The recent exits of Cliff Pennington and Stephen Drew have put Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s back in the market for a shortstop. At his age (50), Beane is unlikely to fill the void with someone more than half his age. Which is to say, the young Addison Russell is probably not mature enough for such a relationship. This means Beane will look to the free agent market.

Unfortunately for Beane, the free agent market for shortstops is thin. His choices are so limiting that the he could look to rekindle his relationship with ex-shortstop Stephen Drew, though Drew has made it clear that he won’t be had a bargain.

Ultimately, there is no telling who Beane might be interested in. Because of that, I decided to do a little investigating 1. What I found might surprise you.

Through my sources 2, I was able to secure a personnel ad placed by Beane 3, as well as some replies sent to Beane’s personal email 4.

The Ad

The Replies

How the free agent will shake out is yet to be seen, obviously. Plus, with Beane’s depth in the outfield, it is possible that he acquires a shortstop via trade. Still, I would imagine that Marco Scutaro might be a top choice, though the market might price Beane out of the running. If I were a betting man, I would bet on Stephen Drew’s return.

…
1. By investigation, I mean: I used photoshop to make this stuff
2. My sources are Adobe Photoshop
3. Not placed by Beane
4. Not Beane’s personal email.