Following yet another sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels, the Athletics now sit at 26-44, 12.5 games back in the AL West, and 11 back in the AL wild-card race. If they went on an extreme heater, they could get back into things, but the way things have been going, including an 0-7 record against the Angels, and a current 14-game losing streak on the road, the front office has to focus on next year.

A lot has been made about the way that Sutter Health Park plays, and it being a more hitter-friendly environment, which is true. The A’s home ranks No. 2 in ballpark factors behind just Coors Field, and while that’s not a great place to be, there is also some other data that should be accounted for before we jump to conclusions.

The A’s team ERA at home is 5.85. Gah! Park factors! On the road, that falls to 5.40. Gah? Park factors? Both of those rank No. 29 in baseball, with the Rockies holding a worse ERA at home, and the Miami Marlins ranking behind the A’s on the road. The Rockies actualy rank No. 26 with a 4.91 ERA on the road, which is nearly a run and a half better than at home. Now those are some park factors.

It would appear as though the A’s problem is more the personnel than the park.

Now, before we get a little ahead of ourselves, the A’s pitching has been better since the addition of Mitch Spence to the rotation and the returns of T.J. McFarland and Michael Kelly to the bullpen. Since June 5, the A’s have a 3.82 ERA as a team, yet they’re 3-4 in that stretch. If they can continue to pitch like this, then there should be more wins ahead than there have been in the recent past.

That said, they’ll still need an infusion of talent to get them to where they’re hoping to go in future seasons, which is a return to October baseball. The A’s have already spent some money in free agency, and that was before they unveiled their home ballpark in West Sacramento, which is getting less than rave reviews from visiting players.

Even if ownership wanted to add another player or two this offseason, luring them could be a more difficult task than last winter. That’s also before we take into account that the contracts owed to Luis Severino, Brent Rooker, and Lawrence Butler will go up by close to $10 million, in addition to JP Sears, Shea Langeliers, JJ Bleday, and Mason Miller all hitting arbitration this winter.

Money could be a little tighter, especially when construction is slated to begin on the A’s proposed ballpark in Las Vegas in the coming weeks.

All this is to say that the best way forward for the Athletics will likely be the trade route, and in order to get an impact arm that could make a difference, it may take a bat or two to make it happen. There are obviously guys like Seth Brown, Miguel Andujar (free agent), and Bleday that could be made available with the A’s already not having room in the outfield for one of their top prospects in Colby Thomas.

The problem is, those guys aren’t going to bring back a game-changing arm. The A’s may have to go a little deeper into the offense that they’d like. Max Muncy is a young prospect that has shown promise in his rookie campaign, and could be a valuable trade chip. Catching prospect Daniel Susac could be another guy they’d consider moving, with Shea Langeliers firmly entrenched behind the plate.

Of course, they could move some arms, but as we established, the arms are kind of the problem right now. The guys that the team feels will have success, they’ll want to keep around. That would be your Mason Miller types. There are others that wouldn’t hold a ton of trade value, due to the poor performance.

The A’s are caught in a tough spot right now, too, because ownership is trying to show that things are completely different now that the team is out of Oakland. No more trading top guys away to build for a better tomorrow. Now, the A’s sign players to extensions! If they go against that and make a trade that doesn’t end up working out, then the public perception will sour and it will be the same old A’s.

The team is already having a hard time getting people in Sacramento or Las Vegas excited about their product, and a trade that doesn’t work out could drive away even more fans. At the same time, it’s kind of the only path forward.

There are hot young prospects in the minor leagues that are generating buzz, like Luis Morales, Gage Jump, and Jack Perkins, but when they all make it to the big leagues, they’ll be works in progress and they’ll take time to establish themselves in The Show. They’ll be helpful down the line, but the A’s need guys that can help immediately.

If only the team still played in Oakland, one of the league’s most pitcher-friendly ballparks, then the A’s future outlook may be more in line with where they were hoping it would be.

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