Kuzul

The Oakland A’s have made some great moves so far this offseason, but they don’t seem to be getting much recognition for it.  

While teams like the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals and others have been making large splashes by acquiring big name players, the A’s have quietly had one of the best offseasons yet.  

This upcoming season, they will look to capitalize on an AL West division that saw Cliff Lee leave Texas and go to Philadelphia, the Angels not make any moves to improve a roster that finished third last season and features a Seattle team that is perennially in the divisions’ basement.  

2011 looks to be the perfect year for Oakland to put together a solid season and make a late playoff run again.

To date, they’ve added Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui and Rich Harden, while only parting with pitchers Vin Mazzaro, Henry Rodriguez, Justin Marks and Corey Brown.  

Conor Jackson, who was acquired from Arizona during the season, should be healthy for 2011 as well, serving as what is really a new addition to the squad.  

Manager Bob Geren has a lot to look forward to this season and these new additions will do their part to help the A’s build on their .500 finish in ’09-’10.

DeJesus and Willingham should slot into starting positions in the outfield, especially with Rajai Davis having been dealt to Toronto to make room for the new talent.  

Power hitting phenom prospect Michael Taylor could see his first full season in the major leagues this upcoming year and may be slotted into LF as the starter, with Jackson available to spell him.  If not Taylor, then another power hitting prospect, Chris Carter, may look to make a run at that starting slot instead. 

Matsui steps into the DH role to fill in for Jack Cust, who left Oakland via free agency to sign with the Seattle Mariners. While the loss of power that Cust brought to the table will be missed, Matsui is a better all around hitter than Cust.  

Last year with the Angels, Matsui put up an impressive stat line that included 21 HR, 84 RBI and 24 doubles while batting .274. More importantly, he only struck out 98 times, an instant upgrade over Cust’s 200 seemingly every year.

While not the strongest part of the club, the infield will look to improve this season as well. First baseman Daric Barton is coming off a rather surprising year, in which he hit 10 HR and drove in 57 runs, but more importantly put up 33 doubles. He featured a line of .273/.393/.405/.798.  

He will be looked upon to anchor the infield, along with 2B Mark Ellis, SS Cliff Pennington and 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff.  

Long awaited prospect Adrian Cardenas looks to make the roster out of Spring Training, and compete with Ellis for the 2B job. Catcher Kurt Suzuki will be expected to build on his largely successful ’09-’10 campaign, in which he hit 13 HR while knocking in 71 and slugging .366. He will also be relied upon to manage a young, but very talented pitching staff.

The A’s saw their two best pitching prospects have very impressive seasons a year ago. Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill should be able to improve on their ’09-’10 seasons to anchor the top of the A’s rotation along with Gio Gonzalez.

Anderson, who lost a large chunk of the season to injury, put up ratios of 6 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a WHIP of 1.193. He struck out 75 batters in 112.1 innings while going 7-7. A full, healthy season from Anderson is crucial to the A’s success.  

Cahill was extremely impressive last season.  He put up a stellar 18-8 record while striking out 5.4 batters per nine innings and walking 2.4 over nine.  He also had an outstanding WHIP of 1.108.  These two simply don’t put runners on base.  

Along with Gonzalez, Dallas Braden and a hopefully healthy Rich Harden (wishful thinking, yes), Oakland is able to string together a rotation that has the ability to be very competitive in a weak AL West.

The back end of the bullpen looks to be strong yet again, with Andrew Bailey at the helm as closer and Brad Ziegler, Craig Breslow, Michael Weurtz, Jerry Blevins and a returning Joey Devine filling out the rest of pen.

The Athletics look to have the talent all around to put together a team who could very well make the playoffs coming out of the AL West in 2011.  

While the Rangers still boast the best lineup in the division, the loss of Cliff Lee hurts them greatly. It takes them from World Series caliber to a team that has strong playoff potential, but maybe not much more. While having had some success over the last two seasons, the Rangers’ staff needed Lee to reach the next level, a fact that was obvious when he was acquired last season.  

Now that he is gone, the rotation is no longer outstanding.  

A year after not winning the division for the first time since forever, the Angels have done nothing to greatly improve their squad. They missed out on Carl Crawford and have yet to make a move on their other oft mentioned target, Adrian Beltre. Beltre may very well sign with Texas, putting the Angels even further behind the 8-Ball.  

While a full season of Dan Haren should anchor the staff along with Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana, their weak lineup may very well prove to be their handicap.  

If Oakland’s talent can prevail and the staff can continue their improvement, the A’s have a winning combination right now and should be able to build on and improve their 81-81, second place finish of last year. 

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Prior to making the offseason moves for Rich Harden and Brandon McCarthy, the Oakland Athletics already had the best pitching staff in the American League.  Their 3.56 team ERA ranked first in the AL last year and fourth in the big leagues behind San Francisco, San Diego and Atlanta.  The starting rotation stands to get better with another year of experience for young twenty-somethings Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez.

With Dallas Braden sliding into the fourth slot, the fifth becomes an arms race between McCarthy, Harden, September call-up Bobby Cramer and the stirrup-clad Josh Outman, presumably sending the rest to an already solid bullpen.  McCarthy and Harden seem to be the front-runners to pitch every fifth day.  However, Josh Outman is an intriguing option as he pitched well in the first half of the 2009 season before Tommy John surgery shut him down prematurely.

The front-end of the rotation is set with Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill each returning with sub-three ERAs from 2010 and in Cahill’s case, all-star recognition.  Gio Gonzalez comes into the 2010 season not far behind them with his own 3.23 ERA and led the team with 171 strikeouts.  Beyond the stats, Gonzalez seemed to mature from an unquestioned talent to a quality starter in 2010.

Lest we forget, their likely least talented pitcher threw a perfect game last year.

Behind the great rotation is a bullpen not likely to give up too many leads, anchored by two-time all-star Andrew Bailey (25 saves and a 1.47 ERA in 2010) and solid setup men Michael Wuertz and Brad Zeigler.  It only gets stronger with the return of Joey Devine (0.59 ERA in 42 games in 2008) and whomever doesn’t make the opening day starting rotation.  Southpaws Craig Breslow and Jerry Blevins seem set to be the left-handed options out of the bullpen for Manager Bob Geren.  The two come into the 2011 season boasting mid-three ERAs each.

Questions certainly abound on the injury front.  Will Devine and Outman be fully recovered from serious surgeries?  Will Brett Anderson complete a full season?  How much does the pitcher-friendly ballpark in Oakland deflate the team’s ERA?  Is there any other AL pitching staff within sniffing distance of the A’s for these questions to matter?

There are quality staffs around the American League, but none that challenge Oakland.  The Tampa Bay Rays have an ace in David Price and two flame-throwers (Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano) in the bullpen but won’t dazzle you otherwise.

Have you heard that Cliff Lee no longer pitches for the Rangers?  C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis are solid but Texas still needs to fill out the rest of their rotation.

The front-end of the Red Sox rotation looks scary with Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester coming off great years.   John Lackey is a pitcher that everyone wants in their rotation and loves to pitch in big games.  Beyond those three, they have three potential starters with good track records but who struggled in 2010. Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka all had sub-standard years for the Sox.

The pitching staff for the A’s, combined with an upgraded lineup should have fans optimistic about the 2011 season.  They can now challenge the scary lineups in New York, Boston, Texas, Minnesota, etc.  After all, pitching wins championships.  The Giants just proved it.

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Rich Harden rejoined his former team, the Oakland Athletics on a 1 year deal. The contract is known to be worth $1.5 million.

Harden, now 29 years of age, started his major league career at 21 with the Athletics.

He looked like he would have a bright future as the ace of the team after his 1st full season, collecting 11 wins and an ERA just under 4.00 back in 2004

But injuries limited him his time in Oakland, as he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2008. He did finish the year with an ERA of 2.07, but only started 25 games.

In fact, 2004 is still his only year of his career when he started at least 30 games.

Last year, with the AL Champion Texas Rangers, he had an ERA of 5.58, with limited time being healthy. He was designated for assignment this offseason after his poor performance.

Harden’s 62 walks in 92.0 innings didn’t help, either.

But Billy Beane’s A’s give him another shot: either it’s as a reliever or a #5 starter. The #5 spot is still open, due to the fact that the team could not sign Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma this offseason, even after they had 30 days of exclusive negotiations. 

Perhaps he’ll be a better pitcher as a reliever: using his fastball for 1 or 2 innings, and blow hitters away. It can also reduce his chance of injuries.

It will all be decided at spring training.

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I don’t know if you noticed two things, but the Oakland A’s with their ragtag, no-name pitching staff and always-youthful roster somehow stumbled their way to an 81-81 (.500) record last season in the suddenly wide-open American League West.

Keep in mind it’s probably only going to take 85 wins to take this division anyway and the A’s are the most improved. Also, keep in mind that every year there is a small market club that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Last year the Reds, my pre-season Wild Card pick, exceeded even my expectations by winning the NL Central. Consider the A’s this year’s Reds.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/346852-introducing-your-2010-nl-wild-card-champion-cincinnati-reds

Series of small, under-the-radar calculated moves

While I can’t name five members of their 2010 roster, 2011 is shaping up very nicely with a series of under-the-radar, well calculated moves. First, the team stole David DeJesus from the perpetually inept Kansas City Royals in a move that got zero publicity. This despite the fact that before his injury, DeJesus was not just a hot trading-deadline name that ultimately didn’t get moved, but one with a solid on base percentage, adequate defense and a .309 batting average.

If you’re thinking its simply a “meh” move, one where the small-market A’s always hope to be finding treasure in someone else’s trash, this move allowed them to swing speedster Rajai Davis to the Toronto Blue Jays so early in the off season (about three days after the World Series it seemed). I wonder how many of you caught that?

While that is a tremendous move, adding much needed speed to the power-hitting Jays lineup, this article is about the A’s and the smart moves they are making, so we’ll stick to that.

Next, they extended starting pitcher Trevor Cahill and cherry-picked Hideki Matsui from the division rival (and fading) Los Angeles Angels in a shrewd move that directly makes them weaker and gives Matsui a 1 year, $4.25M deal.

The move reminded me of the Florida Marlins’ “special money.” They seem to come up with that one big player every few offseasons, one big score they think will make all the difference. In the past, it’s been Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Delgado, and this year, Javier Vazquez, using money saved from the Dan Uggla trade.

Not only is Matsui still productive (21 HRS, 84 RBI last year), but he fits perfectly in a lineup that’s lost only Jack Cust to the irrelevant Seattle Mariners and to which Matsui is an obvious upgrade.

The move was also reminiscent of a typical Tampa Bay Rays “budget” move, like when they brought in Jose Canseco for that one stellar year or Pat Burrell, who blew up in their faces. These were veterans looking for maybe one more paycheck, only I think Matsui will be around for a couple more years, albeit on one-year deals, hopefully with Oakland.

In similar action that would make the witness-protection program envious, the team quietly rolled the dice on struggling starter Rich Harden, reuniting the once promising player with his original organization, where he made his name and had success. While it’s eerily similar to the 2009 Ben Sheets signing fiasco, it’s got to cost less than the $10M bust Sheets turned out to be.

Then the A’s filled another hole with a recognizable name, obtaining the highly coveted and versatile Josh Willingham from the Nationals in a curious move, considering Washington’s insistence to move a solid player.

2011 moves in sum, to date

In sum, the thrifty and calculating A’s have added the following in patch-work (budget) fashion:

One starting pitcher (Harden) that one might say replaces the Sheets experiment

One DH to Matsui to replace Cust (net gain)

Two outfielders in DeJesus and Willingham to replace one in Davis (thereby adding depth)

All that’s missing, one might suggest, is bullpen arms, but they seemed to do fine (ERA) last year

Here is their starting lineup (I had to look up their 1B, SS, and CF, which demonstrates how anonymous they were last year)

1B Daric Barton

2B Mark Ellis

SS Cliff Pennington

3B Kevin Kouzmanoff

DH Matsui

LF Josh Willingham

RF David DeJesus

CF Coco Crisp

Their rotation is: (didn’t know starters 2-4) 

SP Trevor Cahill (ace 18-8 last year)

SP Gio Gonzalez (15-9 last year)

SP Dallas Braden (11-14)

SP Brett Anderson (7-6 last year)

SP Harden

Divisional rivals Angels, Rangers fading, leaving it open for A’s to take

While the Red Sox and the Phillies have stolen all the headlines for their flashy moves, others like the Yankee$ and Angels have for their lack of moves.

Keep in mind, this division includes the Mariners, whom everyone is going to beat up on to the tune of 90+ losses for them again. Then there’s the fading Angels, who lost Matsui and for whom free agents apparently no longer want to sign with, leaving them a team of Kendry Morales and Torii Hunter and a bunch of nobodies. Lastly, there’s the Texas Rangers, who not only lost Cliff Lee, but even if they were to replace him with Carl Pavano, it’s a net loss overall, leaving the division wide-open for the A’s to take because they earned it with these good moves.

The Angels lost out on Carl Crawford, the #1 player they coveted. With the weather Southern California provides, the solid management of Mike Scoscia, deep-pocketed ownership of well-respected Arte Moreno and the friendship of Torii Hunter, the Angels likely would have had enough to land him in seasons past.

Not this time.

Not in a crazy offseason where we see the Nationals, Orioles, and Brewers actively pursuing big name free agents or players via trade, adding payroll to the point where they are doing more than the Yankee$, Angel$, Cardinals, Mets, or Cubs to date.

This has a hint of the 1980’s all over again, when the Brewers, A’s, and Orioles were good and the Yankees? Not so much.

Hmmm

Just sayin’…..

One final thought: if the Yankees somehow manage to steal the Wild card after praying that Andy Pettite comes back so they can have 3/5 of a dependable rotation (CC, Hughes, and him) minus the enigma Burnett, we are going to need the tiny A’s to have a solid season and represent the underdog small markets in the playoffs. That is, if the Chicago White Sox actually win the Central, which I have doubts about.

Information from ESPN and ESPN.com directly contributed to the content of this article.

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The Oakland A’s finished 11th in the American League in runs scored (663), 13th in HRs (109) and 10th in OPS (.702) in 2010. Despite those pedestrian offensive numbers, the A’s still managed to finish .500 on the season.

Going into the offseason, offense was and still is a top priority. The A’s have been in on a couple of free agents this season, but so far have been spurned by some of the bigger names on the market. It seems like Oakland at times can’t even give away their money.

However, one guy willing to take their dollars is Hideki Matsui. Matsui or “Godzilla” signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract on Tuesday.

Matsui will serve as the A’s primary DH, replacing Jack Cust who signed with the Seattle Mariners last week.

Here is my take on this signing. While $4.25 million is a bargain for Matsui, I have to question if he is really an upgrade over Cust? I am not so sure he is.

Take a look at Cust vs. Matsui last season.

Not only can you see that I used Oakland’s color to illustrate my point, Cust is almost better across the board in 2010. The A’s are banking that Cust will not repeat his 2010 season in 2011 and that Matsui is the more reliable option.

As I mentioned above, Matsui is a good signing for $4.25 million, but he’s not a big enough upgrade for the A’s to make a difference in 2011. If they plan on catching up with the Texas Rangers, they are going to need to add some more offense.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostfomlg

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When the Oakland A’s acquired Michael Taylor as part of the Roy Halladay trade (he had a quick stop in Toronto before being shipped to Oakland in exchange for Brett Wallace), they thought they were acquiring a future star outfielder. 

At 6′6″, 260 pounds, the A’s expected Taylor’s power to continue to develop (he had hit .320 with 20 HR and 84 RBI in 428 AB in ‘09), but instead they got a player who regressed further than anyone could have imagined.

Playing in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League, Taylor struggled to the following line: 464 AB, .272 Batting Average (126 Hits), 6 HR, 78 RBI, 79 R, 16 SB, .348 OBP, .392 SLG, .328 BABIP.

Obviously, there is one glaring number we should be concerned with, but there are actually a lot of positives that should not be overlooked.  First is his eye at the plate, as he posted a 9.90 percent walk rate vs. a 19.83 percent strikeout rate.  Is that an elite mark?  No, but it is significantly better than many power hitting prospects.

At 24 years old (he turns 25 on December 19), it’s nice to see him able to make contact, while also take some walks.  Couple that with a believable BABIP, and you have to like the prospects of him hitting for a solid average, with or without power.

You also have to like his ability to drive in runs, despite the lack of home runs.  He tied for 19th in the PCL, though he was the only player with single-digit home runs and at least 75 RBI (Matt Miller of the Colorado Rockies had 81 RBI on 10 HR).  The fact that he was able to produce RBI without the power stroke shows that he was able to adapt.  Another good sign.

Then, for a man his size, he still managed to steal 16 bases in 21 attempts, while hitting six triples.  In 2009 he had 21 stolen bases and five triples.  He has some speed, and while he’s not going to be an elite stolen base option, the fact that he’ll contribute there significantly helps his value.

Now, we need to talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room.  What happened to the power?  Instead of taking the next step forward, it seemed to all but disappear.  Unfortunately, nothing appears to have changed in the Arizona Fall League, with two home runs in 108 AB (however, he has six stolen bases and a 15.74 percent  strikeout rate).

So what happened?  Baseball America, who ranked him as Oakland’s 10th-best prospect heading into 2011, had this to say:

“A physical specimen, Taylor still hit balls out to all fields during batting practice but rarely carried that power over into games in 2010. Scouts wondered where his bat speed had gone, and he had issues with a dead start in his swing. Oakland worked to shorten his stroke and improve his angle to the ball.”

From that, it sounds like the A’s are working with him, and there has to be hope he can discover the stroke that everyone anticipated being there.  If that happened, you had better bet that Oakland finds a spot for him in the outfield (currently David DeJesus, Coco Crisp and Ryan Sweeney are set there).

I would fully anticipate him making his major league debut in 2011, and with his upside he should be on the radar of all fantasy owners.  Depending on your format, he likely will be worth drafting and stashing if you are in a keeper league and have the room.  Otherwise, especially in five outfielder formats, monitor the waiver wire.  When he gets his chance, he’ll likely be worth grabbing.

You have to believe that it’s just a matter of time before he puts it all together, and when he does, you have a perennial 20/20 threat on your hands.

What are your thoughts on Taylor?  Will he have value in 2011?  How good do you think he could be?

Make sure to check out our other Prospect Reports as we wrap up 2010 and head towards 2011:

• Archer, Chris
• Britton, Zach
• Iglesias, Jose
• Kipnis, Jason
• Lawrie, Brett
• Mesoraco, Devin
• Pineda, Michael
• Revere, Ben

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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As the 2010 season wound down, people like myself couldn’t help but check the transaction wires around the league. The playoffs serve as a chance for some teams to be victorious, but for most, it’s a chance to jump start their 2011 campaign.

In the following pages, I have outlined nearly every move that every club has made since their season ended.

Keep in mind, as the off-season progresses, so will this article. I will update it weekly, adding notes to every team with every new transaction or roster move.

I’ve decided to wait on power rankings until more activity happens; reason being teams like the Rays could fall more then five spots due to the fact of how many players they may lose. 

Rejoice baseball fans, the season has already started.

Begin Slideshow

The year 2005 was indeed an interesting year in the baseball world.

The Chicago White Sox won their first World Series since 1917, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols were again having monster years and Jason Giambi and Ken Griffey Jr., again, rose to prominence.

The 2005 season was also a breakout year for the former MVP and six-time All-Star, Jose Canseco.

In 2005, Canseco rocked the baseball world by admitting to steroids, pointing the finger at many former and current players and releasing a tell-all book: Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big.

Whether it was to again enter the spotlight, regain the glory that was once his or simply get the guilt off his chest, he sure did drop a bombshell, not only on the game of baseball, but the sports fraternity as a whole.

There are certain unwritten rules in sports, and revealing locker-room insights or the off-field antics of your teammates are two of the most highly regarded.

Many dubbed Canseco a rat and a selfish egotistical former All-Star looking to get back at the game that no longer needed him. In fact, Canseco did break the code, in spite of this, he lit the fuse that ignited a clean-up that many deemed necessary.

Canseco’s admission started a chain reaction, a string of events that led to Congress and MLB working together to try and fix the game led off its rightful path.

Many remember that fateful day when Mark McGwire stood before Congress and almost certainly sealed his fate confirming what many believed; he was a user and abuser of steroids.  And how could you forget the finger-pointing protest of Rafael Palmeiro claiming that, “I have never used steroids. Period.”  We all know how that ended.

The Congress fiasco turned out to be a dark day for the game.  Childhood heroes were revealed as frauds and the innocence that encompasses every baseball fan was again shattered.

When looking back, in light of the circumstances, Canseco’s admission was the best thing that has happened to the game in a long time.

As witnessed in the year of the pitcher, the game is again on an even keel. Six no-hitters, including the two perfect games, pitchers enjoyed their best season since before the “Steroid Era.”   

The average runs per game for each team in 2010 was nearly a run lower than in 2000 (5.39 compared to 4.44), and an enhanced drug policy enforcing a more regulated testing system has shown the fans that game can be played clean.

Dubbed the “Godfather” of steroids, and while that may be true, enhancers have been part of the game for years, yet never been fully discussed.  That is, until Bash Brother No. 1 decided it was time to open the lines of communications for one reason or another.

Steroids have made a huge impact on the game, one that will never be forgotten, one that will be remember in infamy long after we are gone.  Future players, managers, executives and GMs will hopefully learn from the mistakes that were made.

Canseco changed the game by what he did, and again by what he did. 

With any bit of luck, this new “Pitchers Era” will bring back the excitement of the chess match that many have been longing for.

Who knew the cleansing of the game would be started by the man you least expected?

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective.

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The Oakland Athletics are up to their old tricks of headlining the off-season’s signings. This time, Edwin Encarnacion is the new bat in their lineup.

Billy Beane had said he wanted to address the lack of power in the lineup and, as of last weekend, he’s done just that.

While Encarnacion is by no stretch the missing link that the A’s need, he’s certainly a step in that direction.

Only batting .244 last season, it’s not the average the Athletics are gaining. It’s the 21 home runs, which would have led the club last year (Kouzmanoff had only 17). 

Oakland now has two viable options for third base after picking up Edwin off the Blue Jays waiver wire. The next question is, who will be offered up should the rumored bargaining of Adrian Beltre, Hideki Matsui and Lance Berkman have any truth to it?

According to local newspapers, the players mentioned were all contacted by Oakland during last years off-season festivities. This would simply be round two.

Personally, I’d like to see Hideki Matsui in the green and gold, but his age and future productivity is certainly an issue. Beltre looks the best on paper from last year and Berkman could have the best year of all three of these players. It’s pretty much a toss up.

If it’s Beltre, then Kouz and/or Encarnacion will be discarded to make space. Matsui would be a nice addition and could possibly settle in as the designated hitter. Berkman would also be a great addition to the line-up.

For now, the A’s will ponder their targeted players and await phone calls regarding the many strong armed pitchers that reside in the bullpen. Beane has mentioned that the big four will not be offered in a trade, but after the acquisition of DeJesus from the Royals, Rajai Davis looks to be next in line to catch a flight out of Oakland. Kouzmanoff is not far behind.

Oakland desperately needs a modern day Frank Thomas. The pitching is locked in and the defense is always improving. In a lot of ways, the Athletics are setting themselves us to be a competitive opponent in the AL West.

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Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane has made it clear: The As will acquire a power hitter before the offseason is over.

We’ve heard that before.

Days after having a bid accepted for Japan’s premier pitcher, Hisashi Iwakuma, the Athletics have pulled the trigger for a bat in the lineup.

The burning question remains.

Why did they trade the highly clouted pitching prospect Vin Mazzaro for an outfielder with literally no power?

The answer can’t be found.

Vin Mazzaro has the ability to be a rotation ace and Billy Beane has really dropped the ball with this trade. Not to mention, the Athletics also dealt prospect pitcher Justin Marks.

Oakland has seen firsthand what happens to traded prospects. For example, see OF Carlos Gonzalez, who is now one of the league’s premier players for the Colorado Rockies. How did that happen? Oh yeah, Matt Holliday came to Oakland, so that wasn’t a bad deal.

Wait, Holliday is on the Cardinals? Oh, so that was a bad move?

As a bitter Athletics fan who has seen the likes of Nick Swisher, Eric Byres, Miguel Tejada, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson and Mark McGwire slip through the cracks, I am inclined to call this trade as stupid as it gets.

OK, I concede, McGwire might have been a fire sale. Maybe they found a syringe in the locker room.

Why didn’t Beane try for Tampa Bay Rays slugger Carlos Pena?

The search to bring in a power hitter is far from over, as Billy Beane told the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Beane said on a conference call that the team still plans to address its power needs via free agency or with trades. He said nothing will be ruled out except dealing starters Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden.”

Let’s see where Oakland goes with this. As of now, it seems like they are backpedaling a bit from their desperate power-hitting philosophy.

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