BILLY BEANE IS BURNED OUT AND NEEDS A BREAK FROM BEING A GENERAL MANAGER.
Now, I totally understand that Mr. Beane has made the playoffs for 3 straight seasons. I understand that Billy has consistently changed up his roster to fit his methods behind the Sabermetrics. Hell, I even understand the A’s have won no less than 74 games under Beane’s regime. But to see some of the maneuvers made over the past 6 months by the Oakland GM, it shows that there’s something going other than the simple yet intricate Sabermetrics strategy.
Credit: BaseballNewsSource.com
Yet, the deal that was made for Lester sent All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox. The weird part of this trade, however, was that Cespedes had ONE YEAR LEFT ON HIS 4 YEAR, $36 MILLION CONTRACT AFTER 2014!!! Having 3 months of a postseason clutch pitcher and sending away for a star with 1 and a half years left on his contract makes ZERO sense long term. I understand that you take some money off the books with Boston paying the final terms of the deal, but I truly look it as a rare MISCUE from the Maestro behind Moneyball. Cespedes was a true cog in the Athletics machine as they won the AL West back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 and were well on their way to doing it again.
Once that trade happened, the A’s went 22-33 the rest of the way. You could see through the play of Oakland that without Cespedes, the hitting seemed off and the lineup never recovered once he went 3000 miles away to the struggling crew in Boston. Hell, it took to the last day of the season with an Oakland W to advance to the Wild Card game against the Kansas City Royals. And ultimately, despite Lester’s grit and attempt to get a win through 7.1 innings of tough baseball against a never-say-die Royals team, Oakland found themselves OUT of postseason contention in a 9-8, 12 inning thriller. Beane’s attempt at hotshotting a chance at the 2014 World Series had flopped.
Then, the offseason started to take form once the Winter Meetings started earlier in the month. Jon Lester left, as was expected, and signed a 6 year, $155 million deal with the Cubs. Jason Hammel also took his talents out of Oakland after three months and signed BACK with the Cubs. Beane traded away Samardzija to the Chicago White Sox for four players. Billy Butler, the Royals’ designated hitter coming off one of his most lackluster years ever, was signed to a 3 year, $30 million contract, stunning more than a fare share of fans. 1st baseman Brandon Moss was dealt to the Cleveland Indians on December 8. But in my humble opinion, the weirdest move from Beane was the trading of All-Star 3rd baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brett Lawrie and 3 prospects.
According to a column written by John Shea of the SF Gate, and was ultimately expanded upon by Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, there was a bit of dissension with Donaldson and Beane regarding a few days off before the All-Star break. Both men got into a verbal disagreement and Donaldson was quoted as calling Beane “Billy Boy”. On top of it, back in March, Donaldson signed a $500,000 contract in March 2014, which made him eligible for arbitration. These two examples most likely placed Donaldson on the trading block and led him to be dealt as soon as possible.
Now, as a fan of Billy Beane, I truly believe that, despite some of the weird transactions he has made over the years, they’ve somehow worked out to their highest potential. However, I truly question the trade of Josh Donaldson. This man, with a strong arm at 3rd and combined with potential at the plate (career in 405 games with Oakland: .268 batting average with 400 hits, 63 homeruns and 228 RBIs), had the ultimate potential of being more of a long term player with Oakland. Instead, Donaldson is a prime example of the frequent roster moves made by Beane. For a team that somehow survived the tremendous slump of August and September, I’m not sure on how trading a star like Donaldson will better the team in 2015 without it seeming as if they are rebuilding.
CREDIT: CBSSports.com
Lastly, shipping quality talent out, especially players that helped you make the playoffs for 3 straight years with two division championships and a wildcard berth, forces people to think. There are times in life, no matter how successful you become in a particular role, where burn out transpires. Billy Beane, for 17 years, has proven that he has an extremely successful track record as an executive. He might have never led Oakland to the World Series during his run as GM, but he has created clubs that have consistently made the playoffs. Yet, it seems that over the past 6 months, Beane has made rapid changes at will and revamped the entire Oakland roster without spending much money (save the surprising Billy Butler signing). This tweet by wrestling promoter and huge baseball fan Gabe Sapolsky says it best:
I believe Billy Beane has to mentally be in the same state I was in booking ROH in 2008. Someone intervene and give him a sabbatical
— Gabe Sapolsky (@BookItGabe) November 29, 2014
Even though Joel Sherman from the New York Post does not want us to doubt what Beane is doing, I sadly have some legitimate doubt creeping into the inner sanctum of my mind. I can say through looking at the transactions made, the ballpark attendance over the years, and the constant reshuffling of the roster almost yearly due to the Sabermetrics method, Billy Beane needs a break. He needs to rejuvenate his spirit. 17 years is an extremely long time in one position, despite his success. Burn out might just be a major understatement.
I truly hope that Billy Beane doesn’t fall on his face with these moves. I hope his legacy doesn’t take a major hit, because if Oakland doesn’t succeed in 2015, Mr. Beane might have to take a long look in the mirror and realize a break might be possible. In fact, it might be a permanent one from the Oakland front office. But, if anyone can prove people wrong with his decisions, it might just be Billy Beane. 2015 will be an interesting year for the Oakland Athletics.
Jon Harder
jon@thejonharder.com