SAN DIEGO -- The A’s have very few needs to address at the Winter Meetings thanks to a strong foundation of young talent built up over the years, but one position remains a big question mark.

Jurickson Profar spent his 2019 campaign as Oakland’s everyday second baseman. With his departure in a trade with the Padres last week for catcher Austin Allen and a player to be named later, second base is now left as their only true vacancy in the starting lineup.

“We’ve got some internal guys that will potentially be part of that answer. It’s also possible we complement them with someone as well,” A’s executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said Monday. “I think that’s how we’re going to approach that. We’re still pretty right-handed, so a left-handed hitter at one of those positions might help.”

Beane and company certainly have good reason to pursue a left-handed bat for the spot. Of the A’s current projected Opening Day roster, first baseman Matt Olson and switch-hitting left fielder Robbie Grossman are the only left-handed options. However, the three contenders for the second-base job -- Franklin Barreto, Jorge Mateo and Sheldon Neuse -- are all right-handed hitters.

There’s also the issue of Barreto and Mateo -- two talented young players who have yet to receive a full chance in the big leagues -- both being out of Minor League options, which certainly plays a factor in what the club decides to do at the position. The A’s would like to find a way to keep both players on the roster. At the same time, they do not want to force themselves into that situation if it would come at the cost of another player who might be more beneficial in helping them surpass the hump of postseason elimination in the Wild Card Game over the past two seasons.

You also have to look ahead to 2021, when shortstop Marcus Semien is set to become a free agent. Were the 2019 American League MVP finalist to sign elsewhere, having Barreto and/or Mateo in the fold and ready to slot in at shortstop would definitely soften the blow of that loss. If either of those players were placed on waivers, they would likely be snatched up in a heartbeat by another club given their impressive Minor League numbers.

“It’s part of our offseason and how we proceed. They’re two really talented guys, and in a normal year, we say they’re talented and will be on our team next year," Beane said. “The interesting dynamic we have now is that we have a really good team and there’s not a lot of spots open. Both of those guys are versatile, so that helps a ton. That being said, we also have to respect the fact that it’s a team we think is good and we want to make sure every spot on the roster is being utilized with someone who is really contributing.”

Defense is also part of the equation. While the rest of the infield is filled with premium gloves -- Olson and Matt Chapman having won Gold Glove Awards at the corners and Semien a Gold Glove finalist at short -- defense will not be overlooked when it comes to second base. Part of the A’s trading away Profar was due to his defensive struggles throughout the season, and the A’s would like to find an upgrade in that aspect of the position.

“We have a really good infield defense. We had some trouble at second base with Jurickson, even though he did a nice job for us,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “But if we could add another stellar defensive performer at second base, we could have probably the best infield defense in the league, in my opinion.

“Right now as we sit here, Franklin Barreto, Mateo, Neuse, [Chad] Pinder are all viable options. If one of those guys is our second baseman, I would be happy with it. Whether it’s Barreto finally getting an opportunity that he hasn’t had before, Mateo is a terrific player, and Neuse did a great job for us last year for a guy who had played mostly on the other side of the diamond.”

As far as left-handed options, the A’s did sign veteran infielder Ryan Goins to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Other available second-base free agents the A's could be in contact with over the next few days who would fit the mold of versatile left-handed bats include Brock Holt, Asdrubal Cabrera, Cesar Hernandez and Joe Panik.

“We’re probably going to look for some left-handed bats at some point in time, and that’s one of the positions where we could do that,” Melvin said. “Anything we can add to the mix we have right now will benefit. We’ll let Billy and [A’s general manager] David [Forst] do their thing, and my guess is they’ll bring some other guys in.”

“We have a really good infield defense. We had some trouble at second base with Jurickson, even though he did a nice job for us,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “But if we could add another stellar defensive performer at second base, we could have probably the best infield defense in the league, in my opinion.

“Right now as we sit here, Franklin Barreto, Mateo, Neuse, [Chad] Pinder are all viable options. If one of those guys is our second baseman, I would be happy with it. Whether it’s Barreto finally getting an opportunity that he hasn’t had before, Mateo is a terrific player, and Neuse did a great job for us last year for a guy who had played mostly on the other side of the diamond.”

As far as left-handed options, the A’s did sign veteran infielder Ryan Goins to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Other available second-base free agents the A's could be in contact with over the next few days who would fit the mold of versatile left-handed bats include Brock Holt, Asdrúbal Cabrera, César Hernández and Joe Panik.

“We’re probably going to look for some left-handed bats at some point in time, and that’s one of the positions where we could do that,” Melvin said. “Anything we can add to the mix we have right now will benefit. We’ll let Billy and [A’s general manager] David [Forst] do their thing, and my guess is they’ll bring some other guys in.”