“Look at me...I can be...center field,” sung John Fogerty but not JJ Bleday. Bleday did an admirable job of trying to pose as a CFer in 2024, but the A’s path to increased success in 2025 and beyond involves moving Bleday over to a corner (if not dealt to another team).
If you don’t believe me and only recall some of the excellent plays Bleday made while generally butchering the position, the stats tell the story. In 2024, Fangraphs had Bleday at a hideous -19 DRS putting him at an even more unsightly -30 DRS in his career 1,861 innings (the equivalent of about 207 games) at the position.