Since Taylor Smith was named the Athletics‘ president of baseball operations, we have seen the club make a single roster move, trading for speedy Nate Eaton in a deal with the Boston Red Sox.
From this one move, it would appear as though the A’s are looking to improve the club’s athleticism, and with that, the team’s defense. Eaton doesn’t figure to be an everyday player, but instead a role player who could be a defensive replacement in the late innings.
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As we wrote after the trade, this could have an impact on Denzel Clarke’s immediate future with the club, given that the path to playing time with the A’s in the outfield just became even more difficult. Eaton is out of options and has a similar profile to Clarke, which means he will likely end up as a frontrunner for the fourth-outfielder spot on the roster to open the season.
After the season, A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Clarke would have to do a lot to change Kotsay’s mindset in terms of Clarke’s role with the club.
Between those comments and the first move of the offseason, Clarke’s role with the A’s is certainly up in the air.
One of the teams that Smith had previously been with before landing his role with the A’s was the Tampa Bay Rays, while new A’s GM Cam Castro was hired away from the Milwaukee Brewers. On an episode of the Effectively Wild podcast this week, former FanGraphs writers who now work for the Rays and Brewers came on the show to talk about competing for a World Series.
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Over an hour into the program, Jeff Sullivan, who works for the Rays, was talking about how each team’s internal data will end up having them thinking more highly of their own players than the public does, because you end up getting more of the players that your model likes.
He then mentioned Taylor Walls as an example of a player for Tampa Bay who fits that mold.
“He’s projected to be like a half-win player it looks like, looking at his FanGraphs page,” Sullivan said. “We know that’s not true. Of course, we know he struggles to hit, but he’s like the best defender in baseball, or at least the best defensive infielder in baseball.”
Sullivan went on to say that having that much of a difference in just one player is a huge boost for the Rays, and they think he’s multiple wins better than the public does.
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Walls, 30, earned 0.8 fWAR in 2026 while batting .222 with a .309 OBP and a 74 wRC+. He’s spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, and that 0.8 fWAR is tied for his best season, while his best hitting season was when he posted an 84 wRC+ in 2023. Yet the Rays, one of the clubs the A’s will be trying to model themselves after, find him valuable because of his defense.
While his outs above average (-3) and fielding run value (-2) graded out below league average, Walls’ +21 defensive runs saved were tied for third across all positions in MLB. So if you’re looking for which metric the Rays could be using, DRS seems like the clear favorite.
Smith and Castro have been in those same circles of how to evaluate players internally, so they could be bringing over that same type of assessment for a player like Clarke.
As a rookie in 2025, the A’s center fielder posted a +7 DRS in just 383 ⅔ innings and was making a highlight-reel catch at least once a week. When he’s on the field, he’s one of the best defensive players at his position.
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The issue with Clarke has been keeping him healthy, as he has only been able to play 87 games with the A’s in two seasons. When you add in his own offensive struggles in 2026, which included a .158 average with a .238 OBP and just an 11 wRC+, it’s tough to see a quick path to the big leagues for him with the A’s crowded roster.
The A’s could work him into being a slightly better bat by giving him reps in the minor leagues, but they could also run into a couple of issues with that plan.
The first would be the risk that, if he doesn’t piece it together quickly, the shine is off him as a potential trade candidate. It would be better for the club to move him more quickly while he has options to burn for that development time, and before he ages too much more. He’ll be entering his age-27 season in 2027.
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The Toronto Blue Jays could be in the market for a new center fielder, though Brett Bateman had a nice rookie run down the stretch. Clarke is from Toronto and could fit in nicely there. The one issue would be that the Jays need offense after scoring the fewest runs in MLB in 2026, and Clarke wouldn’t immediately help them there.
The A’s could likely get a middle-of-the-rotation arm for Clarke, and for this team, a league-average pitcher would be a huge boost.
The other factor that could push the A’s towards that trade route would be the emergence of Henry Bolte in 2026. His defense isn’t quite at the same level as Clarke’s because nobody’s is, but he finished with +5 DRS as a rookie and showed improvement over the course of the season.
Bolte is also the fastest player in baseball and hit .277 with a .359 OBP and a 111 wRC+, and if he adds a little loft to his swing, he’ll be a superstar with the tools he possesses.
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Defense could be a focal point for the A’s moving forward, but Bolte has center field locked down for the A’s. There is certainly value in what Clarke brings to the baseball field, but whether that value remains with the A’s or moves to another club will be determined by the new regime.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
