
SEATTLE – Back in February the A’s had a solid idea of how they wanted their outfield to look.
Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry were to platoon in center, with Coco Crisp sliding over to left in an effort to keep him healthier, and Josh Reddick serving as the primary right fielder.
What’s that they say about best laid plans?
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The story of Oakland’s outfield certainly played out differently than intended. That came with both positives and negatives.
Rookie Billy Burns burst on the scene and commanded the everyday job in center, blossoming into a Rookie of the Year candidate. He’ll enter 2016 with a firm grasp on that job. But Crisp encountered more injury setbacks, including a chronic neck issue that resurfaced and relegated him to a pinch-hitting role for the past month or so. As the A’s look ahead to 2016, who’s to say whether Crisp will be capable of playing left field regularly? His status will hold a key as to how the rest of the outfield shapes up next season.
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Speaking of his current crop of outfielders before Saturday's 7-5 win over Seattle, manager Bob Melvin said:
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“We like them. We’re taking a hard look at Jake Smolinski too, because we think he can be a factor down the road, whether it’s in a platoon situation or maybe even an everyday role. … I think our outfield depth is good.”
The fact it was Reddick who became an everyday anchor in the lineup falls into the surprise category too. Injuries sabotaged each of his past two seasons. Entering Sunday’s season finale, he leads the team with 77 RBI, reached the 20-homer mark and developed into a complete enough hitter to bat third most of the season.
Reddick’s aim was to take the best elements of last season, when he hit .299 after the All-Star break and mesh them with his 2012 season, when he hit 32 home runs.
“My biggest thing was being healthy,” Reddick said. “For me to come back and have a very productive season, not just the home run and RBI numbers, but the average (.274) and (the fact) the strikeouts are way down, it was definitely an all-around improvement. That’s what I wanted to do.”
Given the production, the 28-year-old Reddick sets up as a nice foundation piece to build around for 2016. But he’ll be a free agent after next season, and that might make Reddick an attractive trade piece. He reportedly garnered interest from other teams around the July trade deadline, including the Angels. There’s been no indication from A’s management that they would consider dealing Reddick, but when the outfielder made some critical comments about the front office in July, it raised speculation about whether he could be the next player shipped out of Oakland.
Asked if he’ll be monitoring offseason trade gossip, Reddick said he won’t dwell on it.
“You can’t predict anything with what (GM) Billy (Beane) is going to do, so I just (plan to) go home and enjoy the offseason,” he said. “The three-month period is all about us forgetting about the game and enjoying our own time and family time. I forget baseball as much as I can when I go home.”
Even if Reddick is manning right field for Oakland next season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the A’s shop for a corner outfielder who could provide some consistent offense in left field. But that’s where Mark Canha, another rookie who impressed this season, gives them some flexibility. Canha can play either first base or left. If the A’s opted, for example, to non-tender Ike Davis, who is arbitration-eligible and coming off hip surgery, and look for a first baseman, Canha could slot in left field, particularly if it looks like Crisp won’t be available on an everyday basis.
“Mark Canha’s kind of a wild card depending on what the roster looks like next year,” Melvin said, “whether we need him more at first base or need him more in the outfield. We expect him, at this point, to put himself in position to be a starter next year somewhere.”
Smolinski has shown flashes with the bat, and Melvin’s comments suggest he could be a fit somewhere. Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry, both eligible for arbitration this winter, are still under team control too.
The A’s will have no shortage of outfield options, but as 2015 has shown, there’s no predicting how things will eventually pan out.