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Oakland A’s 12th in latest MLB.com power rankings

By David Hill

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Ramon Laureano #22 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates a three run home run against the Houston Astros with teammate Mark Canha #20 during the second inning in Game Four of the American League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Ramon Laureano #22 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates a three run home run against the Houston Astros with teammate Mark Canha #20 during the second inning in Game Four of the American League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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The Oakland A’s 2020 season could be viewed as both a success and a disappointment. On the positive side, they managed to dethrone the Astros and capture their first divisional title since 2013. However, on the negative side, they came up short in the postseason once again, eliminated by the aforementioned Astros in the ALDS.

But 2020 is over, and it is time to look ahead to the future. MLB.com has done just that in their latest power rankings, projecting that the A’s will be in the upper half of the league.

Oakland A’s ranked 12th in MLB.com power rankings

By the upper half of the league, the A’s were ranked 12th. Unfortunately, that would mean that Oakland would miss out on the postseason, as they are not only ranked behind the Astros (10th) but are seventh in the American League.

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In a way, it is understandable that the A’s would not be viewed favorably in early power rankings. They had been quiet through most of the offseason, watching their key free agents end up elsewhere as they seemingly sat out of free agency. After all, they were telling agents that they had no money to spend right until February.

Then February happened. The A’s found their shortstop and freed up some money by trading Khris Davis for Elvis Andrus. That deal was a catalyst for the month as Oakland’s front office suddenly activated. Through a spate of trades and free agent acquisitions, the A’s revamped their bullpen, added more depth, and found a closer.

Is that going to be enough to result in a successful defense of the divisional title? While that remains to be seen, MLB.com does not believe those moves are enough. Fortunately, the games are played on the diamond and not on paper, giving the A’s a chance to show these predictions to be inaccurate.

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The Oakland A’s are ranked 12th in the latest MLB.com power rankings, projected to miss the postseason. But there is a long way to go before the end of the year.