Why Athletics' Playoff Hopes Aren't Dead Quite Yet

The Athletics' offense has been very solid for the most part all season. Now, with the additions of Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and recently called-up third baseman Tommy White, the A's could be a very scary team in the final 66 games of the season. However, this will require the Athletics' heavy hitters to get on the same page.

In the recent collapse, there were blinding bright spots through the Athletics lineup. JKG would finish the skid batting .422 with a .968 OPS. Jacob Wilson would record a handful of multi-hit games in his last four, batting .467 with a 1.067 OPS. The pieces are there, but the A's need guys like Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers to heat up as well.

We Could See Trades Very Soon

This section could mean multiple things for the Athletics' season trajectory. One being that the A's prove to be buyers and improve the pitching staff without having to deal with many big-name players. Or the A's could be sellers and trade big-name players such as Shea Langeliers or Joshua Kuroda-Grauer.

However, if the Athletics go the "buyers" route, we could see an amazing second half of the season. With more pitching overall, combined with the Athletics' very good offense, there is reason to believe this team can make a massive push for the playoffs, because the season is still alive and breathing.

Volatile Division

The only reason this article is possible is due to how rough the A.L West has looked all season long. Not too long ago, the Athletics were in first place in the A.L West, with an opportunity to run away with the division. And as we know, the opposite would happen: the Mariners, Rangers, and Astros would all heat up.

The good news for the Athletics is that they are currently 8.0 games from the divisional lead. Which, at first glance, might feel daunting, but in practice, the A's still have a great opportunity to make a run. And while this might be the optimist in me speaking, crazier runs like this have happened before.