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The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era for the entire world, but especially the Oakland Athletics. The A's had their most recent winning season in 2021, and it's been all downhill since then, with its last competent years coinciding with the beginning of the viral outbreak.
Oakland is 33-57 ahead of Saturday's home tilt with the Baltimore Orioles, all but guaranteeing its third straight losing campaign. The franchise has failed spectacularly in each of these seasons, finishing 42 and 52 games under .500 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. It's on pace this season to finish somewhere around the 59-103 mark.
However, the organization's problems are deeper than losing games. The A's are having historically low attendance numbers at home games this season, averaging just over half of the Miami Marlins' attendance, who rank 29th. Miami's averaged 12,828 fans per game, while Oakland's averaged 7,734, per ESPN.
With this season being the franchise's last before it temporarily moves to Sacramento, it couldn't be leaving the Bay Area on a sadder note, via Forbes' Daniel R. Epstein.
“If ticket sales don’t improve, the A’s will have the lowest attendance of any MLB team in 45 years,” Epstein said. “The 1979 Oakland A’s averaged only 3,787 fans per game. They had dominated baseball earlier in the decade, winning three consecutive World Series from 1972-1974, but owner Charley Finley refused to to adapt to the advent of free agency and either let their best players sign elsewhere or traded them before they reached the open market. They collapsed to a 54-108 record.”
While the club has a complicated history, the end of its Oakland era is a bittersweet moment for the baseball world. In addition to their three consecutive rings, A's general manager Billy Beane changed player evaluation with his innovative “sabermetric” technique, which birthed stats like on-base and slugging percentages. This inspired the book Moneyball, which was later made into a movie, with A-list star Brad Pitt playing Beane.
Now, the team has completely fallen from grace just 13 years after that movie was released.
“The debacle of the 2024 A’s is a black eye for MLB, and the rest of the league has to be displeased,” Epstein continued. “The A’s are a revenue-sharing recipient and the league gave them preferential treatment by waiving their relocation fee. Now, visiting teams will have to play in a Triple-A ballpark in Sacramento for at least three years without the modern amenities and facilities of major-league stadiums.”
While the Athletics' issues won't be completely solved anytime soon, they can start with making the right moves at this year's trade deadline. The club has until July 30th to move its most productive players for future assets in-season.
Who should Oakland deal with before it leaves the city for good?
Mason Miller and Brent Rooker headline the Athletics' trade chips
While the team sports some good players, it's best served to blow up the squad and build for the future. Any quality players will likely leave for a contending team once their contracts are up, so the A's might as well get some value back for them while they still can.
Star closer Mason Miller is the best player, as the 25-year-old has quickly ascended to the cream of the crop at his position. Miller has 14 saves out of 16 opportunities, with a 2.39 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 37.2 innings pitched. The right-hander has also fanned 66 hitters, averaging 1.77 strikeouts per inning.
Oakland could fetch high-level prospects from a contending team looking for bullpen help in a Miller trade. The A's need to bolster their farm system, as it's one of the worst in the league, via USA Today. Bleacher Report ranks it 26th, FanGraphs 25th, and USA Today 27th.
Miller, who's making a case to be an All-Star, isn't the team's only reliable reliever, either. 29-year-old Lucas Erceg has been a lights-out setup man, recording 10 holds with a 3.19 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 31 innings. The right-hander mixes a four-seam fastball with a tw0-seamer, sinker, and slider, giving him an effective arsenal to contend with the league's best hitters. Erceg used his nasty stuff to fan Yankees superstar Aaron Judge earlier in the season, via Pitching Ninja.
Lucas Erceg, 99mph Four Seam Fastball and 100mph Two Seam Fastball, Overlay.
Every hit is a miracle. pic.twitter.com/80QOvcs9F4
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2024
As for position players, don't be surprised if left fielder Brent Rooker lands on the All-Star team as well. The 29-year-old is hitting .270 with 17 homers and 50 RBI, while also sporting an .873 OPS. He ranks 17th in both home runs and OPS ahead of Saturday's games.
If Oakland traded all three of these players at the deadline, they could land a king's ransom of prospects and/or cash considerations. This would likely cause the present-day squad to be even worse than it already is, but it would undoubtedly help accelerate its rebuild ahead of its move to Sacramento, and eventually Las Vegas.
