The Oakland Athletics have racked up 187 losses over the last two seasons, which is the fourth-most in the majors over that span. Oakland was fairly active on the free agent market this offseason but they spent the majority of their time adding smaller veteran pieces that might not really move the needle all that much compared to some of the bigger signings that took place around the majors. The Athletics don’t have the money to create a quick fix but they do have some intriguing young players that could be primed to emerge with big seasons. However, Oakland is still at least a year away from contending for a playoff spot in the American League and there isn’t much reason on paper to expect this team to take a substantial step forward in terms of their overall record in 2017.
Key Additions: OF Rajai Davis, 3B Trevor Plouffe, OF Matt Joyce, RP Santiago Casilla
Key Losses: SP Ross Detwiler, OF Danny Valencia, OR Arismendy Alcantara
Strengths
The Athletics are hoping for a bounce back season from Sonny Gray, who struggled with a brutal 5.69 ERA last season. Gray was absolutely dominant from 2013-15 so if he bounces back and performs to his potential as one of the intriguing young aces in the game then perhaps there is some hope for Oakland’s starting rotation. Sean Manaea delivered decent numbers last year and the Athletics will need to rely on their 1-2 punch with Kendall Graveman, Jharel Cotton and Andrew Triggs rounding out the rotation. Meanwhile, there are some decent pieces on offense despite the lack of star power. Oakland desperately needed some help on that side of the ball so the additions of Davis, Joyce and Plouffe are more important to this team than they might have been to others.
Weaknesses
The fact that Davis, Joyce and Plouffe will all slide in to the starting lineup for the Athletics is a testament to their lack of star power and depth. Davis is a reliable leadoff man but Joyce will bat fifth and Plouffe will bat seventh as Oakland continues to plug holes in its lineup. Khris Davis has the potential to put up some big numbers once again but there are some that think his monster 2016 season was more of an aberration than something we can expect from him moving forward. Stephen Vogt and Ryon Healy are currently penciled in behind Davis in the lineup so the A’s could clearly use upgrades there. Meanwhile, we already mentioned the lack of depth behind Gray and Manaea in the starting rotation and there is no guarantee that Gray bounces back or that Manaea doesn’t regress. The Oakland bullpen leaves a lot to be desired as well with Ryan Madson seemingly in line to get most of the closing opportunities while Casilla is likely used as a setup man.
2017 Oakland Athletics Depth Chart
| Catcher | Stephen Vogt | Josh Phegley | Bruce Maxwell | Matt McBride | |
| First Base | Yonder Alonso | Mark Canha | Ryon Healy | Adam Rosales | |
| Second Base | Jed Lowrie | Adam Rosales | Chad Pinder | Joey Wendle | |
| Third Base | Trevor Plouffe | Ryon Healy | Adam Rosales | Renato Nunez | |
| Shortstop | Marcus Semien | Jed Lowrie | Chad Pinder | Adam Rosales | |
| Left Field | Khris Davis | Mark Canha | Alejandro De Aza | Andrew Lambo | |
| Center Field | Rajai Davis | Jake Smolinski | Jaff Decker | ||
| Right Field | Matt Joyce | Matt Olson | Alejandro De Aza | Jake Smolinski | |
| Designated Hitter | Ryon Healy | Khris Davis | |||
| Starting Pitcher | Kendall Graveman | Sean Manaea | Andrew Triggs | Jharel Cotton | Jesse Hahn |
| Relief Pitcher | Santiago Casilla | Ryan Doolittle | Liam Hendriks | Ryan Dull | John Axford |
| Closer | Ryan Madson | ||||
Projected Win Total: 67.5
World Series Odds: +10500
Outlook
The Athletics have some intriguing pieces throughout their lineup but they are lacking the star talent to really contend and their lack of depth is also reason for concern. Oakland doesn’t have the cash to acquire star players so they are stuck relying on their farm system to develop prospects and right now they are in a tough spot. The Athletics will not contend for a playoff spot this year or likely even next as they continue their rebuild with an eye on turning things around over the long term and it’s very likely they finish at the bottom of the AL West again in 2017.
Prediction: 67-96
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