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The Oakland A’s won’t have to worry about losing a large quantity of players this offseason in free agency as they only have two players who can test the open market.  Those players are the A’s two All-Stars in Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour.

Most of the players who were instrumental in bringing a second straight A.L. West title to Oakland are under team control.  Then there are the several players with contract options such as Coco Crisp, Kurt Suzuki, Chris Young and Brett Anderson.

Anderson can be bought out for $1.5 million or can have his option exercised and be on the 2014 roster for $8 million.  

When you combine a low-payroll team like the Oakland A’s and an injury-prone player who has appeared in 22 games between the last two seasons, the outcome is not good.  Oakland will be paying him $8 million when he has not played more than 20 games in a season since 2009.

When you do the math, the A’s would save $6.5 million to buy out Anderson and let him walk.  For the small-market A’s, that amount of money could be put to a much better purpose.

Oakland will need to compete financially with the open market to re-sign Balfour and Colon. If the A’s could offer that $6.5 million to Balfour instead of Anderson, they will have a much better shot at keeping their All-Star closer.

There was a time when Anderson looked like the future ace of the A’s rotation, but the times have changed in Oakland.  The A’s have Sonny Gray, Dan Straily, Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone and more prospects who are far cheaper than Anderson and can play all—or at least most—of the season.  I didn’t include Colon on that list because of his free-agent status.

I’m not against Anderson staying in Oakland.  If the A’s were to buy him out and then re-sign him with a cheaper, incentives-based contract, they would save some money and keep a pitcher with potential.  The A’s could continue to use him as a relief pitcher to see if that helps his durability issues.  

I am against paying him $8 million when he has not proven himself capable of playing a full season.  That’s $500,000 more for Anderson than Coco Crisp’s club-option is worth.  There is no way that Anderson means more to Oakland than Crisp.  The A’s can’t afford the mistake of exercising Anderson’s club-option for 2014. 

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The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is approaching, and the Oakland A’s are in a position similar to where they were at this time last year.  Back then, the A’s were just in the playoff hunt, but this year, they find themselves as division leaders at the deadline.

Last year, Oakland’s general manager Billy Beane opted to acquire talent rather than deal talent at the deadline, and the A’s went out and acquired shortstop Stephen Drew.  The A’s could use help in the middle infield again.  

Adam Rosales, Eric Sogard and Grant Green have been unimpressive in their attempts to deliver at second base.  Green is still looking for his first MLB hit.

With that in mind, the A’s could target a veteran like Chase Utley.  Now that the Texas Rangers have acquired Matt Garza from the Cubs, the A’s could feel hard-pressed to also acquire a big-name player before the deadline.

That would be one option for the A’s to consider.  Another option would be to be patient with Green as he adjusts to the MLB talent level.  After all, Utley is in a contract year, just like Drew was when Oakland acquired him last year.  Drew left in free agency after just a few months in Oakland.  Utley is making $15 million (according to Spotrac) this year, so re-signing him would be no easy task for the small-market A’s.

Oakland’s most dire position right now is second base.  If the A’s feel the need for a pitcher, they should look no further than Triple-A, where Sonny Gray is waiting.  More pitching help will also arrive when Brett Anderson returns from the DL.

The same can be said for Oakland’s under-performing outfield.  If the A’s want help in the outfield, Michael Taylor is in Triple-A with Gray.  

The A’s have had a revolving door at second base for over a year, with names like Jemile Weeks, Cliff Pennington, Rosales, Sogard and Green trying to secure the job.  Utley is not living up to his $15 million contract, as he is hitting .279 with 13 homers and 36 RBI.  Still, those numbers do look much better than anything Oakland has had at second base in a long time.

Utley would have a quicker stint in Oakland than Matt Holiday, but he could be the missing piece that helps catapult the A’s from being division champions to World Series champions.  

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The Oakland A’s made a couple of transactions yesterday by claiming a couple of minor league right-handers off waivers, and to make room the A’s designated Daric Barton and Travis Blackley for assignment.

Barton has been up and down for the last several years in Oakland. The first-base job has been his to lose for a while and, finally, the A’s found a power hitter in Brandon Moss to replace Barton. Barton had a stellar glove in the field, but lacked production at the plate.

As for Blackley, he was claimed off waivers on May 15, 2012 after the Giants let him go. Blackley became a reliable arm in the bullpen and was good to make a spot start in the rotation when needed. Blackley ended up starting 15 games in 2012, going 6-4, and had an ERA of 3.86 in his 24 total appearances.

Among Blackley‘s 15 starts, he started the second-to-last game of the regular season against the Texas Rangers. The win kept the A’s alive in the race for the AL West and led to their eventual division title in a sensational season.  

That was last year, though, and the A’s need to revamp their team to defend the division title in 2013. The A’s stocked up on relief pitching over the offseason and Blackley, and his poor spring performance, became expendable in the eyes of the A’s.  

Blackley is out of options so he must clear waivers for the A’s to be able to send him to Triple-A Sacramento. If Blackley does clear waivers, he must also accept the assignment to Sacramento. He tweeted what appears to be a goodbye letter to the A’s and the fans as if to signal he isn’t interested in playing in the minors to stay with the organization.

It is still possible that Blackley accepts the demotion to Triple-A and rejoins the team at some point in the regular season. It is also possible that Blackley joins a group of Jonny Gomes, Brandon Inge and Brandon McCarthy as guys who the A’s had to let go.

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The Oakland A’s were doing a good job of staying healthy this spring until Tuesday.  The A’s suffered two injuries with Hiroyuki Nakajima and Adam Rosales getting hurt.

Nakajima jokingly downplayed his injury to the Japanese media as a cramp, but Rosales’ injury got him put on the 15-day DL.  

Rosales was a part of the wide-open competition for the job opening at second base and was strongly considered a lock to make the Opening Day 25-man roster because of his versatility.  Along with his versatility, Rosales was hitting .324 with three home runs during the spring.

The A’s were beginning to narrow down their spring roster after sending Jemile Weeks to Triple-A.  With Weeks gone, Scott Sizemore, Eric Sogard, Hiroyuki Nakajima and Andy Parrino are still competing for the remaining roster spots that remain open before Opening Day.

Although Weeks was out of the picture, the A’s still had many tough decisions to make with the competitions for the middle infield spots.  

So there lies the blessing in disguise to Rosales’ injury.  Rosales going on the DL opens up a roster spot for two weeks, giving Bob Melvin more time to figure out his 25-man roster.

With Rosales inactive, the A’s can take more time to answer their questions about their 25-man roster.  One of the questions is whether or not Nakajima is ready for the majors.  Another question is whether or not Sogard can continue his hot spring in the majors.  Another is whether or not Lowrie should be a utility guy or a starter.

With all those questions around the roster, the A’s are fortunate to get more time to get it right. It is unfortunate it had to be with the cost of Rosales for two weeks.

Rosales will surely take a roster spot upon his return from injury, but it will buy the A’s time to make up their minds.

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In 2012, the Oakland A’s called up a minor league first baseman named Brandon Moss, and he proved his worth to the team, hitting 21 home runs with a batting average of .291.  

In 2013, the A’s are taking another risk on a minor league first baseman.  This year, it is Nate Freiman who is getting his chance after the A’s claimed him off waivers from their new division rivals in Houston (csncalifornia.com).

Why is it significant that the A’s are claiming some minor league first baseman off waivers?  

First of all, he is automatically on the 40-man roster now.  Also, if he is designated for assignment by the A’s, the San Diego Padres (the team who originally drafted him) have a chance to take him back if they want him because of the MLB rules.

The A’s have been searching for a right-handed first baseman to complement Brandon Moss since the A’s traded Moss’ platoon-mate, Chris Carter, to the Astros for Jed Lowrie.

Freiman, in 137 games last year, hit 24 homers and 105 RBI in Double-A ball.  This spring, he is hitting .278 in the Cactus League. He owns a career .294 batting average in four minor league seasons.

This is a low-risk, high-reward situation for the A’s.  If he fails to provide the power he has shown in the minors, then the A’s just waive him.  If his power translates to the majors, then the A’s could have the 2013 version of Brandon Moss.  

Also, Freiman would be platoon-mates with Moss.  They could give the A’s a new power-hitting duo at first base.

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Coming into spring training, the A’s had five potential starters battling for playing time at second base in 2013.  Surely the A’s could find a starter in a pool of players consisting of Jemile Weeks, Scott Sizemore, Jed Lowrie, Adam Rosales and even Andy Parrino.

Yet the A’s find themselves just more than two weeks from opening day and nobody has emerged from the crowd.  

Weeks was off to a hot start only to get a shoulder injury to derail his momentum.  Sizemore has been in a horrible slump with three hits in 24 at-bats this spring.  Rosales is hitting .294 but has been a bench player for most of his career.  Parrino is a switch-hitter hitting .333 with a .407 OBP but is in the same boat as Rosales.

Then there’s Jed Lowrie who is perhaps the best-suited man on the 25-man roster for the everyday job but he is likely going to be used as a utility player.  His role is giving days off to the rest of the infield as he starts around the diamond.  

The A’s were able to make a playoff team out of a group of outcast players and unknown prospects in 2012. Does that mean they would be willing to have Parrino or Rosales as the opening-day second baseman?  

Regardless of who is on the opening-day roster, the A’s also relied on frequent calls to Triple-A Sacramento last year for extra players.  Brandon Hicks and Brandon Moss are perfect examples of the A’s willingness to promote a player to help the team.  

With that in mind, does it really matter who is the A’s opening-day second baseman?  If that opening-day starter struggles out of the gate, Bob Melvin and Billy Beane will be quick to make the call to Sacramento looking for an upgrade.

With just a little over two weeks until opening day, the A’s are unlikely to acquire any new players via free agency or trades.  The A’s opening-day second baseman is with the team now, but who is it?  

It could be anyone wearing green and gold right now.

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The hottest position competition for the Oakland A’s this spring is at second base, which is where one of their hottest hitters happens to play his defense.

Jemile Weeks has had an up-and-down career, having been called up from the minors in 2011, being deemed untouchable in trades that offseason and then being sent back to the minors in 2012.

With the A’s trading Cliff Pennington and losing Stephen Drew in free agency, Weeks has gotten his chance to climb back to the top.  

Weeks has missed some time with an injury this spring, but before getting hurt he was off to a hot start, hitting .545 with a home run in 11 at-bats.

Weeks has given a small sample size, and it is only spring training, but it is worth questioning if Weeks has found his 2011 form where hit .303 after being called-up, or if he is just taking advantage of the inferior competition that is the Cactus League.

If Weeks has truly found his 2011 form, then he will be a great fit with the A’s as Bob Melvin’s everyday second baseman.  Melvin likes to use platoons, but with Weeks being a switch-hitter there would be no need to divide at-bats based on the opposing pitcher.

Weeks is also a threat to steal whenever he gets on base, which would make him a nice No. 2 hitter behind leadoff man Coco Crisp.  

With those two runners on base for the heart of the A’s order (Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss), the A’s will have a recipe for a high-scoring offense.

It is still the Cactus League, and the regular season is still about three weeks away, but it can’t hurt to dream of how much better the A’s could be if Weeks can continue his hot spring when he returns from injury and carry that success over to the regular season.

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Ever since the news first came out that Grant Balfour would have surgery that would deactivate him for four to six weeks, it has been all good news for Balfour and his rehab.

First, he was back on his feet and walking around the A’s clubhouse within 24 hours of going under the knife.  

Then the news came out that just five days after his surgery that he was trowing at the A’s spring training complex in Arizona with the rest of the pitchers as if it were business as usual.

When the timetable was first reported to be four to six weeks, there was reason to be concerned about the closer’s health come April 1 when the A’s host the Seattle Mariners to begin the 2013 MLB regular season.

However, since the surgery took place, the “Mad Aussie” has been reminding the baseball world about just how tough he really is and how much he wants to play ball.

As if he didn’t show enough passion for the game in the 2012 regular season finale when he forced his way into the game despite a massive lead, Balfour is showing even more passion and desire to pitch now after his surgery.

If Balfour is showing this much heart and working this hard so early in the spring, then there is no way, barring a setback during his rehab, that Balfour will not be in the A’s bullpen on opening night.

I expect to see “Balfour Rage” at full strength by April 1.

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After a busy offseason for the Oakland A’s, they will fight to retain their standing on top of the American League West.

During said offseason, the A’s have moved around a lot of infielders through addition and subtraction.

Gone are the days of Cliff Pennington at shortstop or second base, after he was traded to Arizona. Stephen Drew is gone as well after being the A’s shortstop down the stretch.  

Another trade split apart the solid first base platoon of Brandon Moss and Chris Carter with Carter being sent to Houston.

Brandon Inge also will not be back in Oakland this year.

With all the departing infielders, who will take their spots rather that be an everyday job or part-time platoon job?

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When Bartolo Colon signed with the Oakland A’s last year there weren’t high expectations for him.  

Although he had won a Cy Young earlier in his career, he was expected to be an average middle-of-the-rotation starter in 2012.

Colon surprised everyone in 2012 as he went 10-9 with a nice ERA of 3.43.  

Colon’s season would come to an abrupt end when he tested positive for illegal substances in the summer and he was hit with a 50 game suspension.  That suspension will carry over into 2013 and he will be held out of the first week of the regular season.  

Coming of the suspension, it is not a sure thing that Colon will be back to his 2012 form in which he relied on his PED-fueled fastball to blow hitters away with 91 strikeouts.

When Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games, he never quite regained his prior form and he struggled so poorly that he couldn’t crack the A’s 25 man roster in the spring of 2012 when the A’s were struggling on offense.

When Colon was suspended and Brandon McCarthy was injured late in the season, the A’s showed off just how much pitching depth they have when Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin came up from Triple-A Sacramento to continue carrying the A’s down the stretch.

The A’s potentially could start the season with their five-man rotation being Brett Anderson, A.J. Griffin, Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone and Dan Straily.  Notice that Colon is the odd man out.

With Colon’s suspension costing him the first week of the season, plus the potential for his production to dip coming off such a long suspension, and factoring in the depth that the A’s have in pitching, Colon may not be on the A’s 25 man roster at all.

Colon could find a back-door way onto the team through the bullpen perhaps, but Colon will have to fight to be in the A’s starting rotation come April.

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