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Oakland A's offseason thread (1 Viewer)

Well...crap. It's a done deal. No word who Oakland has given up yet but one of the guys is reported to have major league experience. If we were going to get a crappy glove I'd at least like the player to have a better bat than Willingham. He will now start with Crisp and DeJesus in the outfield.

 
Well...crap. It's a done deal. No word who Oakland has given up yet but one of the guys is reported to have major league experience. If we were going to get a crappy glove I'd at least like the player to have a better bat than Willingham. He will now start with Crisp and DeJesus in the outfield.
I posted in the Nats thread. Nats got Henry Rodriguez and Corey Brown. Interested in hearing the take of Oakland fans.
 
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Well...crap. It's a done deal. No word who Oakland has given up yet but one of the guys is reported to have major league experience. If we were going to get a crappy glove I'd at least like the player to have a better bat than Willingham. He will now start with Crisp and DeJesus in the outfield.
I posted in the Nats thread. Nats got Henry Rodriguez and Corey Brown. Interested in hearing the take of Oakland fans.
I'm totally fine with that haul. Rodriguez has good potential but he's entirely expendable. Brown has very good speed, good glove, and solid power...but he has a massive hole in his bat. This guy strikes out. A LOT. He's 26 and not a part of this team's future. So you Washington folk get a couple players with good upside (albeit limited) but they do actually have potential. I'd prefer to see Willingham as a backup or only here for a cup of coffee in another deal but I can't really whine about him too much. Seems like a good deal. :thumbup:
 
Well...crap. It's a done deal. No word who Oakland has given up yet but one of the guys is reported to have major league experience. If we were going to get a crappy glove I'd at least like the player to have a better bat than Willingham. He will now start with Crisp and DeJesus in the outfield.
? Ryan Sweeney down?
 
# Olney ranks the rotations, with the Phillies, Giants, and Athletics taking the top three spots. It seems odd to see the Cardinals in an eighth-place tie, but there are a lot of good ones. How does your top ten look?# The Athletics would talk to free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre again if the player is willing. Beltre reportedly ignored Oakland's five-year, $64MM offer, which isn't much lower than the offer the Angels pulled yesterday. Beltre appears to crave $85-90MM over five years, or a sixth year.
 
The Pirates acquired Corey Wimberly from the A's, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). The A's acquire right-hander Ryan Kelly in the deal, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee.Wimberly has not appeared in the majors, but he turned in a productive season as a utility player for the A's at Triple-A in 2010. The 27-year-old posted a .284/.373/.354 line with 56 steals while playing at least ten games at short, second, third, left and center.Kelly, a 23-year-old reliever, posted a 4.20 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 75 innings at A ball last year. It was his second season in the South Atlantic League and his fourth as a pro, so his ascension through the minors has been unhurried.
I'm still hoping Oakland will offer Beltre a sixth year.
 
Oakland signed Grant Balfour! They're really loading up the arms this offseason. I'll be shocked if this team doesn't finish with one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball.

 
The Athletics have agreed to terms with Brian Fuentes on a two-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press. Terms of the deal are currently unknown but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) reports that the deal is expected to be for two years with an option for a third at more than $5MM per season. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) reported that the two sides were working on a two-year deal worth roughly $10.5MM.Fuentes, 35, registered a 2.81 ERA last season with 8.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 for the Angels and Twins. The 6'4" left-hander is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.The A's have remade their team quite a bit this offseason, facilitating trades for David DeJesus and Josh Willingham while signing Grant Balfour and Hideki Matsui as free agents. Fuentes would join Balfour in an already strong bullpen that features Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Brad Ziegler, and All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out that geography could work in Oakland's favor since Fuentes if from nearby Merced. The Blue Jays were also considered a serious suitor to sign the lefty reliever, and both the Yankees and Rays were connected to him earlier this month. Fuentes was said to be seeking Scott Downs money a few weeks ago, though it's likely that his asking price has since come down.Steve Phillips of AOL Fanhouse first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were close to finalizing an agreement.
This bullpen has some potential to be the best in all of baseball. Yes, I'm a homer...but can anyone honestly argue this bullpen shouldn't be one of the better ones?
 
Projecting bullpens is one of hardest things to do because the natural volatility of pitchers is compounded by small sample sizes. But yeah, the Oaklands look to have a solid pen that'll provide some options.

 
Looking good, although I'm not a fan of giving up a 2nd rounder for Balfour. Hopefully Geren will have the good sense to keep Fuentes away from righties of any consequence.

 
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Projecting bullpens is one of hardest things to do because the natural volatility of pitchers is compounded by small sample sizes. But yeah, the Oaklands look to have a solid pen that'll provide some options.
I agree it's a dangerous game. There's a good chance everyone will get hurt and when they're healthy they'll blow chunks. But Fuentes, Grant Balfour, Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Brad Ziegler, and All-Star closer Andrew Bailey as the main bullpen staples have some incredible potential. And they still have Harden, Outman, Devine, Cramer, Ross, and a few other pieces.
 
MLB.com's Jane Lee tweets that Craig Breslow filed for $1.55MM, but the Athletics countered with $1.15MM.

The Athletics agreed to a $4.75MM deal with Kevin Kouzmanoff, according to Slusser (Twitter link).

The Athletics avoided arbitration with Josh Willingham, agreeing to a $6MM deal, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Athletics avoided arbitration with Dallas Braden ($3.35MM) and Conor Jackson ($3.32MM), according to MLB.com's Jane Lee.

I'm still not wild about Kouzmanoff at 3rd but with no other option in sight he'll have to do for another year.

 
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According to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, the Red Sox seriously considered trading Jonathan Papelbon during the 2010 offseason. The Red Sox attempted to trade Papelbon to the Athletics or the White Sox, but neither deal went through because both teams picked up other relievers.
I'm not sure I totally believe this rumor. I know Beane loves his pitchers but he's always shown the mindset that closers/relievers are totally replaceable. I can't imagine he would have paid a lot to get Papelbon nor do I believe Boston would have virtually given him away. Heck, if this team stumbles (or even if they don't) I won't be shocked to see Beane trade Bailey. Closers are perhaps the easiest position to replace.
 
The Rockies have acquired Clayton Mortensen from the Athletics for minor league righty Ethan Hollingsworth according to the team's Twitter feed. Troy Renck of The Denver Post says that Colorado has also designated right-hander Samuel Deduno for assignment (Twitter link).Mortensen was designated for assignment last week to create room on the 40-man roster for Grant Balfour. The 2007 supplemental first round pick has appeared in eight big league games over the course of the past two campaigns. He has posted a 7.12 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 15 walks in 26 2/3 innings for the A's and Cardinals in his big league career. The 25-year-old has a 4.29 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 as a minor leaguer.Hollingsworth was Colorado's fourth round pick in 2008. He owns a 4.33 ERA with impressive peripheral stats (8.4 K/9, 2.1 BB/9) in 376 minor league innings. Baseball America did not rank him as one of the team's top 30 prospects in the 2010 edition of their Prospect Handbook. Deduno, however, was ranked as the Rockies' 11th best prospect before last season. The 27-year-old has battled elbow issues in recent years, throwing just 47 innings (3.83 ERA) in 2010.
 
Oakland clearly is desperate to replace Kouzmanoff. Sadly I doubt LaRoche will be able to do it.

The Athletics have signed Andy LaRoche to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to the team's Twitter feed. The 27-year-old elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Pirates back in November.Adam's younger brother went to Pittsburgh in the Manny Ramirez trade, and is a .224/.304/.338 hitter in a little over 1,200 big league plate appearances. Oakland tried to upgrade their third base situation by signing Adrian Beltre this offseason, but LaRoche will have to overcome Kevin Kouzmanoff to land the job. In addition to the hot corner, he has also played first and second bases in his young career.
 
The A's are trying to make a deal for Chone Figgins. They're reportedly willing to move Kouzmanoff and a pitcher. A third team may have to get involved and it's rumored that third wheel is the Jays.

I give Beane credit - he's doing his damnedest to get rid of the crushin' Russian. :hifive:

 
The A's are trying to make a deal for Chone Figgins. They're reportedly willing to move Kouzmanoff and a pitcher. A third team may have to get involved and it's rumored that third wheel is the Jays. I give Beane credit - he's doing his damnedest to get rid of the crushin' Russian. :thumbup:
And buying Figgins low would be huge.
 
We've barely started camp and guess who the first guy to get injured is? Rich Harden! He's out for two weeks. On the third day of camp.

 
Peter Gammons believes the Yankees will make a play for Brett Anderson or Gio Gonzalez if the A's get off to a poor start.

Gio Gonzalez is looking incredible this spring. He stated his goal this year is to give up fewer walks and get more first pitch strikes (generic, I know).

Brett Anderson has looked pretty good but had moments where the crap hits the fan. He's working on a changeup and by all reports it's coming along nicely but he still struggles at times. And he's yet to get injured.

Braden has had mixed results but according to him he's been holding a bit back as it's just spring training. He's been focused on not hurting the shoulder he injured last year.

The battle is still on for the #5 starter. It's down to Bobby Cramer, Josh Outman, and Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy is leading the pack right now though it could still go to any of the three.

Barton is no longer allowed to bunt unless Geren orders him to do it. He was 4th last year in the AL for sacrifice bunts and Geren has told him to be more aggressive.

 
Is seeing Michael Choice in 2011 a pipe dream? He's getting a lot of pub but it sounds like he's a year, maybe two away.

 
Can someone more in tune with this organization give me an expected break down of OF playing time? There are some players I like here in the later rounds of fantasy drafts (Crisp, DeJesus), but it sure does seem like they have too many guys in the mix for any one player to get 500+ ABs.

 
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Is seeing Michael Choice in 2011 a pipe dream? He's getting a lot of pub but it sounds like he's a year, maybe two away.
It's extremely unlikely he'll get much - if any - time this year. I could see it happening if a perfect storm hit. If the A's fall out of contention, suffer lots of injuries, trade away players, and Choice tears it up in the minors. But he's looked absolutely incredible and it's good to see a glimpse of the future. :thumbup:
 
Can someone more in tune with this organization give me an expected break down of OF playing time? There are some players I like here in the later rounds of fantasy drafts (Crisp, DeJesus), but it sure does seem like they have too many guys in the mix for any one player to get 500+ ABs.
Crisp, DeJesus, and Willingham are the starting outfielders. Matsui will sniff the outfield once in a very great while. Sweeney and Jackson are the backup guys. Jackson has not looked good this spring. Not one of the projected starters are ironmen. While Crisp is likely to get a lot more rest than the other two, he'll still start most games. Until he gets hurt. It's been speculated Geren might give him 1 or 2 games off every week.
 
From crfan08 at an A's fan forum:

Seems like there are mixed results and preliminary outcomes on certain battles for some opening day roster battles.Rotation:The "Big 4" had mixed results, with Anderson and Gio being the most impressive on their first outings, and Braden with Cahill showing that they just took their first 2 outings to work some pitches. Nothing to worry about them.Battle for the 5th spot: Harden is virtually out of contention with his injury, but Outman, Ross and McCarthy certainly showed that the decision will be close and probably made until the last week of ST. As of today, I would give the spot to Ross, by a little margin.Bullpen:Several arms that are a roster locks hasn't throw yet in ST. Bailey, Breaslow and Wuertz will make their debut next week, so the only bullpen locks we got to see this week were new adquisitions Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour. Fuentes was very efficient in 2 outings, and Balfour a little shaky.From the battle for Bullpen spots, Ziegler and Devine has been impressive, with a 0.00 ERA in 6.1 IPs combined. With Harden joining them in the Bullpen Battle, probably by the 3rd week of the ST, this is going to be very funny to watch, specially taking in count that the losers from the 5th rotation spot, might grab a job in the bullpen as well.Catchers:The most interesting story here its the battle for the backup job. Geren announce that Powell is not a lock at the position, and Donaldson has an opportunity to take it away from Powell. So far? Donaldson has been better at the plate, but defensively, Powell has the edge. Another interesting decision for the late ST games.Infield:Barton has reached base in every game, Ellis has started hitting the ball well, Kouzmanoff already has a HR and showing some promising ABs. So far, so good.Pennington will make his debut tomorrow, and in his absence, Sogard has been bidding for the utility role that will be open until May 1st, the earliest, when Rosales its schedule to return. LaRoche and Tolleson has been making some noise as well, but they are not in the 40 men roster, making it difficult for them to grab a spot.Outfield:Coco Crisp showed that his off field issues are not affecting his game, with 7 RBIs already, in only 4 games. Willingham has been working very well, with some good defensive plays, that was suppose to be his weak side of his game.Good news stopped right there. DeJesus was affected by illness and Sweeney will be making his debut next week, so not much for analysis.Now, here it comes Jackson and his 0-11 to start the ST. I do believe that if he wants to stay in green and gold, he better start hitting. As of today, there are very few arguments to keep him on the team, being a $3 mill 4th or 5th OF. Matsui has started slowly, but with 4 walks to show that probably hasn't seen anything good to hit.Carter and Taylor are showing that they might be better at Sacto to start the season. Very sad, since if one of them starts hitting as we know they can, they can easily take Jackson's spot. Well, they still have a couple of weeks to prevent being sent to the minor league camp.Prospects:From all the prospects, Michael Choice is making a really good impression. He is playing like he is fighting for a roster spot, hitting and running very well and with a lot of energy.Non Roster Invitees:From all of them, probably the most impressive has been Jai Miller. 4 SBs, including a home steal today, and hitting well. Its making it difficult to send him to Minor League camp.
 
Andrew Bailey was removed from today's spring training game after injuring his elbow. :unsure:

Reporters and announcers are saying it "did not look good" as he walked off the field cradling his elbow.

I was watching the game. As soon as he threw a pitch his arm collapsed. Here's hoping it's no big deal. :(

 
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Andrew Bailey was removed from today's spring training game after injuring his elbow. :unsure:Reporters and announcers are saying it "did not look good" as he walked off the field cradling his elbow.I was watching the game. As soon as he threw a pitch his arm collapsed. Here's hoping it's no big deal. :(
That was hard to watch, hope it's not to bad for the kid.
 
Is Harold Reynolds always this awful? He was on after the game (MLB network) and talked about losing Bailey being a huge blow to Oakland. Said something along the lines of without having a guy to close out the ballgame it kills a team. Said scoring runs won't be a problem, but they really need that guy that won't lose it at the end. He also said this is the same problem Texas has, but that could possibly be explained by the fact they had Feliz start the last game.

:wall:

I don't like the idea of Bailey getting hurt, but if there's one area we can handle an injury, it's the bullpen. Bailey can be replaced fairly easily. And our offense is still a HUGE concern, even with the additions. Does this buffoon do any research??? Texas is a great ballclub but these two teams are built as total opposites.

 
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Bailey is expected to be fine and his injury is a strained forearm. He can resume throwing as soon as the pain is gone. This is not the big deal A's fans feared.

 
Hello A's fans. I am a Twins fan but plan to follow the A's close this year.

I'm working on the grounds crew for the AAA River Cats and will be seeing allot of the young talent in action.

Who are the top prospects I should keep my eye on when the River Cats start April 7th?

 
Hello A's fans. I am a Twins fan but plan to follow the A's close this year. I'm working on the grounds crew for the AAA River Cats and will be seeing allot of the young talent in action.Who are the top prospects I should keep my eye on when the River Cats start April 7th?
SS of the future Grant GreenOF in training Chris CarterPost-hype sleeper Michael TaylorLittle Ricky Jemile WeeksFormer Golden Bear Tyson RossThe occasional MLB player on rehab assignments. I expect Rich Harden to make the trip on I80 a few times this year.
 
Hello A's fans. I am a Twins fan but plan to follow the A's close this year. I'm working on the grounds crew for the AAA River Cats and will be seeing allot of the young talent in action.Who are the top prospects I should keep my eye on when the River Cats start April 7th?
I'm glad you'll be able to help us out a bit Wooderson. Hopefully we'll slowly convert you to the Green and Gold. :thumbup: Eephus named the big ones. Rosales and Devine are gong to get some time as they recover from their injuries. Curious to see how they look. The A's still have to cut 5 more guys and only 2 of them are guys that have no chance to make the roster. I'll probably add the others to the list when it comes out.
 
Brandon McCarthy has officially been named the 5th starter. Probably a very good gamble in your fantasy leagues (depending on the size of league/rosters of course). Cahill is the opening day starter.

Conor Jackson has looked like a steaming pile of dog crap. Still a good chance he'll make the roster. Ryan Sweeney has been on fire this spring. He'll surely start out as the 4th outfielder but should get a lot of playing time between Crisp's days off and the injuries that are sure to come.

Kouzmanoff has actually looked good this spring. Still wish they had been able to upgrade the spot with Figgins/Beltre, but if he keeps this up come regular season I'll quickly change my tune.

 
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Jai Miller OF

This guy is playing great for AAA River Cats. Nice guy as well. I've had few chances to talk to him in the dugout. I hope he gets a chance in the big show.

 
That's good to hear. Sadly I doubt he gets a shot this year barring a lot of trades/injuries. And we're another game above 500!

 
Daric Barton has caught a bad case of Kouzmanoffitis. He's now robbing the middle infielders of routine grounders. Instead of an easy out it's an infield single. :rant: :rant: :rant:

 

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