After the Angels signed Shohei Ohtani, the A’s weren’t expected to compete for a playoff spot in a division that contained the defending world champion (the Astros), the best player in the game (the Angels’ Mike Trout) and one of baseball’s most powerful lineups (the Mariners). After losing its two most promising starting pitchers (A.J. Puk and Jharel Cotton) to season-ending elbow injuries, Oakland looked destined for .500 or worse. Instead, Bob Melvin’s team stunned pretty much everyone (excluding our own Michael Beller) to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Case For: This team can absolutely rake.