Who Do The Oakland Athletics Need To Get Rid Of This Offseason?

Outfielder Sam Fuld

Aug 12, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Oakland Athletics left fielder Sam Fuld (23) catches a fly ball hit by Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar (not pictured) in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Katrina Putnam: As someone subjected to many years of watching Billy Butler play my Cleveland Indians with the Kansas City Royals, let me just say that I hope he is nowhere near Oakland on Opening Day. But, I have an equal amount of distrust for Sam Fuld. Fuld is a career .227 hitter, with a lifetime OPS of .632. He’s not going to get better. And this year was atrocious. He only reached base in 27 percent of his at-bats, he hit just .197, and he had a meager two home runs. Fuld also isn’t that speedy – 9-for-12 in stolen base attempts – and while his defense is above-average, it doesn’t exactly warrant a roster spot on its own.

The A’s can’t win without a solid bench, and that means getting rid of players who are light-hitting, above-average defenders in favor of more middle-of-the-road players like Mike Aviles. While Fuld certainly didn’t crush the A’s hopes this year, he also didn’t do anything to contribute to their success. The Athletics don’t need a repeat of that in 2016.

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Scott Harris: I’m going to be realistic about this since nobody would agree to take on Coco Crisp‘s $11 mil contract. That being said, if the A’s were to get rid of one player from their roster it would need to be Sam Fuld.

With the emergence of Billy Burns in center and knowing that the A’s plan to start Coco in left next season and the fact that both of those guys are switch hitters so they won’t be platooned, Sam Fuld just doesn’t have a place on the roster. Additionally, even though I expect him to play a lot of first base next season, Mark Canha can also play left field and hits righties exceedingly better than Fuld, so I expect him to be in the mix if (or more likely when) Crisp gets hurt.

Also on the roster is Craig Gentry, who will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2015. Gentry brings elite defense to all three outfield positions and is a great base stealer. He is a professional hitter with a proven track record from his time in Texas, and I expect him to return to form in 2016.

Next: The Other Outfielders