Oakland Athletics' Biggest Strength So Far In 2016

2016 isn’t supposed to be a contending year for the Oakland Athletics. So far things have gone according to plan for the men in green. Billy Beane and his ability to rebuild on the fly is the strength that will allow 2016 to be productive for the Athletics.

We all know that David Forst is the new general manager in Oakland. Let’s be serious for a second, though. This A’s team has the fingerprints of Beane all over it. The way the team went out and rebuilt the bullpen over the winter with ruthless efficiency is exactly what Beane does. There’s other markers on this team that show what he’s about to do as well.

The handling of Josh Reddick, Rich Hill and Chris Coghlan are all classic Beane moves. Reddick is on track to be one of the most highly sought after free agents this offseason, so Beane kept him. Beane will hold onto him until someone offers the Athletics young talent for the outfielder.

The San Francisco Giants‘ left field looks like a possible landing place for Reddick once he returns from the DL. He is an on-base machine and Angel Pagan‘s injury makes it an area of need. Coghlan is playing right, while Reddick is injured, increasing his value as a utility outfielder to a team like the Washington Nationals or the Chicago Cubs (he played for them last season). Hill is likely to stay in the American League where his resurgence has occurred. The Detroit Tigers could use someone to replace Mike Pelfrey in the rotation.

Two free agent signings and one player on his last year are the most important members of this team to Beane. He will make sure that Forst gets the necessary pieces for 2017 in return. While the media is talking about Sonny Gray, Oakland will be looking to move Reddick, Hill and Coghlan, demonstrating once again that Beane is Oakland’s biggest strength.