CSN Bay Area

There’s been a whole lot for A’s fans to absorb in the past few months, from a heartbreaking loss in the Wild Card game to trade after trade after trade of All-Star players.

But it’s the holiday season, and with that in mind, let’s take a look at five things that should make the wish list of all A’s fans. No, we’re not mentioning a new ballpark here. Even Santa is stumped on that request.

1) Trades that surprise you (in a good way)

This offseason so far has been punctuated by the departure of four All-Stars in Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija and Derek Norris.

The indications from the front office, however, is that the narrative is about to shift. Having shrunk the payroll and stockpiled prospects and pitching depth, the A’s now are looking to upgrade the roster for the 2015 season, and such move(s) might come via trade. Second base seems the most obvious position to be targeted, and the A’s have been linked to Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist going back to last season. Oakland might end up platooning again at catcher, but is there an everyday backstop out there that catches G.M. Billy Beane’s eye and is attainable?

[RELATED: More moves coming, but which road do A's take?]

2) A daily cup of Coco

If you had a nickel for every time you read how important Coco Crisp is to the A’s offense, well, you’d have a whole lot of nickels.

But there’s no getting around it: The switch-hitting leadoff man needs to be healthy and remain in the lineup on a daily basis. His importance is magnified with the trade of middle-of-the-lineup anchors such as Donaldson and Moss. An offseason of rest should help cure the neck pain that plagued Crisp last season. Given that he’s 35 and owed $22.75 million over the next two seasons, it seems Crisp is one veteran that would be difficult to deal, so he appears in the plans for 2015. Then again, it wasn’t long ago that Donaldson was considered untouchable too.

3) An All-Star encore from Kaz

What a story Scott Kazmir made last season by making the All-Star team for the first time since 2008. With Samardzija and Jon Lester both out of the picture, Oakland could sure use another dominant first half from the left-hander. It would take some of the pressure off Sonny Gray, and it would help stabilize the rotation until Jarrod Parker and/or A.J. Griffin return from Tommy John surgery and provide reinforcement.

[RELATED: A's position-by-position breakdown: Starting rotation]

Kazmir showed signs of wearing down over the second half last season, but a career-high 15 wins and 3.55 ERA looked pretty good when all was said and done.

4) For The Infield Of The Future to stay intact

We’ve been down this road before. Addison Russell, Daniel Robertson and Matt Olson – a trio of top picks from the 2012 draft -- seemed destined to patrol Oakland’s infield together at some point. Russell was dealt last season to the Chicago Cubs to acquire Samardija and Jason Hammel, squashing that vision. But the A’s still have a bright future around the infield with Robertston (a shortstop, like Russell), Olson (a power-hitting first baseman) and two quality third-base prospects in Matt Chapman and Renato Nunez.

Rangel Ravelo, a 22-year-old corner infielder acquired in the Samardzija deal, could factor into the big league picture sooner than any of them. And 18-year-old shortstop Franklin Barreto, part of the return from the Donaldson trade, is a few years away but could be something special. Point is, the A’s have a combination of infielders coming through the farm system that could entrench themselves at the major league level … if they aren’t traded away.

5) That you won’t miss the magic of Muni

This is geared toward those who make the trek to spring training. The A’s are leaving Phoenix Municipal Stadium and making their new spring home at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, where the Cubs trained for years. It will be a more spacious stadium with some very nice renovations, and A’s players will benefit greatly from the new training facility down the road at Fitch Park. Here’s hoping the new digs make up for the charm, character and history the A’s are leaving behind at Phoenix Muni, which may have been antiquated but had the feel of what the Cactus League is all about.

And in case you’re wondering, just 57 days until A’s pitchers and catchers report.

Happy Holidays to all …