Resign Big Frank, multi-year MB, show Eric to a shaman and the middle of our order is ready to go.

Give MaEl a pair of titanium batting gloves and he's good to go.

Tell Crosby he's playing baseball and not Tiger Woodsball and maybe he'll be good to go.

Show Zito the door and hide the weights from Harden and we have a new ace.

Tell Blanton to develop a Haren-esque splitter and get his (substantial) weight behind the pitch and he's set.

Teach the Duke curveball to Guadin, or tell him to stick with what's working.

Sign Kendall up for a dodgeball league to work on his accuracy and he could become a premium catcher if he's not already.

Sign Richard Simmons for some arobic-therapy classes for the offseason for EVERYONE affiliated with the organization so that the letters "D" and "L" are never put together to form a certain acronym.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my offseason wish list.

Duke: To me, Duke was the best pitcher on the team, bar none, and (along with Thomas) the team's co-MVP. I'd hang onto him, even if it meant rolling the dice with a multi-year deal for a player with a bad back. Kotsay is a more expensive version of that problem; I say deal him before you deal Duke.

Thomas: Obviously, I'd love to see Frank in the A's lineup next season. However, I think if the A's have indeed offered 2 years/$15 million, then they have made a VERY fair offer, and if Thomas balks (as he is rumored to have done with his "It's a starting point...There's a ways to go..." quotes, I will completely understand if Beane decides he can't throw any more money into a 39-year old with a reconstructed ankle.

Question: Who do you see the A's parting with in order to get Geoff Jenkins? I have no problem with the idea of acquiring him; I just don't know what the likely cost would be.

1. I agree with Nico here: it's hard to see Windsor as anything more than a fifth starter. If we replace Zito with Windsor, that's a huge downgrade. Huge.
2. I think Johnson's problem is in his swing, not his muscles. I think he is obviously not a very good answer at first base, or at DH. I think the A's will just keep him as a backup, no more.
3. Jenkins: bah. He's making like $7 mil, and he ain't worth that. He's not worth $3 mil more than Payton, especially when considering defense.
4. Kennedy: excellent idea, I think Beane thinks so too, and I can see Kennedy here for at least a few more years.
5. Duke: no no no no no no. Without Duke in 2006, we don't make the playoffs. No.
6. I like Payton, but he's limited in what he does. If we could find someone better than him in  LF, or 1B (and then move Swisher to left), by all means, we don't need him, but he's better than all our alternatives, who are basically Bobby Kielty.
7. Nico said 2 years/$15 mil for Thomas - is that really worth it? Realistically, he won't make it through the next two years without getting hurt. Add to that the natural regression of all players his age who are not on steroids, and he'll be hurting our payroll in 2008. I'd love to have him on our team, but we are not the Yankees. We could spend wisely on a free agent instead.

Anbody know who those 8 teams are?

• Health: Street is still extremely young, and despite various nagging injuries, has never had a chronic injury nor a serious arm injury.
• Cost: Street is cost-controlled, so his performance will always outstrip his salary, even if he produces only "average" years.  Even if we don't lock him up and he gets K-Rodesque arbitration awards, he'll still make only ~500K next year and ~4MM in 2008.  2008!
• Replacement: Replacing Street is difficult with a balky back and trick elbow backing him up in our bullpen and bullpen aces costing a fortune on the open market.
• Performance: Street has been just as good this year as last year.  FIP in 2005: 2.62  FIP in 2006: 2.61.  Last year's ERA was a fluke and likely his career best; anybody expecting a repeat of 2005 anytime soon will be waiting a long time.  He's still striking out nearly a batter per inning and became even more stingy with the walks this year.  Say what you like about him being too close to the plate, but I'll take an ace reliever who doesn't let situations get out of hand by his inability to find the strike zone any day.
• Poise: This kid is nails.
• Trade value: Young relievers don't get you much in a trade, especially ones who don't throw 98 mph. And without elite closer status (say, Billy Wager), I can't imagine getting much for Street.  Remember what the Blue Jays got for Billy Koch?  Justin Miller and Eric Hinske.  That's the kind of haul we're talking about for Huston Street.

The larger problem is that we are looking at solutions that Billy just won't go for.  I don't see him subtracting too many major league players in an attempt to steal a 6-win bopper from another team.  Instead, Billy will retool the way he always does, making under the radar moves that pay off down the line.  Despite the acquisitions of Hurt and Bradley, Billy's key moves over the last year were acquiring guys like Brad Halsey, Chad Gaudin, Marco Scutaro, D'Angelo Jimenez, etc.  So don't be surprised - or disappointed - when a guy like Jason Lane or Jason Michaels is our big offseason splash.

• Catalanotto or Dellucci to platoon with Kielty in LF (and I'm all for letting Kielty keep switch-hitting; I'd just never ever start him against a RHSP)
  
• Sheffield to replace Frank and spot-start at the corner OF positions
  
• whomever grover thinks we should affordably get to play SS

If we get Halsey or Gaudin to learn another out pitch in the offseason, I'll feel better about our #5 competition, but it may not be worth pursuing a FA or trade there. I'd expect Billy to make another couple of low-profile 'pen additions and do a bit of shuffling of roles.