What the immediate future holds for the Athletics remains to be seen.
Oakland's latest fire sale signals the dawn of a new era, one that most fans are not too excited about. But at the same time, if you're a fan of the A's, this is an all-too-familiar feeling.
After trading away stars such as Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea, Oakland is now without four cornerstone players that could have otherwise helped build a championship-caliber roster in the near future.
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With the A's 2022 campaign set to begin on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and their Opening Day roster set, here's a preview of what to expect from the club this season.
The positives
Frankie leads an intriguing 1-2 punch
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The A's not only have an ace, but also a true workhorse in starting pitcher Frankie Montas. Most rebuilding clubs aren't fortunate enough to have this. There's no guarantee that he will make it through the entire season with Oakland -- in fact, there's a decent chance he's dealt at some point -- but as long as he is on the roster, the A's can rely on the 29-year-old to give them a good chance to win every fifth day.
I also like Cole Irvin, who should slot right behind Montas in the rotation. Last season, Irvin posted a 10-15 record with a 4.24 ERA in 178 1/3 innings pitched. Irvin won't blow opponents away with pure stuff, but instead will pitch to contact and eat up innings. It wouldn't be surprising if he inched closer to the 200 innings mark with an ERA that drops into the high 3.00s this season.
A new power-hitting duo
The slugging duo of Olson and Chapman is a thing of the past.
What A's fans can look forward to is the power-hitting duo of catcher Sean Murphy and right fielder Seth Brown. Both players showed off their power last season but each finished the season with lackluster averages at the plate.
I'm very high on Murphy, and believe that he is capable of a breakout season in 2022. I feel the same way about Brown too, who hit 20 home runs in his first full season in the major leagues.
Not that Brown and Murphy are comparable to the aforementioned duo the A's once had on the corners, but at least they will provide some thump in an otherwise lackluster lineup.
The negatives
The rest of the starting rotation
Montas and Irvin? That's a respectable one-two punch for a rebuilding club. The rest of the A's rotation? Not so much.
Brent Honeywell Jr., a once-elite pitching prospect who the A's acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in November, figured to be an intriguing arm and a bounce-back candidate after undergoing four elbow surgeries since 2017. Unfortunately, he is now shut down indefinitely after having a stress reaction in his elbow.
That leaves the A's rotation with three open spots that figure to be filled by some combination of Daulton Jefferies, Paul Blackburn, Adam Oller -- who Oakland acquired from the New York Mets in the deal for Bassitt -- or other rotation/bullpen candidates.
This is where the A's look the most like a rebuilding team. Three-fifths of the starting rotation leaves much to be desired and could prove to be the No. 1 Achilles heel this season.
Veteran hitters don't offer much
The A's roster is filled with veteran hitters such as Stephen Vogt, Jed Lowrie, Tony Kemp, Elvis Andrus and Stephen Piscotty.
Unfortunately for Oakland, the glory days for each of those players are in the past. They will be great for team chemistry, but other than that, they likely won't offer much in terms of production.
If there are any outliers amongst that group, it could be Piscotty (31 years old) and/or Kemp (30), given that both are still relatively young and are capable of producing offensively. But the group still lacks consistent offensive threats.
The issue here is that each of these players -- minus Vogt who will play in a backup role at catcher -- will see plenty of at-bats this season and likely won't do a whole lot offensively.
To be determined...
I certainly do not see the A's as a playoff team, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the club finish the season around .500 if a few things went their way.
A decent-ish bullpen?
If the A's do indeed have a couple of reliable starters at the top of the rotation and a few intriguing bats, an average to slightly above-average bullpen could play a big role in being somewhat competitive this season.
I personally like the trio of Lou Trivino, Domingo Acevedo and Deolis Guerra. Throw in A.J. Puk, who used to be an exciting, young pitching prospect and the A's bullpen ... has the potential to be not bad? It's too early to tell.
Youngsters with potential
The A's also need immediate contributions from newly-acquired youngsters such as outfielder Cristian Pache, utility man Kevin Smith and infielder Sheldon Neuse. Pache, who Oakland acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the Olson deal, will be the primary center fielder until Ramon Laureano finishes serving the remaining 27 games of the 80-game suspension he received in the second half of last season.
Pache plays a solid center field -- similar to that of a Laureano. He has some potential offensively, and that's exactly what the A's will need from him this season. Smith and Neuse probably offer more offensively than Pache at this moment, and could each provide power from the right side of the plate.
In 2019, Neuse hit .317/.389/.550 with 27 home runs and 102 RBI for the A's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, where he also put up decent numbers in the minor leagues in 2021 before a brief stint at the major league level.
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Smith is intriguing not only because he can play all over the field, but also because he has seen plenty of offensive success in the minor leagues. In 2021, Smith hit .285/.370/.561 with 21 home runs and 69 RBI. He also stole 18 bases.
Two prospects who did not make the A's Opening Day roster, but could see time at the major league level later on in the season, are catching prospect Shea Langeliers -- also acquired in the Olson deal -- and infield prospect Nick Allen.
If for some reason Murphy doesn't take that next step, the A's should feel secure behind the dish knowing that their two top prospects, Langeliers and 2020 first-round pick Tyler Soderstrom are waiting in the wings.
The 23-year-old Allen spent last season in Triple-A and will begin the 2022 season there. He can play second base and shortstop, hit for a high average and could possibly end up replacing veterans Andrus or Kemp up the middle later this season.
Playing inspired baseball
It's too soon to know for sure, but something about rookie manager Mark Kotsay -- an Oakland favorite -- and a slew of beloved veterans leads me to believe that the A's could end up playing an inspired brand of baseball this season.
Expectations are pretty darn low, but if the A's have proven one thing in years past, it's that they are no stranger to outperforming expectations with one of the lowest payrolls in the game.
It will take a good clubhouse culture, a little bit of talent in different areas of the roster and a whole lot of heart. But we've seen it before, so why can't we see it again?