The Oakland Athletics have to make a lot of roster decisions this offseason. One position that is still in question is third base. Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reported that a priority for this offseason is the figure out third and determine who should start there in 2016. Right now, the Athletics have two starting third basemen and some utility men that can also field in that position.
Currently, the potential candidates to be the A’s everyday starting third baseman are Brett Lawrie and Danny Valencia. Lawrie came to Oakland in the infamous Josh Donaldson trade and Valencia joined the team in August of this year after being claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Once Valencia was added to the roster, the Athletics shifted Lawrie to second base, a position he has played quite a bit in the past.
Even though it seemed to work to have Valencia at third and Lawrie in the middle infield, this set up may not be ideal for the 2016 season. As Billy Beane told CSN California, Lawrie would rather play at third. Additionally, there have been rumors about Valencia having an attitude problem, which will not fly in Oakland as they try to fix the team chemistry.
As the Oakland Athletics attempt to figure out a solutions for this dilemma, the Swingin’ A’s staff tried to do the same by answering this week’s featured question:
Who should start at third base in 2016 – Brett Lawrie, Danny Valencia, or someone else?
Check out who the staff chose!
Next: Pro Brett Lawrie
Pro Brett Lawrie
May 2, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Brett Lawrie (15) leaps but cannot make the catch on a double hit by Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (1) during the third inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Daniel Martinez: We didn’t give up Josh Donaldson to have Brett Lawrie play a different position. Lawrie should have no competition going into spring training at third base. Lawrie is the type of player the A’s have to build around. He is one of our building blocks for the future. I think we should trade Danny Valencia sooner than later. Valencia is a career back up and had a break out season when he joined the A’s, but Valencia will not sustain that level of success. With Valencia out of the picture, Lawrie can concentrate on becoming a better fielder at third base knowing that he doesn’t have to worry about whether he will be moved over to second base over the course of next season.
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Katrina Putnam: I think as the roster stands now, Brett Lawrie is most likely to claim the job. There has to be a reason Valencia has never been an everyday player despite the numbers he puts up. Regardless of rumors, there is a historical basis for believing he can’t stick with a team or play every day – he’s had continued success at the plate and defensively, but no team has ever given him a home for long. Lawrie will likely default back to third if Valencia is out of the picture, because he’s the next-best third base option on the team.
However, I think there’s a good chance that the A’s target a corner infield bat. Lawrie is good, but he’s not good enough that he can’t be easily replaced over the off-season. I’ve always viewed him as more of a placeholder in the Josh Donaldson trade – the A’s couldn’t trade JD without bringing back a third baseman to fill his spot, but it was the other prospects they were really interested in. There’s also his injury history to be concerned about, so third base is a major need for Oakland.
Next: Pro Danny Valencia
Pro Danny Valencia
Sep 28, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia (26) makes a throw to first in the fifth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Evan Giddings: At first glance, this question seems like it was somewhat answered by watching the last month of the season. Valencia performed admirably at third while holding down the middle of the lineup with a surprisingly impressive bat. One could also argue that Lawrie defensively played himself out of that position, registering 18 errors over the 109 games he played there. This decision made it easier for Bob Melvin to make the switch and stick Valencia at third, moving Lawrie over to second where his fielding improved and his bat provided a much better option than the likes of Eric Sogard.
However, having said all this, Billy does as Billy does. What this means is that Billy Beane traded for Lawrie in order for him to become the next staple corner infielder. What this says to me is that looking forward to a 2016 campaign that will likely yield results on par or less than this season, there will be plenty of opportunity for Brett to earn back his spot. Despite the pleasant surprise that Valencia turned out to be, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Lawrie back at third in order to reset this machine that Beane is intent on building in order to somehow get the A’s back into contention.
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Steven Luke: At the end of the 2015 season one of the few positions that seemed to be solidified was third base. Brett Lawrie seemed to have found himself a spot at second and as an occasional back-up to Danny Valencia who seemed to have locked down the position with his offensive prowess. The fact that it seemed to be solidified should make it no surprise that it is one of the positions that Billy Beane and the front office feel is a question mark.
It seems like Beane is just talking to talk in this instance because although it is true that Lawrie might feel that his best position is third the team comes before the need of one player. He was just as effective at second base as he was at third and it is arguable that he might have been better, but it’s a small sample size. Valencia’s offense is enough to keep him in the lineup nearly every day and unlike Lawrie, he does not have a secondary position that he plays just as well. It seems obvious what the resolution is, but nothing is every obvious with this organization.
If for some strange reason the team cannot see the writing on the wall and want to look outside of the organization they are going to find a blank page. As far as third base goes there is nothing there. The biggest two names on the free agent market according to MLB Trade Rumors free agent tracker are Mark Reynolds an Murphy. Neither of the two should be manning third base everyday and the few players on the list who could man the position on a daily basis, Gordon Beckham and David Freese most notably, bring little to the table offensively.
It seems obvious what should be done at third base, which means it probably won’t happen. Simply because he said anything at all about it I expect Beane and company flip Valencia due to the weak free agent market at the position and once again Lawrie starts the season as the starter at the position for the second season in a row.
Next: More Valencia Supporters
More Valencia Supporters
Sep 29, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia (26) throws to first from third for the out during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Scott Harris: A lot of rumors are floating around regarding the possibility that Danny Valencia might be the center of some chemistry issues in the Oakland A’s clubhouse. I also read a report that would seemingly conflict with that, stating the team chemistry was off from the start of the season due to the influx of new faces in the clubhouse. Since Valencia was not claimed off waivers until August, that would suggest he may not be at the center of the issue, so I do not want to get too caught up in rumors.
Without jumping into trade scenarios, adding a free agent 3rd baseman does not look likely. Billy Beane stated that next season would be a rebuilding season so that would likely rule out shelling out a big contract or adding a player that is way past his prime. In analyzing the current A’s roster and their minor league affiliates, I believe the best option the A’s have to man 3rd base next season is Danny Valencia. Defensively, Valencia is clearly the most reliable option at the hot corner among all the candidates on the roster. The league average for fielding percentage at 3rd was .958 in 2015 and Valencia was well above par at .980. Let’s take a look at the other A’s big league and minor league options:
Brett Lawrie: Lawrie’s fielding percentage at 3rd was .937 last season and his career average at is .956. Additionally, Lawrie offers a huge offensive upgrade at 2nd base over Eric Sogard and having his bat at 2nd base helps make up for the fact that the A’s no longer have Josh Donaldson’s bat in the lineup. If it turns out that Valencia is a cancer in the clubhouse and the A’s trade him, Lawrie would be first in line to man the position.
Max Muncy and Tyler Ladendorf: Muncy and Ladendorf’s fielding percentage at 3rd in the minors are similar and right about at the major league average. However, neither player’s bat is a proven commodity, which is a must for the position. If there is an issue with Valencia and either of these 2 have a huge Spring, he could possibly get the nod at 3rd to start the season or maybe even both of them as a platoon.
Marcus Semien: The A’s do not have anyone in the minors that has a glove that will be major league ready in 2016 so Semien and his solid .984 fielding percentage at 3rd in the minors are not an option. Plus, Semien’s pre-Ron Washington fielding percentage was .940 and was .972 after Washington began working with him so I am intrigued to see how that plays out in 2016.
Mark Canha: Even though he has played some 3rd base in the past and has looked slick over at 1st base, he fielding percentage at 3rd in the minors in 2014 was just .909 and his minor league career average is just .922.
Renato Nunez and Ryon Healy: Both of these minor leaguers played for Double-A Midland last season and they both have promising bats but neither of their gloves are ready for the majors yet as their fielding percentages at 3rd were just .931 and .937 respectively. For those who think that Ron Washington could waive his magic wand and get them on track, know that Marcus Semien showed promise with his glove in the minors than either of these players. Plus, I would be more willing to take on that risk if I knew how their bats could handle Triple-A pitching.
All things considered, I think Valencia is both the most reliable bat and the most reliable glove the A’s have at their disposal to man the hot corner in 2016.
Next: Mixed Feelings
Mixed Feelings
Sep 22, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) throws the ball to first base during the ninth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Rich Paloma: The A’s have a strong history of great third baseman – Sal Bando, Carney Lansford, Eric Chavez, and Josh Donaldson – and not surprisingly those players played key parts in several winning seasons and post-season appearances.
There has also been a series of ‘flashes in the pan’ or’ has-beens’ that never developed or were past their prime when they had been playing with other teams – Kevin Sietzer, Brooke Jacoby, Mike Blowers, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Wayne Gross. Those teams were frequently 90-loss teams that rarely broke the .500 mark. *Scott Brocious did come up with the A’s and started at third in the mid 90s, but only developed into a threat when he went to the Yankees.
Unfortunately both Brett Lawrie and Danny Valencia fall in the latter category and will just fill a spot while the A’s play as a marginal team. Who SHOULD start and third base is different than who WILL start in 2016. The A’s are likely to go with Valencia at third with Lawrie at second base which means another sub .500 season until a solid glove with a hot bat fills the hot corner for the A’s.
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Andrew Dambrauskas: There is a wealth of testimony regarding Danny Valencia’s attitude, which is surely why this incredibly talented player has played for six different teams in the last four seasons. This is also the reason that the A’s are going to send him off to his seventh team in five seasons some time this offseason.
That would default Lawrie back to third, but you know that Beane will be up to his usual antics this offseason. MLB Trade Rumors noted that the Twins’ victorious bid on Byung-ho Park may have put Trevor Plouffe on the trading block, since this signing could make Joe Mauer a full-time DH, hence shifting Miguel Sano over to third. Since the Twins need an obvious upgrade at catcher, they may approach Beane with interest in Stephen Vogt (who Beane will be able to sell high this offseason), and Beane will certainly be interested in a good clubhouse guy like Plouffe.
But the position precariously belongs to Lawrie for now.
Next: Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Samantha Riley: The Oakland Athletics are not going to make that many trades this offseason since they do not want to give away their prized prospects. However, the position where the A’s can spare a player is third base. This being the case, Lawrie or Valencia could be on the trading block. Despite his possible attitude problems, Valencia is a talented ballplayer and would probably be valued more in a trade than Lawrie.
Additionally, to echo some of the thoughts of my fellow Swingin’ A’s staff, Beane did not bring Lawrie in as a one-season solution. He is not a free agent till 2018 and it was assumed that the Athletics would likely keep him until then. Beane wants Lawrie to field at third and Beane usually gets his way. I think it would unlikely to not see Lawrie at third base in 2016.
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What do you think? Should the Oakland Athletics stick with Lawrie at third base, let Valencia take over that position, or bring in someone new entirely? Vote in our fan poll and leave your opinion in the comments section below.