deadline or get left in the dust.
In trading for outfielder Starling Marte, infielder Josh Harrison and catcher Yan Gomes, the A’s front office went full win-now mode and plugged gaping needs with rentals fit to make the offense more competitive. The hope is they can, at least, hold on to a wild-card spot or pressure the Houston Astros’ top spot in the American League West.
With most players already in defined roles, here’s a look at how manager Bob Melvin could use the new guys:
Starling Marte
With a 3.3 WAR at the deadline, Marte was one of the most valuable position players on the market and slots in as one of the A’s top contributors. Touted for his athleticism and versatility, Marte is slashing .306/.408/.444 with a .851 OPS and 26 stolen bases — four of those in four games with the A’s. With those numbers, expect Marte to hit in the two-hole primarily after Mark Canha as an everyday center fielder.
His high average and onbase percentage and stolen base total are consistent with the strengths of the other position players the A’s acquired. It’s clear Oakland was looking to create more action on the basepaths — turning an uptick in solo home runs into opportunities for multi-run home runs with more contact hitters who can set the table or put up more crooked numbers themselves.
Marte struggled defensively in 2019, finishing last in the league with -8 defensive runs saved, but he has rebounded and has 2 DRS this year. In 2021, he’s recorded six outs above average in center field, up from three in 2020 and two in 2019.
He’s played 593 career games in left field, but has played primarily center field lately (501 career games). When Marte was traded, A’s center fielder Ramón Laureano told manager Bob Melvin he’d move over to right field so Marte could play center field, noting Marte was the more experienced center fielder. Plus, the team could benefit from having Laureano’s laser arm at a more advantageous angle to get runners out at home from right field.
Josh Harrison
One of the A’s four trade acquisitions, Harrison, 34, made his A’s debut playing second base against Los Angeles Angels left-handed starter Reid Detmers. Melvin didn’t say Harrison would have a regular role, but noted his strength will be his versatility. He could get a good amount of playing time in the final months of the year all around the diamond, giving guys days off.
Harrison has played just about everywhere during his 11-year career, primarily at second base (514 games) and third base (287 games). He’s played 135 games in the corner outfield and 37 games at shortstop.
“He allows us to give days off, whether we give Mark (Canha) a day off in left, certainly second — allows us to DH Jed (Lowrie) sometimes a little more too, and also give (Matt) Chapman a day off at third,” Melvin said. “There’s no science to it, it’s just about trying to get him in there right now.”
As the season winds down, Harrison may see most of his playing time at second base with Lowrie moved to a more regular designated hitter role. The A’s have been cautious with Lowrie, who is coming off knee surgery in the offseason, and could see this as an opportunity to keep the valuable bat off his feet as games and atbats grow more precious.
Because of his fairly even splits — he has a .289 average against right-handed pitching and .308 average against lefties — the right-handed Harrison could usurp some playing time from Tony Kemp, though Kemp should still be deployed in left field or second base against right-handed pitching.
Yan Gomes
A catcher didn’t appear to be on the top of the A’s list of needs, but Gomes will boost significantly a position that could use more offensive output. Sean Murphy’s backup catcher, Aramis Garcia, acquired in the offseason trade that netted shortstop Elvis Andrus, wasn’t producing at a rate that the A’s could afford to give Murphy many off days.
Though Murphy himself is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, his .219 average and 13 home runs could be supplemented by another catcher to share duties and possibly share time against left-handed pitching. Murphy’s batting a paltry .190 with a .640 OPS against lefties this year, while Gomes was batting .365 with a 1.032 OPS against lefties with the Nationals this year.
A veteran catcher, the transition to working with a new pitching staff isn’t daunting for Gomes or a concern for the A’s coaching staff.
“It’s an easier transition for a veteran guy who has not only caught a lot, but also been on different teams,” Melvin, a former catcher said. “So I think the curve speeds up pretty quickly knowing the staff and getting to understand them that much quicker.”