In 2012, the A's needed to scrape and claw to win the AL West. They held sole possession of first place for just one day all season – the final day of the year, when they completed a sweep of the Rangers at O.co Coliseum. Oakland's 2013 run wasn't nearly as dramatic – they spent most of the second half in first, and broke free of Texas for good on September 6th. However, both 2012 and 2013 ended the same way – with the A's getting shut out by Justin Verlander and the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS in Oakland. Will the third time be the charm for the A's? Billy Beane's bunch hopes so.
Depth Chart (as of 2/21)
C: Derek Norris
1B: Brandon Moss
2B: Alberto Callaspo
SS: Jed Lowrie
3B: Josh Donaldson
LF: Yoenis Cespedes
CF: Coco Crisp
RF: Josh Reddick
DH: John Jaso
SP: Jarrod Parker
SP: Scott Kazmir
SP: Sonny Gray
SP: Dan Straily
SP: A.J. Griffin
CL: Jim Johnson
New Faces
The A's had quite a busy winter. Their most significant acquisitions were closer Jim Johnson, brought over from the Orioles, and starting pitcher Scott Kazmir, signed to a two-year deal after a resurgent 2013 in Cleveland. The A's continued bolstering their bullpen aside from Johnson, signing former Brave Eric O'Flaherty and trading for Fernando Abad and Luke Gregerson. Oakland also brought in Drew Pomeranz from the Rockies, but his role with the team this season is currently up in the air. In addition to revamping their bullpen, the A's improved their bench, signing free agent veteran Nick Punto and acquiring Craig Gentry from the Rangers.
Departures
Free agents Grant Balfour (Rays) and Bartolo Colon (Mets) both headed east on two-year deals, while Chris Young joined Colon in New York on a one-year contract. Catcher Kurt Suzuki was the victim of a numbers game in Oakland, and signed with the Twins. Then, there are the trades that Beane and company made this winter. The price for Johnson was just Jemile Weeks and career minor leaguer David Freitas. Abad came to the A's from Washington in exchange for John Wooten, a 23-year old who hasn't played above A-ball. Michael Choice and Chris Bostwick was the cost for Gentry and depth reliever Josh Lindblom. Seth Smith was dealt to the Padres for Gregerson. Reliever Jerry Blevins was moved to the Nationals in exchange for prospect Billy Burns. Finally, the talented yet injury-prone Brett Anderson was sent to Colorado for Pomeranz and minor league pitcher Chris Jensen.
Impact Rookies
It's very strange to say this in regard to the A's, but there may not be much young talent making an impact on the major league club in 2014 – this is a largely veteran club, and most of Oakland's best young talent isn't ready to contribute yet. The potential exception is shortstop Addison Russell, who just turned 20 but absolutely torched high-A in 2013 (as a 19-year old, no less). If Russell continues to dominate the minors, and the A's are having issues in the middle infield, could he get the call to the majors? It's anyone's best guess at this point.
Position Battles
The A's are in a good position because there aren't many questions going into Spring Training. Can Abad and Jesse Chavez hang on to their bullpen spots, or will either lose their spot to someone like Lindblom, Evan Scribner, Joe Savery, Pomeranz, or Tommy Milone? Could Chris Gimenez wrestle the backup catcher position from Stephen Vogt? Are the A's in love with the idea of Nate Freiman platooning with Moss at first base, or could he lose his job to a guy like Daric Barton or Eric Sogard? Really, there isn't much here to worry about if you're an A's fan, which is definitely a good thing.
Injury Concerns
Now here is where A's fans could get a little worried. Oakland's big free agent acquisition was Kazmir, a guy who threw only 158 innings last season, didn't pitch at all in 2012, and made just one major league start in 2011. He's had shoulder and back problems reoccur over the past few seasons, and that is definitely something to keep an eye on. Staying on the mound, relievers O'Flaherty and Fernando Rodriguez are both recovering from Tommy John surgery, and it's likely that neither will be ready for Opening Day. Yoenis Cespedes has had a DL stint in each of his first two seasons in the majors, but neither injury kept him out for longer than a month. Coco Crisp is in a similar situation to Cespedes – he's good for one DL stint a year, but never with anything too serious. Josh Reddick's right wrist was an issue last year, and it had a noticeable effect on his production.
Best Case
The best case for the A's would obviously be a championship. Oakland significantly upgraded their club this winter for the sole purpose of winning a World Series, and another exit in the Division Series would probably drive Billy Beane crazy.
Worst Case
The absolute worst thing to happen to the A's this year would be to fall behind the Rangers and Angels in the AL West, leading to Oakland competing with Seattle for third place in the division. The 2014 A's will be one of the highest-paid squads ever put together by Beane, and if they don't make the playoffs at all, it will be considered a massive failure.
Realistic Scenario
The A's are going to be in the playoff hunt all season. Will their upgrades be enough to hold off the Rangers and Angels for a third straight year? It's anyone's best guess, but Oakland seems likely to contend for their third straight AL West title in 2014.
