Oakland A’s: What to do at second base
By David Hill
Could the Oakland A’s trade Franklin Barreto?
If Franklin Barreto was going to make an impact upon the Oakland A’s, it would have been this year. Instead, he is essentially forgotten.
Despite being on the A’s roster for the entire year, Barreto has essentially been duct taped to the bench. While he has appeared in 14 games, he has just seven plate appearances, striking out four times. Barreto has five runs scored however, as he has been a weapon in the 10th inning for the A’s to get that winning run across.
Aside from his usefulness as a pinch-runner, Barreto is at the bottom of the second base depth chart, behind Tony Kemp, Chad Pinder, Vimael Machin, and probably Mike Gallego and Bert Campaneris as well. The A’s also cannot send him back to the alternate training site as he is out of options. So, for now, he sits and rots on the bench.
While his value is close to its nadir, the A’s have to decide if he is really worth that last spot on the bench. It is possible that a team would be intrigued enough by the former top prospect, and his relative youth, to part with something in a trade. Even if it is the ever popular Cash Considerations, that may be better than keeping Barreto tethered to the bench.
It is obvious that Franklin Barreto does not have a place in the Oakland A’s future. If a team is willing to take a chance on him, let them.