How the West will be Won – By the A’s

Last year the Oakland Athletics quietly managed to finish .500 to snap their losing-season streak at three and have just as quietly been making additions across the board to bolster the team all off-season – and they aren’t done. If these players hold up (a big “if”), this team will be playing ball in the post-season – and with their rotation, they could be the team to beat. Let’s start with the initial product: The 2010 Oakland Athletics, who finished a respectable 81-81, second in the AL West, 9 games behind Texas. Based on the number of runs they gave up versus the number of runs they scored, they were actually a little unlucky, as their expected Win-Loss record was 85-77. Now, wins are earned on the field, not in the stat-book, but I just wanted to counter any idea that the A’s were a poor team that stumbled onto a .500 record like the 2005 Washington Nationals who, the very next season, did predictably poorly. Now let’s take a look at the biggest pieces that they’re going to b...