Josh Reddick: Trade, Keep, or Triple-A?
By Jason Burke
Josh Reddick,
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Reddick was a great player in 2012, but has been hampered by injuries each of the last 2 seasons. He is currently on the D.L., but is expected back shortly after the All-Star break. The only problem is that there is seemingly no room for Reddick on the current 25-man roster.
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With the offensive production of Brandon Moss and Stephen Vogt in right, the future of Josh Reddick in Oakland has become slightly muddled. Reddick, in 179 ABs this season, hit just .229, with 4 HR and 24 RBI. Vogt, in 93 AB, has hit .366 with 3 HR and 13 RBI. Power numbers aside, it’s the average that is the difference-maker. The A’s offense has enough players that are capable of scooping up RBI. What this offense needs is to keep bringing guys to the plate. Vogt does just that.
Reddick also has 43 K’s in his 179 ABs. That means he strikes out 24% of the time. Vogt, with just 10 K’s, has a 10% rate.
The one tool that Reddick has working in his favor is his arm. It is fantastic. This is also the tool that could bring the A’s a decent return if they were to shop Josh Reddick. Right now, the A’s could use some prospects. They don’t have to be top-tier guys like the one they just traded, but stockpiling prospects is one of Billy Beane’s favorite things to do. Whether the A’s develop them, or trade them is anyone’s guess.
Offensively, Josh Reddick is expendable. Defensively, it may be wise to keep him around for a potential playoff run. He could be used as a late-inning defensive replacement in any of the 3 outfield positions if necessary.
There is another question concerning Josh Reddick: When he’s ready to be activated, who leaves Oakland? The fan favorites for this question are Jim Johnson and Eric Sogard. Neither has met expectations this season, but if I had to choose, I’d say Sogard would be the one on the short end of this decision. The A’s have too many middle infielders as is. If he is only playing defense late in games, and sparingly at that, he is expendable. Johnson may not be pitching well this season, but he does fill the janitorial role in the ‘pen.
If we take a look at the D.L., Drew Pomeranz is also expected to return shortly after the All-Star break. It’s not too often that a club can say they have too many big-league players to fit on their roster, but this Oakland Athletics team does. With Pomeranz, he could end up taking Johnson’s role, and resume being the long-man out of the bullpen.
There is also a chance that the A’s will decide to just keep Josh Reddick in Triple-A for as long as they can while he rehabs. It would be a good time for him to work on his swing, and if he gets the call-up, he will be primed and ready to go. Hopefully.