A’s Trade for Kila Ka’aihue; Add Mediocrity to Mediocre 1B Situation

Let’s face it — when the A’s acquired Kila Ka’aihue from the Royals on Tuesday, they simply added another mediocre Major League hopeful who crushes it in Triple-A but will probably never get it on the big league level to an already disastrous first base situation.  Ever since Jason Giambi jumped ship for the big bucks and bright lights of New York in 2002, the first base situation for the A’s has been a relative mess.  Sure, Nick Swisher brought some productivity to the  position when he was moved in from the outfield back in 2006, but you can add Ka’aihue’s name to a shameful list that includes such greats as Scott Hatteberg, Eric Karros, Erubiel Durazo, Dan Johnson, and Daric Barton.  You can throw in a post-steroidal Giambi and a way-past-his-prime Nomar to the mix as well if you like as well.  How the A’s end up mixing in Ka’aihue into the 1B/DH mix will ultimately be decided next spring, but fantasy owners are already speculating the potential ugliness for the A’s in 2012.

With names like Barton, Chris Carter, and Brandon Allen already present and vying for starting roster spots, adding Ka’aihue screams eventual platoon situation.  Throw in the fact that, while Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui are impending free agents, there’s a chance the A’s will try to re-sign atleast one of them or if not, some other veteran bat(s) in their stead.  And while we’re at it, let’s not forget prospect Michael Taylor who, depending on what the A’s do with their outfield, could need to steal some DH at bats to get him into the mix.  There’s little chance the A’s keep them all on the 25 man active roster, but there will be enough of them around to dilute at bats for any potential fantasy candidate.

Allen was a strong hopeful for most people.  His power was developing and it looked like all he needed was an opportunity, something he couldn’t seem to get in Arizona.  But, for the most part, he’s struggled at the plate over the last month and a half and opened the door for the team to bring in someone like Ka’aihue whose minor league OBP and walk rate have a guy like Billy Beane swooning.  Forget about the fact that he hasn’t brought it to the big league table yet, that’s not important right now.

Fantasy owners will, more than likely, bypass the A’s first base situation for yet another year if they know what’s good for them.  With the position so deep, it would almost be suicidal to draft someone from Oakland as your primary first baseman; or even as your regular corner infielder for that matter.  Allen will get a shot,  Barton will get a shot, Ka’aihue will get a shot.  Who knows, maybe even Carter will get a full shot as well.  There are just too many names in the mix here. Obviously there is still plenty to be determined, but from the looks of things right now it appears to be yet another revolving door at the position with very little chance of it changing anytime soon.  Maybe someone will step up and take command of the job and surprise us all, but the reality of this situation is that maybe they won’t.