The shortstop position is a touchy subject for Oakland A’s fans these days.
For six years it belonged to Marcus Semien, but he got away on a one-year free agent contract and is now an MVP candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays. To replace him, the A’s swapped salary dumps with the Texas Rangers and received Elvis Andrus, a former All-Star coming off two unproductive and injury-marred seasons.
The gambit immediately appeared to go sour. Semien bounced back from his 2020 off-year and blossomed with his new club, winning AL Player of the Month honors in May, while Andrus spent April as a virtual auto-out in Oakland’s lineup.