The Winter Meetings will kick into high gear today, and by all accounts, the Oakland A’s brass is looking to leave Florida on Thursday with a new right-handed hitting outfielder on the team. Players like Marcell Ozuna, Avisail Garcia, and Christian Yelich (despite being a lefty) have been fun to discuss here on AthleticsNation, but just aren’t realistic - the acquisition cost will be too high, especially for Ozuna and Garcia, who have only two years of team control remaining.

Instead, let’s look into a few names that, while admittedly boring, are more likely acquisitions for the A’s to fill this hole on the roster.

The Rays have been sort of treading water for years now, and haven’t finished over .500 since grabbing a Wild Card spot in 2013. The AL East is looking to be a two-team dog fight between the reigning division champion Boston Red Sox and the up-and-coming New York Yankees, and the Rays don’t have the firepower to compete with either. It is very likely that the team will be selling this offseason, with the only question being how far they will go.

Kevin Kiermaier is fun to dream about, but chances are the Rays will hang onto him (and the prospect price would be incredibly high if they did decide to trade him). Instead, 28 year-old Steven Souza Jr. makes a lot of sense as a target for the A’s.

Originally acquired from the Washington Nationals in the three-team Wil Myers/Trea Turner mega deal, Souza enjoyed a breakout season in 2017. He smacked 30 homers, stole 16 bases, and more than doubled his walk rate from the season before. Ultimately, he was worth 3.7 fWAR (4.2 bWAR) in 148 games. The right-handed hitter is projected to earn $3.6 million in his first year of arbitration.

Despite being best known for one ill-timed diving attempt in Minnesota, by all accounts Souza is an average right fielder that can spot in center field in a pinch. He feels like a right-handed hitting Matt Joyce, but with more athleticism leading to better defense and double-digit stolen bases. With three years of team control remaining, he fits the club’s upcoming window very well.

Of the four players listed here, Souza will probably be the most expensive to acquire. Coming off a career year, he will not be anywhere close to a buy low. The deal would likely take both infielder Sheldon Neuse and righty Logan Shore, along with maybe a reclamation project in Jesse Hahn and/or perhaps a low level flier such as the recently acquired Alexander Campos. The cost is high, but Souza fills a hole and greatly improves the team for the next three seasons.

The Reds have been rebuilding for what seems like forever, but actually last made the playoffs as recently as the Rays, in 2013. Cincinnati is probably about a year behind the A’s in their rebuild, but could return to contention sooner than expected. That being said, Duvall does not figure to be a part of their long term plans, especially since he is already 29.

Duvall is possibly the most boring player imaginable for the A’s to acquire, and meets just about the bare minimum as an everyday player. Duvall brings an average glove and a league average bat to the table, without a ton of upside on either side. He has hit at least 30 home runs each of the last two seasons, but doesn’t walk enough to be an above average hitter. Perhaps he can become more patient as Khris Davis did this past season, but as of now he is what he is - an average, right-handed hitting outfielder.

Duvall isn’t sexy but would definitely be an upgrade for Oakland. He has four years of team control remaining, and as not much more than a league average player, likely would not have an incredibly high acquisition cost. The Reds would be exactly the team to take a gamble on a change-of-scenery arm like Hahn or Raul Alcantara, and maybe some outfield depth like Mark Canha or a fringe prospect like Sandber Pimentel. Overall, trading for Duvall means filling the hole for now in the form of a reliably average player, and likely nothing more.

The Padres are similarly deep into a rebuild that could come to fruition a couple of years down the line. A large portion of their rebuild has been focused on the international market, making their turnaround a bit slower than most. Thus, a 28 year-old Jose Pirela doesn’t have a long term fit on the team, regardless of team control remaining.

That being said, he does come with five years of team control, and enjoyed a breakout half season in 2017. He posted a 122 wRC+ in 82 games (344 plate appearances) with ten home runs and four stolen bases. While he played primarily left field, he is a versatile player, and also saw innings at first, second, third, and right field. Including his time in Triple-A, he slugged a combined 23 homers in 2017, destroying his previous career high of 10 back in Double-A in 2013.

In trading for Pirela, the A’s would be betting on a strong half season from an unproven 28 year-old with no real track record of past success. Realistically, Pirela is probably another Chad Pinder - offensive shortcomings, but valuable due to defensive versatility. Both Pinder and Pirela probably have 120 wRC+ potential with the bat to go along with this versatility, and having both on the roster simply increases the chances of having one pan out. Acquisition cost for such an unproven player is likely similar to that of Duvall - a roster bubble type like Hahn or Alcantara, and maybe a lower minors lottery ticket. Pirela is a much more exciting high risk, high reward acquisition, and one I would support the A’s in making.

Mike Mahtook, Detroit Tigers

The Tigers officially began a long overdue rebuild in 2017, trading a trio of Justins (Verlander, Upton, Wilson) along with catcher Alex Avila last summer to start restocking a dead farm system. The logical next step would be to sell high on a 28 year-old outfielder after a solid year, and signing buy-low veterans to try and flip midseason.

I’ve had my eye on Mahtook since his days in the Rays system, and I’m glad to see him finally having success. In all, he had a similar 2017 to Pirela, posting nearly identical strikeout and walk rates and a similar mix of power and speed. Mahtook was passable at all three outfield positions, but probably fits best in a corner, spotting in center field in a pinch. He comes with four years of team control remaining.

Mahtook is most likely a platoon fourth outfielder, but presents an upgrade over the Jake Smolinski/Mark Canha situation that Oakland currently has filling that role. Mahtook might not even be a bad full time corner outfielder - he won’t be a star, but he’ll get the job done. I could see the Tigers showing interest in a buy low arm such as Casey Meisner, and maybe another far off lottery ticket in Dakota Chalmers.

I’d love it if the A’s broke the bank and moved Franklin Barreto and others in a Christian Yelich mega-deal, but it simply isn’t realistic. The A’s haven’t made a similar blockbuster purchase since the first Jeff Samardzija trade, and at the time, the club had the best record in baseball. At this point in the rebuild, the A’s have still yet to eclipse .500. An addition like Yelich should be the finishing touch on a sure-fire contender, not the only guaranteed talent for what looks more like a pretender.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the A’s opened the wallet on a relatively expensive lefty relief arm like Jake McGee or a veteran starter like C.C. Sabathia, but I don’t expect them to invest more than $70 million on an aging Lorenzo Cain. Instead, the four options above offer team control, lower acquisition cost, and either a high ceiling or a high floor. They appear to be much more along the lines of a sneaky, underrated Oakland A’s pick-up, in the Khris Davis mold.

Let me know what you think of the four targets above, and if you have any similar names you like. Hopefully, we see a resolution to this issue by the end of this week, after the Winter Meetings. Whatever choice the team ultimately makes, it will fill an obvious hole on the team, and inch them closer to their return to contention.