LAS VEGAS — The flashy lights and sounds of the slot machines striking a jackpot can cause visitors to feel a bit lucky, but the A’s approach to winter meetings at the Mandalay Bay has been a more conservative one.
After the signing of catcher Chris Herrmann to a one-year deal Tuesday afternoon, the A’s remained silent on Wednesday, and it appears that might be the case until A’s GM David Forst and co. return to Oakland Thursday night.
It’s not like the A’s are the only team that’s been inactive.
As of Wednesday night, the biggest signing throughout the winter meetings was probably Andrew McCutchen to the Phillies – nice player, but hardly a splash.
Most teams are utilizing their time here to jump-start discussions, likely to advance to the next stage of those talks when they return to a less hectic setting.
“We’ve talked a lot about the process of being here and it’s great to be here and talk and there is an energy and momentum, but this is not a decision-making environment,” Forst said. “There are certainly good things about being here, but you also want to maybe get out and look at what you’ve done in the light of day and make sure it’s the right thing.
“I don’t know that we’ll do anything in the next 18 hours, but that is not to say we’re not closer to some stuff than we were Monday morning.”
— The Rule 5 Draft takes place Thursday morning, and the A’s could be in the mix for a pitcher should one be available at their time of picking.
As always, intriguing players who were once top prospects are eligible to be drafted, but there’s a reason they’re available. These are players you’re taking a gamble on, hoping a change of scenery can get that potential out of them. The A’s 40-man roster currently features three open spots, though they may prefer to fill those spots via free agency or trade.
“We’re considering it. We’ll spend some time tonight going over players,” Forst said. “We still have to add a number of major league players, and if you take someone in the Rule 5 Draft, that person is on your roster until the middle of March. If you think about how many major league players we need to add, you run the risk of losing guys from your 40-man, so we have to balance those two things.”
One player the A’s will likely lose in the draft is 2015 first-rounder Richie Martin. The infield prospect was drafted 20th overall and supposed to be the shortstop of the future. Though he hit .300 this past season at Double-A Midland, the A’s haven’t seen enough since drafting him to keep him protected on the 40-man.
“We’ve lost some guys in the draft before,” Forst said. “Once guys have been in the system three or four years, their performance takes precedence over their draft position.”
— After getting through the 2018 season with Ryan Buchter as their lone reliable left-handed reliever, the A’s would like to add a second lefty. But with starting pitching still a more pressing need, adding a lefty is probably on the backburner for now.
“It’s on our radar. It’s something that we’ve talked about and reached out to some agents and other teams about,” Forst said. “In terms of building the ideal bullpen, adding a lefty would be great. I just don’t know where it’s gonna come from right now.”