Why the Oakland A's never had a chance this season
With only five wins through their first 26 games of the 2023 season, the Oakland Athletics are looking more like a Triple-A team than a major league squad.
The team's offense ranks in the bottom 10 of virtually every statistic and the team's pitching is historically bad. Through 26 games, the pitching staff has posted a 8.01 ERA, allowing 212 runs in 227 innings. The team is on pace to break the all-time record of 1,252 runs allowed, set by the Cleveland Spiders in 1899.
After shipping out franchise cornerstones Matt Chapman and Matt Olson in 2022 -- as well as Sean Murphy this offseason -- the team has essentially been ripped of all their major talent. The return on those trades was questionable when the deals were made and they look even worse now.
With their future in Oakland looking cloudy, the fans aren't getting a product worth supporting on the field and the ownership has seemed more focused on splitting town than putting a respectable team together.
Having the lowest payroll in baseball sitting at just over $60M, there are only 11 players on the roster who are making over $1M in 2023. Trevor May is the highest-paid player on the team, with his $7M salary accounting for 11.64% of the team's payroll.
While struggling through the season there have been a few bright spots to root for ,including catcher Shea Langeliers and outfielders Brent Rooker and Esteury Ruiz.
Rooker has actually been a revelation, after bouncing around a couple of teams he has found a home with the A's. With a .305 average, seven home runs and 18 RBI he has provided the majority of the Oakland offense this season.
Ruiz and Langeliers are two players brought in by trades who have actually developed into major league talent. While there are not many reasons to cheer as the weather warms, Athletics fans have to hope these two can be pieces that accelerate the team's rebuild.
More must-reads: