The Oakland A’s are in first place in the American League West, just a handful of games in front of the Houston Astros. The season’s second half is fast approaching, and that means trade deadline buzz, the All-Star break and a period to reflect on what the A’s have accomplished and what could make them stronger heading into the hot summer and fall.
You all had questions on Twitter and Instagram about the state of the A’s. Here are some answers.
@enterthemexican on Twitter asks: Who do the A’s pickup before the trade deadline? I want at least two quality arms for the ‘pen.
Expect the A’s to target some arms to bolster the bullpen — when aren’t they targeting pitchers at the deadline? There are plenty of teams that the A’s could pluck from: The Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles could be among the selling teams at the deadline with some bullpen arms on the market.
The Rockies are in disarray and could flip team-controlled pitchers such as Tyler Kinley or Yency Almonte. Almonte’s 84.7 average exit velocity ranks among the top 2 percent in baseball and his 27.4 percent hard-hit rate ranks in the top 4 percent, though his 16% walk rate is concerning. But the A’s like pitchers who can draw weak contact.
Kinley has a 13.2% walk rate and 32% walk rate. He’s coming off a 2020 season in which he had a .182 expected batting average and 29% hard-hit rate, both among the top 10 percent in baseball.
Elvis Andrus has taken off at the plate, so the A’s aren’t in need of a shortstop. But if the Rockies are selling — why not gun for Trevor Story?
The A’s could also explore a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, whose 2.9 barrel rate and .185 expected batting average are indications that the contact he generates is workable. They could also explore a trade for Pittsburgh reliever Sam Howard, who has a .174 expected batting average.
From the Mariners, the A’s could seek a reunion with starter-turned-reliever Kendall Graveman, who has allowed all of two earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with a dominant sinker, slider and changeup mix post-Tommy John surgery. But returns could be hefty and the Mariners may balk at an intra-division trade.
@janinemariececi on Twitter asks: Who has the best chance of making the All-Star team realistically?
Early voting returns has Matt Olson seventh among qualified first basemen in fan voting. Olson’s .977 OPS ranks second in the entire American League, his 18 home runs rank third behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. He’s batting .292 with 48 RBIs and is still impressive defensively at first base. If the voters don’t have him, I’m almost certain coaches and players will elect him as a reserve.
Ramón Laureano, back from his hip strain, is also an option to make the team. With a .844 OPS, .379 OPB and .255 average, Mark Canha is among the top producers in the outfield pool. So are starters Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt, given their 2.99 and 3.43 ERAs, both ranking among the league’s top 10.
The A’s are a first-place team with plenty of players who deserve All-Star recognition.
@Mcolesports510 on Instagram asks: Plans for (Jesús) Luzardo to go back to rotation? Concerns about his recent appearances (home runs allowed)?
No immediate plans to get Luzardo back in the rotation are in place. Once he returned from the injured list (pinky fracture), the plan was to possibly stretch Luzardo out in the bullpen. He’s been dominant at times, but has lately fallen victim to the home run — he’s allowed five in his last four appearances.
While he has electric off-speed offerings and fastball, he’s still tangled in a big-league learning curve. An extended bullpen stint could be beneficial for Luzardo to learn, while also giving the team a left-handed relief option.
@ScottNZv2 on Twitter asks: Do you think Canha can continue to keep up the productivity in the leadoff spot? His BA and OBP are much higher than expected. He’s had a great start to 2021.
Hard to predict such things, but sure, why not. History indicates that he can. His numbers have stayed consistent through a dedicated and patient approach at the plate.
Over the last three seasons, Canha has maintained a stellar OBP — .396 in 2019, .387 in 2020 and .378 in 2021. With his sneaky power, that’s translated to a .844 OPS this year, in line with his .914 OPS in 2019. He also ins’t afraid to take a bruiser hit-by-pitch, much to the dismay of some opposing pitchers. Those are the kind of numbers, with consistency, that make Canha a good leadoff hitter in the long run.
@Nelschristensen on Instagram asks: Is the bullpen carrying too big a workload?
It might seem like it since Yusmeiro Petit (146 batters faced), Lou Trivino (130) and Jake Diekman (124) have shouldered quite the workload compared to the rest of the bullpen. Injuries to Burch Smith, J.B. Wendelken and Trevor Rosenthal have something to do with that.
But the A’s starting rotation has eaten more innings, 390 and counting, than any other staff in the American League. It’s also been one of baseball’s most effective rotations as a group, accruing a 6.2 WAR (fourth-best in the AL) and 3.74 ERA, also fourth-best, heading into Wednesday’s games.
