Oakland Athletics Roundup: Trading Brett Lawrie Is Key; Chad Pinder Shines; Plus, More Scott Kazmir?

Oakland Athletics Roundup: Saturday, October 17

The Oakland Athletics need to improve in a lot of ways to make themselves into contenders next season. While pitching is obviously a concern, the front office also has a lot of work to do in fixing the lineup. Consider this:

Last season, the A’s were 10th in league in OBP, at .312. The league-leading Blue Jays had a .340 team OBP, and the Minnesota Twins had the lowest in the AL, at .305 – so it’s obvious which end of the spectrum the A’s were closest to.

The A’s were also ninth in runs scored, with 694. Not only were Oakland hitters incapable of getting on base, they were equally unlikely to make it to home plate once they did reach first.

But never fear, A’s fans. There’s no reason to panic about the A’s lack of off-season moves so far. Typically, teams are asked not to make any major trades that would take attention away from the playoffs, and free agents and non-tender candidates don’t really become available until after the postseason ends. There’s time. But the A’s definitely have a lot of work to do this winter.

In Case You Missed It:

Trading Brett Lawrie Is First Step to Bettering Team for 2016 – The A’s might be feeling as though they got the short end of the stick in the Josh Donaldson deal, but could Brett Lawrie be the key to their 2016 success? Samantha Riley takes a look.

Infield Prospect Chad Pinder Dazzles in Arizona – Arizona Fall League is typically filled with baseball’s best prospects, but one A’s player has stood out from the rest. Andrew Dambrauskas explains what Chad Pinder is doing to put himself on the map for next season.

A’s Should Try to Bring Scott Kazmir Back for 2016 – Samantha Riley thinks the A’s should try to bring Scott Kazmir back this winter. Check out her reasoning as to why the Athletics need to make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Billy Beane is Throwing Money Down the Drain – This week, Billy Beane was fined for excessive water consumption. How excessive? His household uses so much water that an average household could last 713 days on what he uses per month.

#Athletics:

Around the Web:

Climbing Tal’s Hill: Should the Astros Re-sign Colby Rasmus? – Climbing Tal’s Hill debates whether the Astros need Colby Rasmus, now that they’ve loaded up their lineup with rookies.

Next: Which A's Arb-Eligible Players Are Worth Keeping?