It was another great season that ended in disappointment for the Oakland A's and their fans.  The green and gold won the AL West for the second year in a row and finished the season with a 96-66 record.  The A's entered the ALDS with revenge on their mind as they faced the Detroit Tigers, but for the second year in a row, the A's couldn't get it done as they lost to Justin Verlander and the Tigers in five games. 

Last year when the A's lost to Verlander in Game 5, it didn't sting as much because it was a Cinderella story season; it wasn't expected.  This year, the postseason was expected and the A's weren't content with just making an appearance.  What will haunt the A's this offseason is that they had this series won.  Game 4 was all Oakland.  Even when Daniel Straily gave up a three-run homer to tie the game, the A's were able to answer back quickly.  The pitching staff wasn't able to hold off the always dangerous Tigers lineup, as they forced a Game 5.  It's no secret the A's have trouble against Verlander, and want to avoid him like the plague in the postseason, because, well, Justin Verlander knows how to succeed in the playoffs.  The A's hitters weren't able to get anything going against the ace, and once again the Tigers celebrated advancing to the ALCS on the A's home turf.  So, what went wrong for the A's and what do they need to do to get passed the ALDS?

If you ask Josh Donaldson that question, his response would be to not play the Tigers in the playoffs anymore.  While most A's fans feel the same way, in reality the A's could have very well won the series.  Moving forward you never really know what general manager Billy Beane will do, but he's sure to build off this very good A's club, even if some guys won't be back in green and gold next year.  The A's did exactly what they needed to do, they took advantage of the Tigers bullpen and lesser starters, while they themselves had outstanding starting pitching and bullpen performances (aside from Game 4). 

If that trend was able to continue in Game 4, the A's would have been sitting pretty with a lot of confidence in an ALCS matchup against the Boston Red Sox.  The A's hitters came out swinging and used the long ball like they have all season.  Brandon Moss provided a lot of power and some big hits along with Coco Crisp, Seth Smith, Yoenis Cespedes, Stephen Vogt, and Jed Lowrie, but they still didn’t have enough power at the plate.  The A’s need to look into adding another bat this offseason that will provide a threat at the plate.  Chris Young won’t be back next year, which isn’t a bad thing.  The back-up outfielder didn’t have much success this season and didn’t make a postseason appearance.  Beane will look to replace him with a more consistent bat and someone he can have confidence in off the bench. 

Pitching wise, the starters did okay.  Sonny Gray was the star of the postseason for the A’s in Game 2.  Bartolo Colon is a free agent, and it’s unknown whether he’ll return.  If he doesn’t return, the A’s will have to bring in another starter with some experience.  They have pitching depth, but a veteran presence in the rotation will help them succeed. 

The real concern came with the bullpen.  Ryan Cook struggled, as he did toward the end of the season, Brett Anderson struggled, and Sean Doolittle didn’t have his best performance in Game 4 either.  All Star closer, Grant Balfour, is now a free agent and the A’s will most likely let him walk.  There’s been talks about Doolittle taking over the closing role, or even a guy like Dan Otero, who had a very nice postseason.  Regardless, the A’s need to bring in another bullpen arm to make it passed the ALDS next season.  Their pen has been inconsistent and they need some good, consistent arms in order to be a force in the playoffs.  Teams will bullpens that shut the opposition down have no problem in October, but teams with inconsistent pitching late in the game have some problems. 

Overall, it was another remarkable season for the A’s.  They weren’t expected to win the division nor make the playoffs, but they did.  There were higher expectations in that clubhouse this season, and this team isn’t happy about the way their season ended.  Add another power-hitter and a few new bullpen guys, this A’s team could do some magical things moving forward.