Last winter, the hot commodity was outfielders, specifically center fielders. If you had one, you could ask for the world in exchange. If you were one, you could expect to become quite wealthy. If you needed one, then it was time to start selling kidneys to raise funds.
The Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s were two teams looking for a CF during that seller’s market. The clubs were on opposite ends of the contention spectrum, with one pushing their chips all-in and the other committed to rebuilding, and as such they employed different strategies in their pursuits. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we can look back on how it all worked out, and how their stories became interwoven.