Coco Crisp isn’t happy with the Oakland Athletics and didn’t mince his words when voicing his unhappiness regarding playing time.
The 36-year-old told the San Francisco Chronicle, he’s “extremely hurt” with how the A’s have handled his playing time and contract situation. Crisp claims he’s not receiving regular playing time because Oakland doesn’t want his $13 million option to vest.
“I’m not calling anyone names, but this is really frustrating and disappointing.”
“This is shady. Everyone else is getting used off the bench,” Crisp said. “BoMel can’t even look me in the eye right now.”
Crisp’s option is set to vest should he appear in 130 games. With 93 appearances so far this season, he’ll need to appear in 37 of the club’s remaining 43 games for his option to kick in. Crisp’s agent called the situation “a joke” and said Oakland “has never been motivated to give up a dollar.”
The A’s might be intentionally benching Crisp to avoid his option vesting but it’s not like he deserves the playing time. He has 10 home runs, batting just .239 with a .307 OBP. Crisp has also become a liability in the field. His below replacement level performance doesn’t justify regular playing time. With Oakland 15 games under .500 (52-67) what’s the incentive in playing a declining Crisp over younger options such as Max Muncy, Brett Eibner, and Jake Smolinski?
https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/765389805790298112
Crisp should be upset his $13 million option might not vest, but it’s not the organization’s fault. He needs to look at his stats because he’s been subpar all season. Crisp simply isn’t deserving of the at-bats. Oakland is doing nothing wrong keeping Crisp on the bench.
