April 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Shane Peterson (left) forces out Houston Astros center fielder Justin Maxwell (44)during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Right now the A’s sit at 17-14, and haven’t found a consistent winning formula since the 9 game winning streak that put them ahead of the curve in the first place.  Losing games like they have recently should begin to open some eyes as to what imperfections exist within the 25 man roster.  This is a team that is good enough to contend, good enough to perhaps win the AL West once again, but they cannot sit back and simply expect it to happen for them.  The burden is on Billy Beane to make moves and continue to fine tune the roster in order to make that happen.

As of this moment, there are a few candidates playing for the River Cats in Sacramento who would be able to fill the remaining needs on this roster.  I detailed yesterday the weakness that still exists in the middle infield, specifically with Eric Sogard, and the possible candidates who could help boost the team’s offense.  In that case, Jemile Weeks, Grant Green, and the rehabbing Hiroyuki Nakajima were presented as viable upgrades.

Meanwhile, as the River Cats lead the PCL Southern Division with a 17-13, there are a few other members of the Triple A squad who could theoretically help the Athletics right now.  The first one on the list would be Shane Peterson.  Peterson has posted a very good .304/.450/.457 line through 118 plate appearances, briefly made his MLB debut when Brandon Moss went on paternity leave, and is capable of playing all 3 outfield positions as well as first base.  As you may or may not have noticed, the A’s outfielders have had quite the knack for finding the disabled list thus far, so Peterson’s talent and versatility would be an asset to the team.

An old friend by the name of Daric Barton is quietly having an excellent season down in Sacramento, posting a .300/.446/.500 line in 118 plate appearances.  The complication with Barton of course is the fact that he was designated for assignment prior to the beginning of the regular season, so someone else would need to be removed from the 40 man roster to make room for him as well as from the active roster.  Barton is certainly a polarizing figure, but his skills could prove valuable in Oakland if he were able to translate them to the major leagues.

Michael Taylor is now with the Athletics, after Chris Young was placed on the DL, and he’s been great in Triple A so far this year.  Taylor was once thought to be a possible cornerstone for the Athletics future, and while that may have passed, there’s still hope he can contribute at the major league level.  This may be his best chance yet.  With Coco Crisp and Young on the shelf they need to use this opportunity to see if Taylor has figured out how to use the tools he has in the Show.

There have been rumblings over the last couple weeks for the Athletics to eschew finances and start the arbitration clock of Michael Choice.  By the numbers, it might seem that doing such a thing wouldn’t be the craziest idea ever.  Choice is hitting .302/.420/.528 with 6 home runs and a team leading 26 RBI.  Choice is very much built in the Yoenis Cespedes mold, and should become an impact player at the major league level at some point.  That time may be soon, but I don’t think it’s quite yet.

The A’s could also use a pitcher who can help bridge the gap between a struggling starting pitcher and the bullpen, or eat up a few innings in extra frames so the previously scratched starter isn’t forced into duty.  This would have been Travis Blackley, but the A’s jettisoned him from the organization, a move I imagine many regret making now.  This is a perfect role for Pedro Figueroa, who is able to pitch multiple innings, and could be stretched out into a full time starter if needed.  He may be a little wild at times, but he can get hitters out at baseball’s highest level.  He hasn’t dazzled though in Triple A, with a 6.94 ERA in 11.2 innings of work, and he has walked 9 batters in that span.  So he will need to right the ship before he can be considered for a call up.

Right now, there really isn’t another strong long man candidate, maybe Billy Beane can somehow convince the Astros to give Blackley back?

There are other honorable mentions for the most productive River Cats, Stephen Vogt sits atop that list, the young catcher is hitting an impressive .394/.448/.691 and many thought he should have gotten the call up over Luke Montz.  If he keeps hitting like that, he may force his way onto the roster somehow.  Sonny Gray gets an honorable mention as well, he’s posted a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings with 25 K’s to 12 walks.  He should be in a starting rotation though, no long relief duty for this young hurler.  Hideki Okajima has also been solid as well, pitching to a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings of work, his presence in the Athletics bullpen seems more likely at some point in the near future.

There are many ways to improve this Athletics team, but Billy Beane and co. can take comfort in knowing the solutions to their problems may already be in their possession.  It’s up to them to realize just who will best serve their needs.  The perfect solution has to be in there somewhere, right?

May 6, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Michael Taylor (23) at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Oakland Athletics defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in twelfth innings. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It all started in 2008 when the A’s acquired Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies for Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, and Huston Street. That next season (mid-2009) the A’s traded Holliday to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shane Peterson, Clayton Mortensen, and the centerpiece Brett Wallace. The A’s either changed their mind about Wallace or saw more potential somewhere else. They then traded Wallace to the Toronto Blue Jays for Michael Taylor. Now that all the transactions are over we can see where we stand.

Carlos Gonzalez blew up in Colorado becoming an elite centerfielder.

Huston Street was above average but has somewhat faltered in the last couple of seasons.

Greg Smith has bounced around everywhere and is currently signed on with the Blue Jays.

Matt Holliday has taken off in St. Louis becoming a force in a strong lineup.

Clayton Mortensen was traded in 2011 to the Rockies and was again traded to the Boston Red Sox last season.

Shane Peterson is heavily producing at Triple-A Sacramento but with a crowded outfield in Oakland he likely won’t be seeing Major League playing time anytime soon.

Brett Wallace is currently with the Houston Astros. He has put up fairly pedestrian numbers.

Lastly we have Michael Taylor. It seems ludicrous to think Peterson and Taylor found their way to Oakland via three trades. Taylor was seen as a multiple tool player who would be a regular at the Major League level. However, after a couple of outstanding years at the lower levels Taylor has never really caught on in Sacramento. His average dipped the past couple of seasons and he has seen a drop in his usually praised power numbers.

What can an organization do when one of its top prospects falters for multiple seasons? There are a few options. The first is they could look to trade Taylor. Their outfield is already crowded at the Major League level and in Sacramento sits Peterson and top prospect Michael Choice. Maybe a straight swap such as the one that brought Taylor to Oakland in the first place might work. A second option might be to let him try and figure out his struggles. If he can replicate the results that made him a top prospect in the first place the A’s will have the flexibility to potentially trade someone at the Major League level and get better value in return. A third is to let him go. It sounds harsh but a change of scenery might do Taylor well.

May 4, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Michael Taylor (23) at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Barring injury Taylor would assuredly spend the bulk, or even the entirety of the 2013 season in the minor leagues; and much like Chris Carter before, the A’s would not be able to find out whether he’d be able to contribute at the major league level.  Giving him some level of flexibility on the field will quite possibly allow him the opportunity of escaping Sacramento once and for all.

The prevailing issue with Michael Taylor has been his power compared to his physical frame.  Without a doubt Taylor is quite the physical specimen, and should be able to generate a lot of power at the plate.  But it hasn’t happened since he arrived in the Athletics organization.  In 3 seasons with the Rivercats Taylor has gone deep a total of 34 times, and once in Oakland, not exactly a future home run king in the making based on those numbers. The issue hasn’t been his hitting ability either, he’s posted a .278/.371/.432 slash in parts of 4 seasons at the Triple A level, counting one season at Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization.  He’s getting on base, just not generating the power a guy listed at 6’5″ and 255 pounds should be (Are you listening Ryan Sweeney?).

This may be the time though to see if he will sink or swim at baseball’s highest level, and doing so alongside Brandon Moss just might be the key.  In 2012 the combination of Brandon Moss and Chris Carter formed a very effective platoon at first base, the two combined for  37 home runs and were a key aspect of the team’s success.  Chances are the combination of Brandon Moss and Michael Taylor would not combine for the same amount of power, for the reasons discussed before, but they can still be every bit as effective as Moss and Carter were.  Just in a different way.

I like the notion of building a new, more dynamic two-headed monster at first base.  If Taylor is able to take the instruction he’s receiving from Moss, Daric Barton, and from former A’s first baseman Scott Hatteberg who learned how to play the position with the team, he’ll provide a nice compliment to the regular lineup.  While I think Moss will continue to hit, while perhaps not at the level he did in 2012, he’s a very streaky hitter and will undoubtedly pass through some valleys in 2013, that could be the time when someone like Michael Taylor is able to give him time to get right.

Of course the presence of Daric Barton on the team could change everything.  While he hasn’t been terribly impactful at the plate over the last two seasons, Billy Beane has a special place in his heart for Barton and one would assume he’ll find a way to get him in there as well.

Billy Beane‘s design for this team is for it to be able to withstand just about any form of adversity, he’s built depth throughout the roster, and with the versatility of the players he has the A’s should be able to cover holes at a moment’s notice.  Expanding Michael Taylor’s horizons into the infield realm can only serve to help him and the team as a whole.  Let’s just see if he can keep from embarassing himself out there.