The Oakland A’s signed a free agent on Wednesday, left-handed OF Matt Joyce — or, possibly, platoon DH Matt Joyce.
It’s not the biggest move in the world, at two years and $11 million total. He’s not the most exciting name even in this thin outfield market, between established guys like Cespedes and Fowler and even the tantalizing power upside of wild card Eric Thames. But if you’re looking for signs of life out of the A’s after a pair of last-place seasons, then I have good news: this is exactly the kind of quiet, shrewd pickup that winning A’s teams have made in the past.