Even in their successful periods, there has been something inevitable about the Oakland Athletics.
Synonymous with Moneyball, the A’s have consistently had talent — but due to their small market status, have inevitably watched it either traded or depart via free agency. The likes of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and more recently Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Donaldson have all been a part of Oakland’s success — before leaving.
After nearly two decades, Billy Beane is ready to change that.
Hours after dealing two more established players for prospects, including fan favorite reliever Sean Doolittle, Beane trampled on two decades of Moneyball doctrine by saying that Oakland needs to get serious about keeping talent around long-term.
This is not something Billy Beane has said before: pic.twitter.com/tkwH1zTr0W
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 16, 2017
Beane has a long history of trading stars against his own wishes, but Oakland has consistently kept a low payroll. He has rarely said anything critical of that fact, but this is definitely a rather firm call for a loosening of the purse-strings.
