Oakland Athletics Need These Five Free Agents in 2016

Jul 24, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) scores past New York Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki (22) during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland Athletics’ Best Option
Howie Kendrick, Utility Man
Age: 31

When considering a second baseman worth $9.5 million, Howie Kendrick should be a player that comes to mind. That’s how much money he’s making with the Dodgers this season, and he’s earning it. Kendrick is batting .296/.341/.418, with nine home runs and six stolen bases on the season.

Kendrick is remarkably consistent. Throughout his career, he’s averaged .293/.333/.424, which is the 16th highest career average among active players. He doesn’t have any seasons that are particularly bad, or uniquely good. He’s dependable, and his defense is hardly something to complain about. In addition to second, he plays the outfield and first base, which would give the A’s some flexibility.

If the Oakland Athletics wanted to upgrade from Eric Sogard at second base, Kendrick would be the ideal player, because they know exactly what to expect from him. However, although Kendrick is on the disabled list at the moment, he’s only there because of a pulled hamstring that occurred last weekend. Unlike the situation with Morneau, a few weeks on the DL will not drag down Kendrick’s value.

Which means the A’s might have to consider…

The Lite Version
Ryan Raburn, Utility Man
Age: 34

Ryan Raburn is every bit as flexible as Kendrick, since he can play first, second, third or any outfield position. His flaw is that he lacks the consistency at the plate. Cleveland fans affectionately refer to him as “Odd-Year Raburn” and “Even-Year Raburn”, due to the fact he’s alternated terrible even-year seasons with terrific odd-year seasons throughout most of his career. Last season, he batted .200 and his OPS didn’t even top .550, but in 2013, he had a .901 OPS, and he’s batting .283/.363/.500 this year.

So should the A’s take a chance on the unpredictable “Even-Year Raburn”?

All signs point to yes, because believing a player’s performance is dictated by the number of the year is crazy talk. Raburn’s struggles last year had to do with a nagging injury, and his 2012 struggles had to do with just flat-out having a bad year with the Tigers.

The Indians do have a $3 million option on his contract for next season, but they can also buy it out for $100,000, which seems like a much wiser idea, given the fact that they have a plethora of young talent that just need room on the roster. If they decided to let Raburn walk, the Oakland Athletics should jump all over that contract, because Raburn can be much more useful than many of the A’s other bench options.

And finally, another pair of utility options:

Next: Utility Man: Ben Zobrist, or...