Billy Beane has been the face of the Front Office in Oakland since 1998. With the trade deadline approaching us next month, we’ll examine Beane’s TOP THREE BEST trades over his career. We’ll start with No. 3 on our list, the trade that brought Josh Reddick to the A’s in 2012.
Billy Beane is an intriguing figure in the world of baseball. Beane has enjoyed plenty of regular season success during his tenure with the A’s, but has failed to bring a championship to the city of Oakland.
Under his leadership, the A’s have fought to stay competitive despite a rather restrictive budget. Ownership has, in prior years, forced Beane to stay creative over the years. The result has been 11 winning seasons and six division championships.
His trades are usually creative both in approach and execution. He has assembled some of the greatest teams in the history of the organization. When you mention Beane’s name, it is difficult not to picture those Moneyball teams from the early 2000’s.
The 2012 season, however, is probably the most creative year of Beane’s career. The A’s were selected for failure that year, especially after they traded away several All-Star players before the season started.
Perhaps no other trade was as important that year than the Andrew Bailey, Ryan Sweeney for Josh Reddick, Miles Head and Raul Alcantara.
Oakland Athletics
The main piece of the deal for the A’s proved to be Reddick. For Boston, having Andrew Bailey in the back of their bullpen was enticing enough to part ways with three players.
Bailey was an All-Star closer for the A’s and recorded 24 saves in 2011. Prior to that, Bailey posted 25 saves in 2010 and 26 in 2009. The Red Sox were confident that Bailey would be able to be successful in their bullpen.
He wasn’t.
In his first season with Boston, Bailey went 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA. He registered just six saves in 2012 and 8 in 2013.
With Reddick, however, the A’s struck gold in 2012. The A’s outfielder hit .242 with 32 HR and 85 RBI. He provided stability in the outfield as well and captured a Gold Glove Award that year.
Reddick’s arrival in Oakland was a significant turning point for the franchise. The A’s had been absent from the playoffs since 2006 at that point, but returned with 94 wins in 2012.
Beane assembled a team that no one viewed as a contender. His creativity, however, won over some of toughest critics in baseball.