The A's Roster Problem
I know a lot of people will read the headline and think to themselves that the problem with the A's roster is that they're not good. Well, that's not exactly the case. There is a lot of talent in the A's clubhouse, but it's unproven talent. These are players that need to get their reps in at the big-league level in order to have a better idea of what player they'll end up being.
That's the problem.
There's only so much playing time to go around, which means that not everyone is going to get a nice long look before a decision is made on their future with the franchise.
Since the season has been over for a couple of months, let's so a quick refresh on some of the key players on the position player side.
Zack Gelof will be the team's starting second baseman come Opening Day, and is arguably the team's best hitter already despite just a half season of experience. In 69 games he put up a team-leading 133 wRC+ (100 is league average), hit 14 homers and swiped 14 bags, leaving people dreaming of a potential 30/30 season. So second base is covered.
Brent Rooker was the A's lone All Star representative in 2023, and he earned it. Rooker swatted 30 bombs and finished with a 127 wRC+. The A's gave him regular at-bats for the first time in his career and he responded. He can either DH or play either corner in the outfield.
Ryan Noda had a stellar rookie campaign, finishing with a 123 wRC+ which ranked ninth among first basemen with at least 450 plate appearances. That was better than Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The outfield already has too many options, and it's too early to think about moving on from any of them aside from Seth Brown, who could end up on the trade block this winter.
Esteury Ruiz started to find his power stroke towards the end of the season and stole 67 bags, an AL rookie record. JJ Bleday showed glimpses of promise before missing time due to injury. Miguel Andújar is out of options, so unless he struggles big time during camp, he'll be on the Opening Day roster. Lawrence Butler may need a little extra time in Triple-A, but he'll need a regular spot in Oakland before long, too. Those four options are in addition to Brown and Rooker.
The A's have a bunch of options that they likely don't want to move on from just yet.
Shortstop is likely to be manned by either Nick Allen, who has one option remaining and is a defensive wiz, or Darell Hernaiz, who appears ready for the next level. Neither option is a sure thing, but both deserve a look.
Third base is an open question after Kevin Smith elected free agency. Jace Peterson got a lot of time there in 2023 but was traded to Arizona midseason. Jordan Díaz could get a look again, but it's likely going to be new addition Abraham Toro who gets the nod more often than not to begin the season.
Then at catcher you have Shea Langeliers, who put up an 87 wRC+ and struggled at the plate at times, but he really turned it on over the final two months. He's the A's starting catcher. Behind him the team could go with another veteran option, or use Tyler Soderstrom in an effort to get him some playing time and get him acclimated to big-league pitching.
Three of these players above were better than league average last season, but just about everyone on this list has the potential to become a regular for the A's if they can figure a couple of things out.
That's where things get complicated. It's hard to add to the roster on the offensive side, because there isn't a ton of room to fit anyone else. There are plenty of additions that could help the club be more competitive in 2024, but the team doesn't care much about how they'll perform next season. They're blinded by the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip.
It's tough to expect that the team will do much to add to the offense heading into 2024. The starting rotation is in a similar predicament.
JP Sears had a solid league-average season, his first as a full-time starter. Mason Miller wowed the baseball world--when healthy. Luis Medina had a couple of stretches where he looked un-hittable. Paul Blackburn has been roughly league average two years in a row, but he could end up as trade bait. Ken Waldichuk finished strong in 2023, but his status to begin 2024 is now uncertain. Joe Boyle went 2-0 in three starts with a 1.69 ERA. Osvaldo Bido is an intriguing arm that could end up being Blackburn's replacement.
That's well over five options and we haven't even gotten to the Freddy Tarnok/Hogan Harris portion of the list of guys that could be interesting arms.
The A's front office wants to add a veteran starter, and that's great. The A's could use someone reliable that can provide five or six innings every fifth day. Getting one of those types of pitchers that isn't a question mark themselves to sign with the team given their current situation with relocation will be a tall task.
I'm not saying that the A's roster is perfect and there are no notes. Far from it. This team isn't going to sneak up and surprise the world with a postseason run in 2024. But they are a young team, and how much they improve overall will come down to how much each player improves individually.
The A's are a rebuilding team and 2024 will be another rebuilding year. They still need to figure out what they've got before they start tinkering and making hard decisions on some of these guys and bringing in other players.
Next season will be about the coaching staff.