Oakland's teardown of their 2014 wild-card team continues unabated with the Monday trade of Jeff Samardzija for a package that seems to emphasize quantity (especially in terms of total years of control remaining) over quality, the inverse of how they acquired Samardzija in the first place.

The most recognizable name for the A's is infielder Marcus Semien, a utility guy who might be a passable starter at second base but whose passive, low-contact approach at the plate makes it more likely he'll end up an extra guy.