For the last three years, the Oakland A’s have finished in the cellar of the AL West. They made three straight trips to the postseason in 2012-14 but didn’t advance past the ALDS in any of them, and then their window of contention slammed shut faster than anyone expected. The collapse was so stunning that it took at least a year before the rebuild truly began, causing the process to take longer than it needed to, but they did finally shift their focus to building a new winner from within.
Now, entering 2018, the tough times are beginning to pay off.