The Oakland Athletics are a notorious team for not spending money on free agents.
They rarely even pay their own players big contracts.
We saw last season as they traded away first baseman Matt Olson before having to give him a big contract.
So to expect them to be in the running for any top free agent is foolish.
But, the A’s have been competitive in the past due to smaller signings and key trades.
Here are two moves the Athletics should make this offseason.
1.Trade Catcher Sean Murphy
The best player in Oakland this past season was catcher Sean Murphy.
But, the more success he has in the MLB the less likely he will remain with the A’s.
It would be smart for Oakland to move Murphy this offseason and fill a bunch of holes on their roster.
sources: #rays among several teams showing trade interest in #athletics catcher Sean Murphy, a Gold Glove winner in 2021 with 3 years of control before free agency.
The Rays, as usual, are taking a buyer-and-seller approach to the offseason market. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 14, 2022
The A’s thrive on acquiring young players and then developing them into key contributors.
Murphy is valuable enough to land a few top prospects from any team and help speed up the A’s rebuild.
2. Create Roster Spots For Their Young Players
At this point in their rebuild, the Athletics need to allow their young players to play.
Some of the players the A’s need to develop are Ken Waldichuk, Shea Langeliers, Nick Allen, and Cristian Pache.
Each of these players was highly rated as a prospect and could be the future of the Athletics.
Oakland may need to trade players like Murphy, Cole Irvin, or Ramon Laureano to free up starting spots for these players.
The A’s have always been a draft and develop team, and this upcoming season is a time for development.
