Jack Cust has been the most productive A’s hitter over the past 3 years, and I think it’s time we got rid of him. The number one reason why is that he’s a DH. Being a valuable hitter at DH really doesn’t mean that much anymore. There are a dozen productive hitters who will be looking for teams this offseason who can only really play if they’re DH. That makes Cust’s value over any ol’ replacement very low. Cust is also expensive for someone who can’t play in the field, or does poorly when he tries to.

Oakland is loaded with young talent that can play outfield and share time in a DH role if needed. I’ve never been a big fan of having a player who only plays DH, because they really need to produce a lot at the plate to make up for the fact that they’ll hurt your team if you ever put a glove on their hand. The only DH over the past 15 years who I think added a lot of value to his team was Edgar Martinez, and that was only because he was such a spectacular hitter in his prime. A just above-average hitter at DH takes up a roster spot and much needed payroll, and the team would be better off using the DH as a sort of half-rest day for the true position players. Let the starting catcher DH once a week, and have the outfielders share DH duty the rest of the time. We’ve got plenty of outfielders, and they’re too valuable to have full-time positions on the bench.

I’ve got nothing against Jack Cust, I just don’t think he fits in with the way I would want to handle the DH on the club. The A’s can still get value for him now, so I think they should do it. They won’t lose much in the short term, and they’ll gain a lot in the long term.

Tags: baseball, designated hitter, dh, jack cust, oakland as, oakland athletics