Oakland A's Offseason Thread

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091208&content_id=7777274&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak

Can't honestly believe the A's would really think about bringing back Bradley after what resulted at the end of his career here.

Even if the Cubs do pay for a significant part of his deal, I still don't think the A's would bring back Bradley.

OT Crosby is gonna sign with PIT....good luck PIT fans watching Crosby swing at everything outside and away while trying to pull almost everything 90% of the time.

I would highly doubt it. Didn't they come to blows with each other?

I wouldn't read too much into these rumors: I remember that razy Dan Haren-Jose Reyes- Johan Santana proposition a few years back.

http://www.knbr.com/common/global_audio/201/15010.mp3

Dude who wrote that piece in SF Mag a few weeks back talking on KNBR this morning.

Basically thinks A's to SJ will probably happen. Goes into detail about the whole TR issue, how he thinks Oakland talks a good game but actually won't do anything in terms of action with regards to actually building a new park and how Selig probably is working right now in getting all the votes in favor of the overturning the BS TR rights.

Said "realistically" SF can't do anything other than maybe have a study done once the A's do move to SJ and see how it effects their bottom line and maybe then they get compensated although he doesn't think the move will have any effect.

IMO SJ A's could be a reality at least it being announced within the next year.

Originally posted by ninerpride:
http://www.knbr.com/common/global_audio/201/15010.mp3

Dude who wrote that piece in SF Mag a few weeks back talking on KNBR this morning.

Basically thinks A's to SJ will probably happen. Goes into detail about the whole TR issue, how he thinks Oakland talks a good game but actually won't do anything in terms of action with regards to actually building a new park and how Selig probably is working right now in getting all the votes in favor of the overturning the BS TR rights.

Said "realistically" SF can't do anything other than maybe have a study done once the A's do move to SJ and see how it effects their bottom line and maybe then they get compensated although he doesn't think the move will have any effect.

IMO SJ A's could be a reality at least it being announced within the next year.

This is huge news!

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/a-new-as-ballpark-in-jack-london-square/Content?oid=1524743&showFullText=true

Oakland will reveal their sites tomorrow at a news conf.

Nice that those in Oakland finally got their act together but I think it's too little too late.

Best case IMO would be for the SJ plan to fall apart and have Oakland as the fall back plan but from what been speculated at least, SJ is still the #1 focus for Wolff and company. SJ/South Bay is where the money is, SJ is a top ten city population wise and I think that's where ultimately where the A's brass wants it, plus if SJ is the cash cow that many think it is, MLB will probably be all go for the move which I've said in the past where the A's org would get out of the "welfare" system where they received what 40 million right off the bat due to revenue sharing. If the other teams especially those who are paying money to the A's org sees this move as a potential way for them to not to pay the A's, I think many will be all for it.

The one thing Oakland has is probably "scenery" that a downtown/waterfront park in Oakland would bring more to the eyes than a move to downtown SJ.

Harden signs with TEX.

He'll always be one of those guys who just teases you. Based on pure talent, he's one of the top 10 maybe 5 pitchers in the bigs IMO. He can basically beat you with two pitches when he's one, a mid 90s fastball and a mid 80s change, seen him dominate teams many times with those two pitches.

But health, he just doesn't have it, don't know why. His mechanics are good, sure he's on the small side but there are many successful "small" pitchers in the bigs both now and in the past.

You do worry as an opponent if and IMO it's a small if he could ever stay healthy and make 35 starts a season or two, that he could finally get "it" and become that ace that his talents say that he is. Makes it worse as an A's fan that if he gets it in the division now facing the A's maybe a half dozen times a season and you'll know he'll be pumped up for those meetings. Seemed as the past week or two the reports or rumors was that SEA was the possible location with him growing up there in VAN BC and SEA looks as they're making a run at it or have the money to spend as they have with the signing of Figgens and rumors the past few days they could be a landing spot for somebody like Bay. Add to that there are some reports they maybe shopping Felix and they already let go of Bedard after a couple of injury riddled seasons and they could use a veteran arm like Harden even with all the question marks he has with him.

Quote:
Billy Beane left the Winter Meetings late Wednesday afternoon according to MLB.com's Tom Singer, and is ready to get some serious work done. "You really do more productive work when you get back home, and can get on the phone away from the distractions," Beane said.

A's picked two players from the Rule 5 draft today.

One being a 24 year old RHRP from the LAA's system. Put up a 3.68 ERA/1.38 WHIP in 57 appearances last season at AA. Best pitch is a sinker, ala Cahill, where he put up a 4:1 GO/FO ratio and .198 BAA in 09.

Also picked up some guy from TEX's AAA team, another RHRP named Vaughan.

Both are destined to be pen arms if they reach the bigs...which I doubt since the A's pen is stacked both at the big league level next year and probably at AAA too.

If the A's will use a 7 men pen, it'll probably be...

-two from the trio of Blevins, Kilby, Breslow with the other being sent to AAA to start the season.

-Wuertz, Ziegler, Devine, Bailey are IMO locks but then the other RHRP could be somebody like Meloan who did a good job late last season allowing 0 ERs, 3 hits, 2 BBs/11 Ks in 8.1 IP, HRod whos many A's fans are still not sold on at least in terms of his control, or somebody like a long reliever and or spot starter like Mortenson/Eveland.

A handful of those listed who don't make the pen to begin 10 will start the year at AAA either in the pen or rotation in case of a Mortenson/Eveland along with AAA relievers like Demel and Carignan who I've mentioned as possible mid season callups for the past few seasons.


....also A's release Casilla.

Originally posted by ninerpride:



....also A's release Casilla.

Its about time..He had 1 great year but got injured that same year, then he came back and stunk it up....and continued to stink it up

Is Chavez still getting paid 12 mill a year?

[ Edited by ImaMod on Dec 11, 2009 at 23:05:24 ]

Originally posted by ImaMod:

Originally posted by ninerpride:



....also A's release Casilla.

Its about time..He had 1 great year but got injured that same year, then he came back and stunk it up....and continued to stink it up

Is Chavez still getting paid 12 mill a year?

Yessir! One more year

Regarding Casilla, it was the past two seasons where he started off well in April and maybe into mid May, then got injured, came back and was mediocre the rest of the season.

Chavez, yes he's getting paid 12 million for one last season in 2010 but sad thing is that the A's will have to buy him out for 2011 so even though he won't be on the team after 10, the A's will still have to pay him I think around 3 or so million for his buyout the next season.

Saw this posted at the drumbeat blog, HBT's top ten A's prospect...

Quote:

Oakland Athletics

1. Brett Wallace: Wallace doesn't have huge upside, but his bat is as close to a sure thing as you will find. He could be a consistent 30-homer threat, but even if he doesn't quite reach that potential he looks to me like a guy who will flirt with a .300 batting average annually.
2. Chris Carter: Carter is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Wallace. He could become an All-Star, but the holes in his swing and, at times, lack of patience could hinder his potential in the majors. Watch to see if his approach and plate discipline take the next step. Then we can all firmly back Carter's corner.
3. Grant Green: Coming into the 2009 draft, I felt that Green was perhaps the most sure-thing shortstop I had seen in a couple of years, which I still believe. But I also felt that he didn't have as much upside in his bat as your typical first-round college shortstop.
4. Jemile Weeks: His potential for power and speed is a rare commodity from a second baseman. Every aspect of his game needs to take a major step forward before his stock matches his first-round draft status, though.
5. Michael Ynoa: Oakland played it safe with Ynoa's sore elbow, which was the smart move. Before the injury, word was getting around that the sky-high scouting reports from 2008 were largely true. While it was a lost season, it's good to know that the hype is somewhat justified.
6. Grant Desme: Desme has had a cult following among A's fans ever since he was drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft. For a center fielder he has plus power potential, but his bat is littered with holes that need to be filled if he is going to succeed next year when facing Double-A competition. His speed gets too much hype as well. I like him because there is still room to grow.
7. Adrian Cardenas: As a strong backer of Cardenas for a few years now, I have been waiting for his home run power potential to breed results. It hasn't happened. I still like him as an overall hitter, but his All-Star potential has taken a serious hit.
8. Aaron Cunningham: Cunningham is another prospect with a decent power/speed combination. But judging by both his minor league numbers and brief major league debut, he needs time to clean up his plate approach and adjust to the elite breaking stuff he is facing. His upside is still as an above-average major league outfielder, but it's time to show those flashes against the big boys.
9. Max Stassi: Despite his average arm, Stassi is a legit catcher. His bat doesn't offer anything exciting yet, but, for his age, he brings consistency and an above-average approach to the plate. Oakland does think his bat has power potential, however. We will see. He's on my radar screen.
10. Sean Doolittle: Doolittle's future is dependent on how much power he has to offer, which I am becoming more and more skeptical of. He may simply need to have a full, healthy season, but his upside, at this point, looks like nothing more than an average corner outfielder.

Big day today, gonna find out if Cust is tendered or not...I think the assumption for most who've been following this story would be the A's won't and he'll be a FA basically.

I don't know who'd want Cust, certainly I doubt any NL team would want him since he's strictly a DH and if they even thought about playing him in the OF on a regular basis, he may hurt you out in the field just as much as he may help you with his bat. I think A's fans who've seen him play the OF that he's even a worse OF than a Grieve or Je.Giambi was back in the past decade defensively.

If the A's do let go of Cust, I think they have to bring in some vet who they feel is a better hitter at maybe the same price that Cust is or at least was.

Some names being thrown around of course Matsui which I doubt very much it'll happen but the most brought up name is Glaus the former LAA/TOR/STL 3B. He's had some injury plagued seasons in the recent past but from the reports that's been released, seems as he's healthy.

He'd give the A's a somewhat of a RH power stick, although I think that's what they view Fox for when they dealt for him but the A's seemed to have been so LH reliant really for a good time now other than with Thomas in 06, that they maybe overcompensating getting RH bats this offseason.

These are the projected bats that could start the year on the big league team...

RHs-Suzuki, Davis, Fox, Ellis with maybes in Hairston
LHs-Sweeney, Barton with maybes in McPherson, Chavez
SHs-Pennington, Powell

...seems as the more reliable bats are coming from the right side although that may change by midseason if Wallace, Cardenas, and Doolittle all whom probably will start the year at AAA arrive in the bigs.

Seems as out of all the sites that the city of Oakland presented on Thursday, this site...




...which is maybe a 1/2 mile away south from JLS is the most likely site that if a park is ever built in Oakland would be at.

This was a site ML posted months ago on his blog. Probably scenery wise, it's the most visually appealing. You'd get a view of the estuary, don't know if there would be a "cove" beyond the RF wall like there is one across the bay where a HR could land in the water. Two other parks, PIT's PNC and CIN's GABP also have water beyond their RF walls although PIT is the only one of the two along with SF's that you can actually hit the ball into the water with CIN's being too far.

Others in the park would get a view of Lake Merritt, Lake Merritt high rises, and the Oakland Hill.

BART is many blocks away and would be maybe a 5-10 minute walk. But with the park being right next to the train tracks, fans could come and go by AMTRAK and I'd guess there would be some kind of water entrance to the west of the park.

So it'd be a combo of AT&T/PNC/GABP in terms of being near the water and in terms of "audio", be similar to Safeco with the trains passing by thru out the day.


I don't think it's gonna happen, IMO Wolff is dead set on SJ but like I said in a previous post, building a park at that spot near the estuary would be more visually appealing than it would be to build a park in downtown SJ next to the tank, although in term of $$$$$$$, SJ definitely has the edge.