Having missed out on the likes of Adam Dunn, Lance Berkman, and Adrian Beltre, the A’s are on the hunt for some power bats for their offense.
The A’s are said to be interested in DH candidates Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, among other players like Nick Johnson and Derek Lee.
Another player the A’s could be interested in is free agent Carlos Pena. The A’s missed out on Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, and will get their posting fee ($19 million) back, which gives the A’s a little financial flexibility.
Pena, who is coming off a year where he hit .196/.325/.407 with 28 HR and 84 RBIs with the Rays. Pena, who was once a former-Athletic, could be a long-shot to land in Oakland, but he’s worth a look.
His average was not acceptable by any means, but he still manage to post decent power numbers. The A’s meanwhile, finished 26th in slugging (.378), and 28th in home runs (109). Pena’s average may have dropped for the third consecutive season, but there’s no denying what kind of power production he could bring to Oakland’s punch-less lineup.
In his last four years with Tampa Bay, Pena has hit 144 home runs along with driving in 407 runs. It’s quite clear that he could give the A’s the power they seek.