Building blocks already in majors for Oakland A’s

The beginning of the Oakland A’s rebuilding process has gone as well as could be expected.

Not only did the A’s not have much at the upper levels in the minors, but their farm system was considered one of the worst in baseball. The myriad of trades made during the offseason brought in a top prospect in Shea Langeliers; however, none of the other prospects were exactly highly regarded. The Frankie Montas trade at the deadline helped, but most pieces for the rebuild are still a year or two away.

Oakland A’s have some building blocks at major league level

This does not mean that the present is entirely devoid of hope. The A’s do have some pieces already at the major league level that they could build around. It is just a matter of being able to find other options to insert onto the roster in their quest to return to relevence.

The Oakland A’s have some building blocks already at the major league level. Let’s take a look at the players they should build around.

Outfield

We’ll start with the outfield because this will be the fastest of the position groups.

For any other team, Ramon Laureano would be the type of player that they would look to extend. He is a fiery leader, someone who cares about the franchise and wants to win. He understands the Athletics’ Way and is the type of player who can help mold the younger players.

But this is the A’s. Although he is relatively inexpensive, has multiple years of team control left, and a solid all around game, the A’s are far more concerned with saving a few shekels than keeping a viable core at this point. Chances are, that means Laureano is more likely to be traded than extended.

Aside from Laureano, the cupboard is bare at the major league level. Cristian Pache looks like a fourth outfielder at best as he cannot hit. Cody Thomas has looked good but has all of eight major league games. Chad Pinder is a free agent. Seth Brown could be an option for the Oakland A’s here but is presently at first base. This one could get ugly soon.

Starting pitchers

The Oakland A’s biggest issue was that they lacked a potential future ace. That may have changed.

Ken Waldichuk is the best hope for a top of the rotation arm out of what the A’s have at the major league level. He had worked himself from a relative afterthought into becoming a top prospect, eventually emerging as the Yankees’ top pitching prospect before he was sent to Oakland. His improved arsenal and track record of dominating at every level before being promoted to the A’s. He has displayed that potential thus far, making it possible that he can become the pitcher the A’s need.

Cole Irvin has been the A’s best starter thus far in 2022. He has been able to use pinpoint accuracy to counter relatively mediocre velocity, especially when it comes to his four-seamer. That ability to spot his pitches where he wants, and generate impressive whiff rates despite barely being able to touch the mid 90s, has made him a surprise since coming to Oakland. At this point, he could be a building block in the middle of their rotation.

Paul Blackburn is another piece that suddenly developed into a viable piece for the future. The A’s All Star representative this year had an odd season – pitching much better on the road than at home before seeing his overall numbers take a hit due to injury. However, he showed that he was far more than a Quad-A player and depth piece. Blackburn has emerged as a possible piece for the future rotation as a solid third or fourth starter.

The problem comes in filling the other two spots in the rotation. There are intriguing prospects, but they may not be ready to take that step to the majors until the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024. However, the Oakland A’s have a solid core group to build around.

The bullpen

Although the Oakland A’s have cycled through quite a few relievers at this point, the core of their bullpen is in place.

A.J. Puk, Dany Jimenez, Domingo Acevedo, Sam Moll, and Zach Jackson have all fared well when they have been healthy. Despite those expected bumps in the road that will come for any relatively inexperienced group, and various injury concerns, that quartet has typically performed well when called upon.

This does not mean that the A’s are completely in the clear when it comes to their relief corps. There are ongoing questions about the ninth inning in particular; Jimenez had an excellent couple of months before his injury woes, but that does not mean he can handle the position on a full time basis. Puk has been excellent in a setup role, but has struggled when he has been brought in to close.

The A’s also have other, less glamorous, roles to fill. Their lack of viable depth for the rotation has also been seen as it comes to the long reliever role. This has been a committee this season, and could end up belonging to one of their current fringe starters that are trying to stick in the rotation. Adam Oller has allowed only three earned runs in his 8.1 innings as a reliever and could be an option for that role if he can improve his command.

The Oakland A’s have a long way to go in their rebuild. Interestingly enough, the bullpen may be the area that they finish first.