The Oakland A's should free [insert player name here]

Sit down. Take a deep breath. I have some news for you.

The Oakland A's are bad.

There. It's out there. It's hard to tell by their record and in spite of what the Orioles are telling you, this isn't a good baseball team. That combined with the upcoming 40 man roster crunch (which could feasibly be defeated by one of those turn-the-whole-roster over offseasons) makes August and September a quest for answers regarding some fringe players. Let's talk about which youngsters should get a cup of coffee to determine their true value.

The arguments for more playing time

Brett Eibner

Eibner has options remaining, so if by some miracle the A's do find themselves with a full outfield next season, they can stash Eibner in the minor leagues without losing him. Still, he's got nothing left to do in the minors, his stats don't indicate a platoon player, and the outfield isn't good enough to not give a shot to the lottery ticket the A's acquired in the Billy Burns trade. His defense alone probably makes him the most valuable centerfielder on this roster, and that's without considering the upside his bat rings.

My take: play him every day in center

Joey Wendle

In spite of never proving all that much at Nashville, Wendle has nothing left to gain from being at that level. For the second consecutive year, he started slow but came on strong late and with a reportedly excellent glove, Wendle could feasibly be a league average, slightly more offensive Eric Sogard type at second.

I'd say it's unlikely Wendle eclipses a single win as a major league baseball player, but it's time to find out what he's got.

My take: play him every day at second

Arismendy Alcantara

With no options left, Alcantara is basically big league or bust in 2017. With a versatile glove that's solid around the diamond and a bat with legitimate upside, it shouldn't be hard for Alcantara to crack the roster, especially when there are four to five guys who could use a defensive replacement late in the game on any given night.

My take: Get him a fair share of at bats and move him around the diamond, and for gods sake, give Marcus Semien a day off every now and then.

Bruce Maxwell

I'm a little puzzled as to why Maxwell is on this roster as Matt McBride's right handed ways made him a better platoon backup fit. If he's up, Maxwell should play, which is tough since Stephen Vogt is one of the better catchers in the league. You can take some at bats away from Vogt, but not enough to gain much for Maxwell.

My take: Maxwell might be better suited playing at AAA, but since he's up, find a way to get him in the lineup with at least some regularity without sacrificing at bats to Vogt.

The displaced

Max Muncy

It's a good time for Muncy, who has looked surprisingly spry on defense, to get some at bats too, though it's hard to say where he should get he bulk of his time. Wendle is a more intriguing option at second, and I'd argue that he's more likely to stick there. Muncy's mild defensive versatility makes him an intriguing option as the 25th guy, but his upside falls short of being an everyday guy.

Coco Crisp

I love Coco as much as you do. I really do. But he's best suited in a part time role, and taking him out of the everyday lineup would let an Eibner or Alcantara snag some ever telling at bats.

Jake Smolinski against RHP

He's had a great season and his defensive versatility is a welcome sight, even if he's probably not suited as an everyday player. Even this year, where he's been fantastic, he's barely hitting RHP at all and there's no doubt he's a platoon player.

Billy Butler....?

I'm still fully on board the be done with Billy Butler train as we near the end of the third straight year of him being a bad baseball player. But, in the dude's defense, he's hit like a real pro these last few weeks. His season batting line is respectable and he's doing what's asked by mashing left handed pitchers. It probably wouldn't be a good look to DFA him during a hot stretch and considering the A's haven't done it in the 2,000,000 opportunities they've had before, there's no doubt Butler's spot is safe, especially with rosters expanding in three short weeks.

Still, while Billy Butlers fortunately don't grow on trees, it's not hard to find a left handed mashing hitter with no defensive value. The A's probably have one in Mark Canha and if they did cut the But, they could probably awkwardly re-sign him if they really did need a platoon masher at a later date.

Your thoughts? Who should the A's play more and show should play less?