The Oakland A’s addressed most of their major needs over the offseason in February. They acquired a shortstop, rebuilt their entire bullpen in a week, and kept a reliable veteran for their inexperienced rotation. However, they did remain noticeably idle at one position, second base.
The A’s finished 2020 with deadline rental Tommy La Stella at the keystone, and Athletics Nation generally hoped he’d return, but the Giants put in an overpay to win the bidding. Beyond that, even as Oakland did eventually spend money and resources in other areas, they chose to roll with what they already had in-house at 2B.