Baseball has never been predictable, and that’s what makes it so great.
Untimed, spanning spring to fall, and at least 1,458 innings long for every team, anything can happen at any time on the diamond. That’s why we keep watching.
But there is something to be said for expectations, too. And heading into the slightly delayed 2022 season, it seems that external expectations for both the A’s and the Giants are low.
Yes, instead of joy and hope and all those warm fuzzy feelings that come with baseball’s start, I’m sensing sourness and frustration in the Bay this April. Perhaps it’s an understandable byproduct of baseball’s 99-day lockout. Regardless, it’s incumbent upon both teams to exceed expectations and remind this part of the world why this season was worth saving.
In the meantime, both teams are asking for trust.
This past offseason was supposed to be when the Giants flexed their big-market muscles and spent serious cash on free agents. With a gang of players written off or never written about, San Francisco somehow defeated the big-spending, big-deal-making, big-name, and big-talent Dodgers to the National League West title last year, winning a still-hard-to-believe 107 games.
But instead of flashing that cash, the Giants cut payroll from last season.
The A’s want fans — whatever number remains — to believe that their demolition of a playoff-caliber roster will not be in vain. The A’s want fans to believe that trading Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea, all since mid-March, were good baseball moves, not just money moves.
They want fans to trust that this will be the last time the A’s tear it all down in the name of maintaining their profit margins.
It’s a trust that will be exceptionally hard to come by anytime soon.
The Giants did sign a big-ticket free-agent, Carlos Rodon, for two years and $44 million. But even for a pitcher of Rodon’s caliber, that was considered a team-friendly deal. And while San Francisco added plenty of quality players, its did so on the periphery of the roster with low-money deals.
The issue is that after Buster Posey’s retirement, the Giants didn’t acquire a middle-of-the-lineup bat. Meanwhile, the Dodgers added the 2020 National League MVP, Freddie Freeman, to their stacked lineup.
On paper, in the computer, and at the bar, the Giants have the makings of a second-place team at best.
For the A’s, the Howard Interminable project doesn’t inspire confidence in the team’s future and the latest bit of cost-cutting will likely put a last-place team on the Coliseum field.
As of April 5, the A’s have an estimated team salary of $32.5 million. There are 11 players who will make more than that in 2022.
Do you know who Billy McKinney, Kevin Smith, and Cristian Pache are? The A’s added some familiar names over the past two weeks, bringing back Stephen Vogt and Jed Lowrie, both former fan favorites and both 37 years old.
The A’s are hoping they can not only sell tickets, but also finish above last place in the AL West.
The Giants should be a good team this season. A strong start would no doubt quell the frustration. A mid-season trade is ever more possible because of the squad’s fiscal position, and 2022 will give the Giants’ once decrepit minor league system a chance to impress and create a new core at the major league level.
Also helping San Francisco is the fact that the National League West crown isn’t as valuable as it once was. Yes, beating the Dodgers would be ideal, but with six teams making the playoffs per league, now, the route for true success might look more like the one the 88-win Atlanta Braves took in winning the World Series last year: Be good, but not great for most of the year, and play your best baseball late.
Overall, the Giants organization is in a great place. They are poised to be successful for years to come. But for a fan base that hasn’t seen a real playoff series win since the 2014 World Series, the future should be now, and a step-back shouldn’t be part of the conversation.
For A’s fans, a step-back is part of the routine. That said, the A’s front office braintrust of Billy Beane and David Forst is excellent and more than capable of a successful rebuild. In due time, this offseason could look smart.
But what does that matter if this team remains incapable of paying the mortgage on the buildings they erect?
Oh, and seemingly incapable of literally building something in Oakland, too?
But that’s just talk. Anything can happen once the season begins. The Giants’ ever-dynamic lineup could prove to be the most impressive in baseball. Joey Bart could become the next Posey. One of the best rotations in baseball could live up to the billing and perhaps even exceed it. The Giants could even beat the Dodgers in the National League West for a second-straight year.
Crazier things have happened.
The A’s modern-day near-literal revival of Connie Mack’s $100,000 infield could be a hit — money and success are not as tied in baseball as they once were. Oakland can do what it has so often does — what it arguably does better than anyone else — and create new stars. Who knows, by the time this season is done, the A’s could have a shovel in the ground in Oakland and a signed promise to spend in the future.
Other options — any other possible option — are available, too.
That’s the great thing about baseball. Expect one thing, and you might just get something dramatically different.
