Just when you question Billy Beane’s offseason decisions, he makes a trade to put the Oakland A’s right back in the AL West race. The A’s middle infield concerns were addressed in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays which sent Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to Oakland.
The A’s are going to have a completely different roster in 2015, and while some key players from their recent success are gone, this trade puts them back in contention. Last season, the A’s middle infield was their biggest downfall. A less than mediocre second base platoon between Eric Sogard and Nick Punto hurt the A’s more times than not, and with Jed Lowrie missing time due to injury, there was a lack of production there as well. They needed a decent second baseman and shortstop, and Beane finally went out and got just that.
Zobrist is a guy the A’s should have targeted before the trade deadline last year, but didn’t. He’s a versatile player, which is just what the A’s need. Last season he hit .272 with 10 homeruns and 52 RBI with an OBP of .354. He also played seven games in center field, eight as a designated hitter, 19 in right field, 31 at shortstop, 38 in left field, and 79 at second base. The type of player Zobrist is exemplifies Beane’s Moneyball mentality. He’s a switch-hitter, gets on base, is undervalued, and can play multiple positions. He’s a good acquisition by Beane in an offseason that has led many to shake their heads.
The other end of this deal is Escobar. The A’s attempted to acquire him mid-season, but the deal fell through. Escobar is the answer at shortstop for the A’s this upcoming season and the middle infield duo of he and Zobrist brings familiarity between the two as they have already worked together with the Rays.
In 2014, the shortstop hit .258 with seven homeruns and 39 RBI with a .324 OBP. He doesn’t add a lot of pop to the lineup, but is a serviceable shortstop and brings some experience to a revamped Oakland infield.
While the A’s fixed their infield problem, they lost John Jaso and two prospects, Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell, in the deal. With having three catchers on the roster last season, it wasn’t too shocking to expect at least one to be traded, but now both Jaso and Derek Norris are gone. Jaso isn’t too much of a loss considering his history with injuries, but he was rather important to the A’s in the beginning of the 2014 season when they were red hot, and they missed him when he had to miss time.
It took awhile for the A’s to address their main concern this offseason, which was the middle infield, but Beane has finally made a move to solve the problem. Both Zobrist and Escobar are players the A’s should have heavily pursued last year at the trade deadline, but they will sport the green and gold in 2015. Despite some questionable moves, the A’s seem to be back in this division with a roster capable of making yet another run.