Elvis Lives

 The Oakland Athletics replacing Marcus Semien with Elvis Andrus at short has to be one of the most diabolical AL West developments in a while. What, the best shortstop in the West is gone? Let's replace him with the guy that Rangers fans everywhere love and can't imagine a season without!

However, Andrus is 33. Not only is he 33, but he's coming off his worst season to date, and hasn't had a WAR higher than 2 since 2017. This experiment was mainly a way of subduing two contracts that had been tiring both AL clubs, Andrus' and Davis', and affixing them to teams who suddenly had needs. 

So...Elvis Andrus fitting into an infield consisting of Matt Chapman, Tony Kemp and Matt Olson....that, uh, that not sitting well with anybody else? Cause it seems a little incompatible, and maybe not as good as Marcus Semien.

Perhaps it's one of many clues that the A's may not be as good as they were last year. The only real departures were Khris Davis and Liam Hendriks, and maybe it's just the arrival of a lot of utility and prospect guys to the heart of the team, but I don't feel a sense of safety from a lot of it. The rotation is the same as last year's, and we still don't know if Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea are consistent again. Trevor Rosenthal is in as closer, and we're not sure if he's gonna crap out again like he did the last time a team trusted him. Stephen Piscotty, Tony Kemp and Mitch Moreland are all looking at starting positions. It seems indistinct to me, like the A's aren't sure how to take a major step forward but are still trying to take respectful paces in some direction. 

There is a lot that could go right for the A's this year, especially if Chapman stays healthy, Laureano stays consistent and Chris Bassitt continues to be an ace-caliber starter. But you also have to deal with more wild cards like the Angels, who are looking to compete this year, and the Astros, who can be never counted out even if they're under .500. 

The A's are still my favorite to win the West, but I'm worried that the little factors working against them, including their new 33-year-old replacement for Marcus Semien, could claim them in the end.

Coming Tomorrow- The most important player to change teams this offseason.