A's Future Is Almost Now

Post date: Apr 22, 2014 2:57:17 PM

The A's envision future led by an outfield of Mike Trout in left, Byron Buxton in center,

Bryce Harper in right, and with Manny Machado in the infeld

Entering the 2010 WFBL playoffs, the A's had scrambled through a 12-10, 4th place season that was the club's worst finish in a decade. The team would upset Montreal in the first round, but was then brought down to earth by Brantford in the Divisional Finals. GM Matt Veasey looked over the roster during that 2010-11 off-season and didn't like what he saw. The club had won a WFBL Championship as recently as 2008, and very nearly another the following season. But in that winter as the calendar turned to February 2011, the GM saw an aging team in a division loaded with opponents who had younger talent coming.

What became known in franchise lore as the "Valentine's Massacre" took place, with Veasey agreeing during February to a series of deals to be completed at the onset of the 2011 season, trading away the core of that contending team in order to bring in high-ceiling young talent. At the centerpiece of the deals were outfielder Bryce Harper and pitcher Dylan Bundy, obtained from division rival Montreal in a deal that was officially consummated on March 28th, 2011. The A's saw Harper teaming with Manny Machado, their 2010 Minors Draft first round selection as the #1 overall pick that year, as a dynamic duo to lead the club as the new decade unfurled.

After this group of trades, much as could be expected, the A's suffered through a 6-16 season in 2011, by far the franchise' worst-ever record. So not being satisfied with the rebuilding plan, Veasey kept pushing the envelope. At the Winter Meetings on January 12th, 2012 he swung a deal with Rayne to bring in local South Jersey prospect outfielder Mike Trout to add another piece to the rebuilding core. Trout and Harper were promoted together on April 27th, 2012 and the A's fortunes immediately began to turn. The dynamic young duo helped lead the club to a 17-5 turnaround season, and a return to the playoffs. Trout was voted the WFBL's Pete Rose Award winner as the Rookie of the Year, the first Athletic ever honored with that award.

As the 2013 season opened, it appeared that it would be time for Machado and Bundy to join the party and help the A's take another step forward. However, Bundy suffered a severe elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. He was lost for the season. Machado was blocked by the presence of popular All-Star 3rd baseman Evan Longoria. The team started hot, with Harper and Trout leading the way. But then Harper ran into an outfield wall, suffered a knee injury, and was never the same. The 2013 season deteriorated into a disappointing 13-9, 4th place finish, and the team again missed out on the playoffs.

So as the 2014 season got underway, Veasey decided to keep on adding to the young core that he had been assembling over the past couple of years. On April 7th, a trade with Detroit brought in the consensus top prospect in all of baseball, outfielder Byron Buxton. With the youngster recovering from an injury that has delayed the start of his season, and with veteran Carlos Beltran still around for another year or so, there is no rush in getting Buxton into the Majors. But from the moment of the trade, the A's future was clearly defined. And that future is almost here.

The A's anticipate a long run with an outfield featuring the 22-year old Trout in left, the 20-year old Buxton in center, and the 21-year old Harper in right. Their infield should feature the 21-year old Machado, along with 24-year old 1st baseman Freddie Freeman, for a long time as well. 22-year old Chris Owings is trying to stake his own claim to the future at shortstop after franchise icon Derek Jeter retires following this season. That is, unless Machado ends up moving there. Meanwhile, speedy 22-year old 2nd baseman Arismendy Alcantara is nearly ready at AAA Wildwood, and may begin to push Chase Utley sooner rather than later.

On the mound, Bundy is recovering nicely from the surgery. He is slated to be back throwing in the minors by June, and may be able to help the A's down the stretch here in 2014 at some point. The 21-year old Bundy would then join a rotation that includes Yu Darvish (27), Jordan Zimmermann (27), Mike Minor (26), Alex Cobb (26), Stephen Strasburg (25), and Alex Wood (23) and a bullpen featuring Aroldis Chapman (26), Kenley Jansen (26) and Craig Kimbrel (25) on a pitching staff that will hold up that side of the game into the future.

The future looks very bright in Philly at this point. The majority of these players are already in the Majors, already helping the club contend right now. As Minor, Machado, and Chapman get back from injuries in the next couple of weeks, Cobb returns from his own injury next month, Bundy joins the staff later this summer, and then Buxton gets closer as the summer moves along, the team should get even deeper and stronger. Yes, the future is bright in Philly, and that future is almost here right now.