A’s fans express discontent with Josh Donaldson deal
One day after the Oakland A’s traded Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-for-1 deal, fans were still struggling to digest what they’d learned. Oakland’s best player — the stabilizing force in their lineup and on their infield — and arguably their most popular player, traded with next to no warning in a deal that struck many — including Josh Reddick — as a rebuilding move.
Understandably, it was a lot to take in. It’s also understandable that fans wouldn’t be quite ready to start looking on the bright side of things already on Saturday. And then this tweet popped up on the A’s Twitter feed touting the signing of Billy Butler to a three-year, $30 million deal.
For the record, A’s fans have been slow to accept this signing as well because Oakland’s roster is currently stacked with first baseman/designated hitters. Butler doesn’t provide the flexibility it appears the roster needs, and he’s a bit expensive by Oakland’s standards.
Putting all of those factors together, it should go without saying that responses to the A’s tweet were not pretty. Many were not clean, either, but these are a few we can actually show.
This next one is a pretty stiff shot at whatever Beane’s plan is right now.
About those team needs.
Poor Billy Butler is an innocent and helpless bystander as this avalanche of discontent engulfs the A’s. It’s a reaction that’s likely to continue until Beane plays all of his cards this offseason. Even then, it may not be enough to win over the fans, but the general feeling is this isn’t a rebuild as much as it is a retooling after completely collapsing down the stretch.
Time will tell how Beane’s plan plays out and ultimately works out, but for now A’s fans are annoyed, disillusioned and not at all shy about sharing those feelings.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
