Are we about to see Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane sell his soul this offseason?
According to a report by Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports on Thursday, the A’s are considering a pursuit of slugger Edwin Encarnacion, the top free agent left on the market. Heyman also notes that Oakland would not have to give up a first-round draft pick in order to sign Encarnacion after finishing with one of the bottom 10 records in the league last season.
Perhaps the preeminent small market franchise in the MLB (not to mention the pioneers of “Moneyball”), it seems uncharacteristic for the A’s to go after high-priced free agent talent. But they could definitely use a big bat after going 69-93 last season and finishing 28th in team OPS (per ESPN).
The 33-year-old Encarnacion is drawing interest from a number of other teams (including this fellow AL West club). But a dark horse bid from the notoriously stingy A’s makes for as intriguing of a subplot as any.
