Oakland A’s: A question of depth at shortstop
Depth should not be an issue for the Oakland A’s. They value defensive versatility, making sure that they have someone capable of playing every position on the diamond waiting in reserve in case something happens. At least, that is usually the case.
However, with the loss of Chad Pinder, the A’s depth at short in lacking. Should anything happen to Elvis Andrus during the game, either Jed Lowrie or Matt Chapman would likely slide over to finish out the contest. But what then?
Oakland A’s lacking shortstop depth on roster
Obviously, the answer for the A’s would not be to have either Chapman or Lowrie playing short going forward. However, they do not have many other options until Pinder returns. It would not be a surprise to see a move or two made as the A’s look to adjust their bench going forward.
What other options do the Oakland A’s have at short? Let’s take a look.
A call to the taxi squad
While they may not officially be a part of the Oakland A’s roster, there are a couple of options on the taxis squad.
Both Vimael Machin and Pete Kozma have been traveling with the A’s, although they cannot be a part of the gameday lineup. However, either player could be activated on short notice, sliding onto the roster without an issue.
Machin may not be the ideal candidate, as he has just 44 innings of experience at the position in the majors. He also hardly lit up the batter’s box last season, with a .206/.296/.238 batting line, hitting two doubles in his 71 plate appearances. However, he can draw a walk and makes contact.
Kozma, meanwhile, is an excellent defensive shortstop who has not produced much offensively. A lifetime .215/.278/.291 hitter in 718 plate appearances, he has been excellent defensively, saving 15 runs over his 162 games at short. Kozma was also swinging a hot bat during spring training for whatever that is worth.
If anything happens to Elvis Andrus, the Oakland A’s have options on the taxi squad. While none of them may be the greatest, at least there is something readily available.
Nick Allen
Instead of hoping that Pete Kozma can continue his run from spring training, or that Vimael Machin can defend the position, why not see what the kid can do?
Nick Allen had his breakout minor league campaign in 2019, posting a .292/.363/.434 batting line with 22 doubles and three homers in his 328 plate appearances in the California League. That is also the highest minor league level that Allen has played at, as he has yet to progress beyond High-A due to the pandemic and canceled minor league season.
Nonetheless, he did show promise in spring training. Allen had a .290/.333/.387 batting line in his 33 plate appearances, hitting three doubles and striking out just four times. Had the A’s not acquired Elvis Andrus, it was possible that he could have earned the starting shortstop role.
It would not be a surprise to see Allen begin the season at Triple-A once the minor league campaign kicks off. His glove is already major league caliber; it has always been a question of whether or not he will do enough with the bat to be a viable starting option. His strong showing in 2019 gave hope that would be the case, but he needs to prove himself at the upper levels of the minors.
Should Nick Allen do so, he could be a long term option at shortstop for the Oakland A’s. If nothing else, he would be the perfect depth piece if something happened to Andrus.
Trying to find something in free agency
Should the Oakland A’s not be overly enamored with those options, they could always scour free agency to see what is left.
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The problem is that there really is not much out there. Ruben Tejada may be the best option available at short, and he has not appeared in the majors since 2019. While he was able to secure a contract with Blue Jays last year, he was let go in August and has not attracted any interest at all in the market.
The remaining options are not much better. Dee Strange-Gordon and Sean Rodriguez may be the top of the utility class, but neither have exactly done much over the past few years. Strange-Gordon had not played much at short before the Reds signed him to a minor league deal this offseason to compete for the position, but he was let go at the end of spring training.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. If Elvis Andrus was to be injured for an extended period of time, the A’s would need to find something to fill that void. Even if these players would not be the most attractive option, there would not be much of a choice if they hunted through free agency.
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At this point, the free agent market is barren. If the Oakland A’s need to find a depth option at short, they would have to hope for the best.