30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 13 Oakland Athletics

I know some of you must be thinking, "Hey, Pankin, what's the deal with a last place team grouped in with all these playoff contenders in the first half of this 30 Teams in 30 Days feature? Isn't this just because you're an A's fan?" But before you accuse me of blatant favoritism, consider that Grant Brisbee of SBNation predicted that Oakland would finish second in the AL West division, ahead of even the much-improved Angels! Of course, this was his trademarked Intentionally Irrational Pick, and it was made before the news that top prospect A.J. Puk would need Tommy John surgery, AND before the forearm injury to Paul Blackburn that is basically 900% likely to lead to another TJS... But no matter, let's look at the roster!

All-Acquired Factor

The human interest element behind the acquisition of Stephen Piscotty is about a million times more compelling than a small market team buying low on an outfielder with a favorable contract who's coming off a down season. Piscotty's mother, a Bay Area resident, has been battling ALS, and the outfielder welcomed a trade to his hometown team so that he could spend more time supporting her. As if I needed another reason to root for him to succeed. Bruce Maxwell might still take over as the catcher of the future for the A's, but he won't be the catcher of the present, thanks to Jonathan Lucroy's bargain deal (he signed for just one year and $6.5mm, falling well shy of the two year / $24mm predicted by MLB Trade Rumors), which also caused Maxwell's fantasy rank to drop down to 602 between Spring Training and Opening Day.

Fifth Starter

The Athletics are actually looking to fill two slots in their rotation in addition to what you see in the SI baseball preview projected lineup, thanks to the above-mentioned injury to Blackburn. Andrew Triggs (ranked 358) was already projected as the fifth starter, leaving Daniel Gossett (699) as the best injury fill-in option. However, GM David Forst (and behind-the-scenes string-puller Billy Beane) brought back two former A's who could join the rotation picture down the line: righty Trevor Cahill (whose ranking increased to 493) with his signing) and southpaw Brett Anderson (who remains unranked, and who is not yet on the 40-person roster).

Bullpen

As with the previous section, the A's bullpen is largely an extension of the All-Acquired rundown, as Oakland made three notable additions to their relief corps. The first was long reliever Yusmeiro Petit (390), who signed in the earlier part of what was a historically slow offseason for everyone but middle relievers. The other two new bullpen pieces were brought in via trade: lefty Ryan Buchter from the Royals (in a deal where the A's also had to take on the salary of another familiar face, Brandon Moss (669), who has since been released), and Emilio Pagan from the Mariners (which cost the A's slugger Ryon Healy (down to 349), who has since been injured twice).

Center Field

One of the main returns for the A's in last year's trade of Sonny Gray to the Yankees was outfielder Dustin Fowler, who at the time was on the DL after getting injured in his very first ever MLB game before even coming to the plate. While he is ostensibly back to full health, the A's opted to have him start the year in the minors to test his injured knee. In the meantime, Boog Powell (up to 604) had been taking the brunt of starts in center, until he went on the DL himself with his own knee injury, which prompted the A's to make a rare early April acquisition, picking up Trayce Thompson (782) off waivers, who just made a fantastic play to rob a home run against the Dodgers two nights ago, at a game I was fortunate enough to attend.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Matt Olson is a first base/DH candidate for Aries (depending on whether Miguel Cabrera can have a bounceback season) and Blake Treinen should be the second relief pitcher for Cancer (behind Pirates breakout closer Felipe Rivero), but those are the only two players on serious fantasy astrology contenders. Sean Manaea should have a spot in the Aquarius rotation, Jonathan Lucroy should start behind the plate for Gemini, and Khris Davis with his fabulous Oscar Gamble hair will be in Sagittarius's outfield for at least one more year, with his eligibility in danger due to his DH status. Also, if Matt Chapman continues his meteoric rise, he could soon challenge Miguel Sano for the Taurus 3B position... heck, if fantasy baseball counted defense, he might be right there already.

Song

Oakland Stroke - Tower of Power

The "Oakland Stroke" is a two-part track that bookends the album Back to Oakland by Tower of Power, cementing them as one of the bands most closely tied to its city of origin, short of being named after it. Featuring a mix of expertly funky grooves and soulful ballads, Back to Oakland was named as one of the most important albums for drummers to listen to by Modern Drummer Magazine. For a deeper look into the percussive side, here's ToP David Garibaldi explaining how to play that classic stroke.

Colossus

The Billy Beane-led Athletics were one of the first teams to embrace advanced metrics and modern analytics, leading the baseball world on a fascinating journey. This is similar to how Colossus #14, nicknamed Cenobia, leads Wander on a journey through a scenic garden full of stone columns, knocking them over as fast as Billy Beane toppled the preconceived notions of player evaluation. But just like how even Beane's most successful teams would inevitably fail in the playoffs, Cenobia also falters down the stretch, eventually crashing himself into a load-bearing pillar, causing a shelf to crash onto its back, shattering its protective armor. If only there was a Colossus-inspired parallel to trading away all your best talent the moment it starts to become expensive, the comparison would be perfect...