With all the furor over the ailing free-agent market during the offseason, the A’s have stood off to the side, watching the Players Association and Major League Baseball bicker over other teams behaving exactly as the A’s do annually.
Low payrolls are Oakland’s modus operandi — perhaps you’ll recall the book and movie “Moneyball” about the A’s ability to do more with less — and the team seldom chases even medium-priced free agents. Now, much of baseball is under fire for similar tactics because nearly 100 free agents remain unsigned, including big names such as Jake Arrieta, Eric Hosmer and J.