Billy Beane, the A’s and the Astros’ approach

Billy Beane usually is the trendsetter, the out-of-the-box achiever who is closely watched around the baseball globe for what he does and doesn’t do with a relatively modest payroll.

So when the A’s general manager cited the Houston Astros for their innovative path from scuffling to contending, it was a significant tip of the green-and-gold cap to a team in the hunt two years removed from a third straight 100-loss season.

Beane mentioned the Astros to reporters after trading closer Tyler Clippard to the Mets for a Class A pitcher and starter Scott Kazmir to Houston for two prospects in A ball and before he got two more prospects in Tuesday’s Ben Zobrist-to-Kansas City trade.