The Oakland A’s have done something about the face that their elite 2020 closer signed with the White Sox in Liam Hendricks and have now signed Trevor Rosenthal to a one-year deal worth $11 million per Ken Rosenthal and the Athletic.  He appeared in 23 games for the Padres and Royals last year and seemed to have a career resurgence after settling for a Minor League Contract.  He had a 1.9 ERA and looked absolutely dominant just as he did back in his days with the Cardinals from 2012 to 2017.  His best season was 2015 when he saved 48 games with a 10.9 strikeout ratio.  If you’re curious his strikeout ability these days, well that ratio was 15.9 last season and that’s the one area of his game that has never slowed down.  He just started to have major control issues after first having Tommy John Surgery and started bouncing around it looked like his career was over but no, he had at least one big season left earning him this contract and the A’s hope he can bring it in 2021.

Additions

• RP Trevor Rosenthal

• 1B/DH Mitch Moreland

• RP Yusmeiro Petit

• RP Adam Kolarek (Trade – Dodgers)

• OF Cody Thomas (Trade – Dodgers)

• SS Elvis Andrus (Trade – Rangers)

• C Aramis Garcia (Trade – Rangers)

• IF Pete Kozma (Minors)

• RP Dany Jimenez (Minors)

• SP Mike Fiers (Re-Signed)

They have also signed first baseman/DH Mitch Moreland, a guy with at least 20+ home run power to plug into that lineup.  He had a pretty good 2020, hitting .265 with 10 homers in just 136 at bats for the Padres and Red Sox. So, the Oakland A’s are gearing up to compete again in 2021 after finishing 1st in the AL West in 2020 with a 36-24 record.  They have improved every year since 2016, going from .426 to .463 to .599 and finally a .600 winning percentage last season despite one of the lowest payrolls in the game.  The A’s also are bring back Yusmeiro Petit, maybe the most under-rated player in the game – he had a 1.66 ERA in 2021 and just incase you weren’t aware, he’s an MLB record holder, having at one time retired 46 consecutive batters with the Giants.  46 consecutive outs. He also came one out from a perfect game and continues to be a dominant arm out of the bullpen.

I was also shocked to hear they singed Pete Kozma, the former St. Louis Cardinal – I thought he was long retired.  He’ll provide extra infield depth and have a shot to make the team in Spring Training.  Of course, their bullpen was strengthened with Adam Kolarek, who they picked up in a trade with the Dodgers along with Outfielder Cody Thomas, who is now in the system and almost big league ready.  Another trade sent Khris Davis and a few others to the Rangers for Elvis Andrus and former Giant Aramis Garcia, a very powerful bat that gives the A’s more catching depth.  Finally Dany Jimenez, a former Giant as well and flamethrower was picked up for their system; he was a Rule 5 pick for the Giants and never really got an opportunity before getting shipped back to Toronto.

Lineup

1.       Ramon Laureano CF

2.       Mark Cahna LF

3.       Matt Chapman 3B

4.       Matt Olson 1B

5.       Sean Murphy C

6.       Mitch Moreland DH

7.       Stephen Piscotty RF

8.       Elvis Andrus SS

9.       Tony Kemp 2B

So, after all those moves, here is a new starting lineup example for the 2021 Oakland Athletics.  It still has Ramon Laureano in centerfield, an elite defender and dynamic player who brings energy and a powerful bat although he didn’t have a great 2020, hitting just .213 with 6 home runs.  I expect a bounce-back year from Ramon, who is just 26 and will have a better opportunity to prepare with a more normal – not completely normal, but more normal – 2021.  Mark Cahna is one of the A’s most valuable assets and he has 30 home run potential, which he proved in 2019 after hitting 26 in just 410 at bats.  Matt Chapman also had a down-year but was struggling with a bad hip that eventually needed surgery.  He is expected to be a lot better in 2021.  He not only has a potent bat but Gold Glove defense at third base as well. 

Matt Olson is another guy who can crush the ball but, like many of his teammates, had a dip in batting average last year.  His dropped all the way to .195 but also brings Gold Glove defense and is also some one I expect to bounce back.  What’s interesting is even with all these down-years, the A’s won the division.  Sean Murphy is another strong two-way player who proved he is a full time big leaguer in 2020.  He had a .364 on-base and 7 home runs in 116 at bats. Mitch Moreland replaced Khris Davis and should get on base more with far less strikeouts.   He might not have the 40+ home run power that Davis brings, but like I said, will still hit his share.  

Stephen Piscotty is another right-handed hitting outfielder who can crush the ball at times but doesn’t have the consistency of Laureano and Cahna.  He seems to be on a slow decline since his 2018 season when he hit .267 with 27 home runs.  He’ll get another shot in right-field but also look for Ka’ai Tom, a Rule 5 pick from Cleveland.  He hit .290 with 23 home runs in Triple A in 2019 and has nice defensive flexibility in the outfield and provides a powerful left handed bat.  Of course, Cody Thomas is another lefty-bat with some power who could get called up at some point if he plays well in Triple A.

Elvis Andrus is one of the pickups from Texas – a big name but hit only .197 and was on the verge of losing his starting job with the Rangers before the trade.  He hit the injured list twice last season but is only 32 years old despite having 12 years of big league experience.  He hit .275 with 12 homers as recently as 2019 so the A’s have reason to believe he can still have a nice season for them.  Finally, Tony Kemp is a veteran talent at second base who can get on base. 

Overall, I think the lineup is just as good if not better than last year and will be better performance-wise with a full Spring Training and improvements from a healthier lineup.  Sean Murphy should be even better in 2021, Matt Chapman will be healthy after the hip surgery and I love the pickups of both Ka’ai Tom and Cody Thomas for outfield depth in case guys like Piscotty aren’t getting it done.  The lineup is going to be powerful and amazing considering the low payroll of this team and that’s what the A’s do best.  I’m going to give this lineup an A-.

Rotation

1.       Chris Bassitt

2.       Jesus Luzardo

3.       Frankie Montas

4.       Sean Manaea

5.       Mike Fiers

Daulton Jefferies

A.J. Puk

The rotation looks pretty similar to last season although the order might change a bit.  Chris Bassitt has been amazing since his Tommy John Surgery back in 2016.  His 2.29 ERA last season might make him a favorite to be the Ace of this rotation, but I think based on some advanced stats that with a full season he’ll still be awesome but that ERA might be closer to the 3 range.  Jesus Luzardo has the nasty stuff and looked great more often than not in his rookie season.  He struggled in the postseason but look for a big sophomore season from Luzardo, who’s fastball and curveball/changeup combo is straight filthy.  Frankie Montas has good mid-90’s heat and a powerful slider when he’s healthy, but last year struggled with back problems and got lit up in a couple starts, which led to his 5.6 ERA.  He should be a lot better in 2021 assuming he can stay healthy.  Sean Manaea wasn’t great at the start of 2020 but settled down and showed great stuff later on in the season.  He’s a strike-thrower and doesn’t walk a lot of guys, keeps the ball on the ground and through a full season of starts, he’ll have much more impressive stats than the 4-3 record and 4.5 ERA he had in 2020. 

Mike Fiers was re-signed and will be back in that rotation after a so-so 2020 where he was 6-3 with a 4.58 ERA.  Fiers is always good for quality starts – he will give you 5-6 innings at least and give his team a chance to win.  He was the Ace going into 2020 after a great 2019 when he went 15-4 with a 3.9 ERA.  He gives the A’s another guy with plenty of experience who knows how to pitch while some of the younger prospects continue to develop and hone their skills.  1st Round pick Daulton Jefferies is an example and he had an 11.0 Strikeout per 9 ratio and a 1.05 WHIP in his minor league career.  Also A.J. Puk is still in the mix once he is ready after shoulder surgery.  He was also ridiculously filthy in the Minors and impressed in his small big league sample.

Overall, the A’s management are always good at finding a way to build strong rotations and they have one yet again.  This should be, like the lineup, just as good if not better than it was in 2020.  I’m also going to give the A’s rotation an A-.

Bullpen

• Trevor Rosenthal

• Adam Kolarek

• Lou Trivino

• J.B. Wendelken

• Jake Diekman

• James Kaprielian

• Paul Blackburn

• Dany Jimenez

• Burch Smith

• Miguel Romero

• Nik Turley

• A.J. Puk

As for the bullpen, yes, it’s a tough loss with Liam Hendricks but there was no way the A’s were going to pay $54 million for a reliever even if it’s one of the best.  Instead, it’ll be Rosenthal who was great last year but obviously has a higher chance of decline than Hendricks does.  Still, with the loss of Hendricks, it made re-signing Petit and signing Rosenthal all the more important.  A.J. Puk is also some one to keep in mind and if he doesn’t get a crack at the rotation he could be a legit bullpen arm.  Lefty Jake Diekman should also be big out of the bullpen and was probably the favorite to be the closer before the new signings.  He has a mid 90’s heater with movement and had an insane season to the tune of 31 strikeouts in 21 innings and a .42 ERA.  He could still earn the closer job depending on how things shake out in Spring Training.  Lou Trivino throws even harder and could play a major role and J.B. Wendelken also had a great 2020.  Finally, as I mentioned, Dany Jimenez has touched 100 and will also be available for the A’s.  Overall, the bullpen is live.  There are lots of flamethrowers, some with experience and some still developing, but overall, this bullpen should be able to hold plenty of games.  I’m going to give it a B+ for now only because I’m not sure if Rosenthal can repeat that great 2020 and, of course, they lost one of the best closers in baseball.

Overall, the A’s are again a solid team and should be at the top of the AL West for a lot of predictions out there.  Their competition has not been all that impressive other than the Astros, who started to heat up in the playoffs last year.  The Angels have a good team but the pitching isn’t there.  The Mariners are up and coming and could be a surprise threat in 2021 while the Rangers don’t appear to be on the verge of winning anything.  Therefore, the A’s still look to be favorites to win the division or at least be a Wild Card team in 2021.  I’m going to give the A’s as an overall team an A-.