2014 Oakland Athletics Thread

Originally posted by Niners99:

I think the moves he made will cost him his job.

Any time you over-manage a teams roster like that, and mess with the chemistry of a team thay was playing really well, you have to be ready for the consequences.

The Samardzija/Hammel trade bumped a very capable Tommy Milone out of the rotation, and then he trades arguably the heart of the team, Cespedes, for ANOTHER pitcher. Then he trades Milone away for Sam Fuld...

I think if he had either left the team as-is, or saved Russell for the Lester trade instead of Cespedes, the A's would still be playing right now, and in great shape.

But thats just what I gathered from a Giants fans' perspective.

Any other GM would get fired for doing what he did. He won't though, Fisher/Wolff will never fire him.

To be real, without Beane the A's would probably be the San Diego Padres. 4 playoff appearances in 45 years lol. Instead we make it in spurts every few years and lose first round every time

Beane's the reason this franchise hasn't been stuck in the gutter forever but he f**ked up badly

Originally posted by Niners99:
I think the moves he made will cost him his job.

Any time you over-manage a teams roster like that, and mess with the chemistry of a team thay was playing really well, you have to be ready for the consequences.

The Samardzija/Hammel trade bumped a very capable Tommy Milone out of the rotation, and then he trades arguably the heart of the team, Cespedes, for ANOTHER pitcher. Then he trades Milone away for Sam Fuld...

I think if he had either left the team as-is, or saved Russell for the Lester trade instead of Cespedes, the A's would still be playing right now, and in great shape.

But thats just what I gathered from a Giants fans' perspective.

I would be shocked if he got fired...that's pretty much his job as long as he wants it, also does not hurt that he's a part-owner. I don't have a problem saying he probably is a genius, he helped revolutionize how we look at the game and evaluate players, and the A's have had an incredible track record while he's been there. But he ain't infallible, and it's annoying that he's being such a d**k about it and being so defensive and condescending about the stupid trade that he made.

I liked the Samardzija trade...they would've had him, Hammel, Gray, Kazmir, and Milone/Chavez/Pomeranz to round out the rotation. Yeah Hammel sucked at first and Kazmir struggled down the stretch, but I think they still would've had a good enough offense where they could have won some of those games....but post-trade once a pitcher gave up more than 2 runs the game was pretty much over.

The bottom line on the Cespedes/Lester trade is that it without question did NOT make the A's better, they got worse almost overnight, and they lost the opporunity to deal Cespedes in the offseason when they could have got so much more for him in return. Bad trade, and Beane just comes off as a crybaby unwilling to accept responsibility by constantly trying to justify it.

Originally posted by IT21:

Originally posted by Niners99:
I think the moves he made will cost him his job.

Any time you over-manage a teams roster like that, and mess with the chemistry of a team thay was playing really well, you have to be ready for the consequences.

The Samardzija/Hammel trade bumped a very capable Tommy Milone out of the rotation, and then he trades arguably the heart of the team, Cespedes, for ANOTHER pitcher. Then he trades Milone away for Sam Fuld...

I think if he had either left the team as-is, or saved Russell for the Lester trade instead of Cespedes, the A's would still be playing right now, and in great shape.

But thats just what I gathered from a Giants fans' perspective.

Any other GM would get fired for doing what he did. He won't though, Fisher/Wolff will never fire him.

To be real, without Beane the A's would probably be the San Diego Padres. 4 playoff appearances in 45 years lol. Instead we make it in spurts every few years and lose first round every time

Beane's the reason this franchise hasn't been stuck in the gutter forever but he f**ked up badly

This. No way Beane gets fired. That is crazy talk.

I just realized that, although, KC hasn't been in the playoffs for almost thirty years, they've accomplished more in this one postseason than the A's have in the last decade. Sad :(

Does Jon Lester get a ring also if the royals win?

Originally posted by TheRatMan13:
I just realized that, although, KC hasn't been in the playoffs for almost thirty years, they've accomplished more in this one postseason than the A's have in the last decade. Sad :(

Don't sell the A's short...they've been choking in the playoffs for the past FIFTEEN years.

Originally posted by socalfan21:

Does Jon Lester get a ring also if the royals win?

This.

We just let Chili Davis leave in a lateral move. What the f**k is this franchise doing?

We just let Chili Davis leave in a lateral move. What the f**k is this franchise doing?

Rumor has it were signing Billy Butler to a 3 year $30 mill deal

Originally posted by IT21:
Rumor has it were signing Billy Butler to a 3 year $30 mill deal

Yep, done deal now...guy has been on a downward trend for a few years, and not like he's coming to a more hitter-friendly park. But I can see Beane working here, wants to get better vs LHP...hopefully one of those cases where a change of scenery helps.

http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-trade-Donaldson-to-Blue-Jays-for-four-5924047.php

Donaldson to the Blue Jays...I thought him getting traded was a strong possibility. At first blush I HATED the Cespedes trade, and can't say I'm real crazy about this one either, although must admit at this point I don't know jack about the 3 prospects the A's got in return.

But as for Lawrie who they also got, don't know what the point was. Both he and JD arbitration-eligible after 2015, so maybe Beane trying to save $$ since Donaldson will command more?? And Lawrie actually can become a FA in 2018, while JD not until 2019. Lawrie is 4 yrs younger, but also has been injury-prone and has never lived up anywhere close to expectations. So who knows, maybe this was more about the prospects and Lawrie just a body they can put at 3B.

Originally posted by DelCed2486:

http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-trade-Donaldson-to-Blue-Jays-for-four-5924047.php

Donaldson to the Blue Jays...I thought him getting traded was a strong possibility. At first blush I HATED the Cespedes trade, and can't say I'm real crazy about this one either, although must admit at this point I don't know jack about the 3 prospects the A's got in return.

But as for Lawrie who they also got, don't know what the point was. Both he and JD arbitration-eligible after 2015, so maybe Beane trying to save $$ since Donaldson will command more?? And Lawrie actually can become a FA in 2018, while JD not until 2019. Lawrie is 4 yrs younger, but also has been injury-prone and has never lived up anywhere close to expectations. So who knows, maybe this was more about the prospects and Lawrie just a body they can put at 3B.

Brett Lawrie blows. Hes just filler. I have no idea what Billy Beane is doing with that team.

Sigh. There goes our last even above-average hitter. Lawrie has been terrible outside the Toronto dome.

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by DelCed2486:

http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-trade-Donaldson-to-Blue-Jays-for-four-5924047.php

Donaldson to the Blue Jays...I thought him getting traded was a strong possibility. At first blush I HATED the Cespedes trade, and can't say I'm real crazy about this one either, although must admit at this point I don't know jack about the 3 prospects the A's got in return.

But as for Lawrie who they also got, don't know what the point was. Both he and JD arbitration-eligible after 2015, so maybe Beane trying to save $$ since Donaldson will command more?? And Lawrie actually can become a FA in 2018, while JD not until 2019. Lawrie is 4 yrs younger, but also has been injury-prone and has never lived up anywhere close to expectations. So who knows, maybe this was more about the prospects and Lawrie just a body they can put at 3B.

Brett Lawrie blows. Hes just filler. I have no idea what Billy Beane is doing with that team.

Yeah, a very underwhelming deal, I would've rather he gave away Donaldson to the Giants.

Between the A's and Niners things pretty sh***y right now, Warriors are the only bright light.