The Oakland A's have one of the best records in baseball, sitting at 22-12 (albeit, with some bumps in the road). The record, though, glosses over a few gaps in their roster that needed some filling heading into the second half of this 60-game season.
True to form, they made no splashy moves at the Aug. 31 deadline, but worked within the margins to scoop up two key veteran players, acquiring left-handed starter Mike Minor from the Texas Rangers and infielder Tommy La Stella from the Los Angeles Angels. Both are on expiring contracts.
The cost: Franklin Barreto and two 2019 draftees, outfielder Marcus Smith and third baseman Dustin Harris _ along with some international bonus slot pool money. The reward: the A's raised their floor a few inches as they look to pursue a deep postseason push.
In Minor, the A's bought insurance behind a talented rotation unable to collectively find its legs. In La Stella, the A's patched over the team's dizzying strikeout rate with the one player in baseball who nearly never strikes out.
The A's like to work within the margins. So what did they see in the two newest A's?
