Snelling Claimed off Waivers by Tampa Bay; Robertson Outrighted

by OaklandA23 on Oct 25, 2007 1:51 PM PDT

A few items to report...

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A’s today announced that outfielder Chris Snelling was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The A’s also sent right-handed pitcher Connor Robertson outright to Triple-A Sacramento.

Snelling was acquired by the A’s from the Washington Nationals on May 2 in exchange for Ryan Langerhans and appeared in just six games before going on the disabled list and missing the remainder of the season. He batted a combined .246 with one home run and seven RBI in 30 games with the A’s and Nationals, including .350 with Oakland. Snelling was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 11, his eighth career stint on the DL.

Robertson made his Major League debut with Oakland in May and posted an 18.00 ERA in three relief appearances before breaking his right thumb. He was selected from Triple-A Sacramento on May 15 and went on the disabled list retroactive to May 22. Robertson was 4-1 with two saves, three blown saves and a 4.35 ERA in 31 relief appearances with the River Cats.

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Comments

That's kind of a bummer

I know he was never healthy, but he was one of the guys I loved watching his approach.

by Tyler Bleszinski on Oct 25, 2007 1:52 PM PDT reply actions

One Word: Sad

i was looking forward to the possibility of Snelling being healthy all of next season. he seemed like he had a lot of upside--we will see.

You motorboating son of a bitch

by bigmacattack @ Athletics Nation on Oct 25, 2007 1:53 PM PDT reply actions

at least we don't have to keep seeing

diaries anointing Snelling as the A's answer to centerfield.

by OaklandSi on Oct 25, 2007 1:54 PM PDT reply actions

No...

We'll just see diaries about how he would have been the answer to the A's center field.

It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 25, 2007 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions

LOL

QOTM

by Tyler Bleszinski on Oct 25, 2007 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I still say

put Jack Cust on some roller skates, arm him with a squeeze tube of epoxy, and let him loose in CF.................righteous!

by mrod on Oct 25, 2007 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Throw a donut where the ball is going to drop.

He'll get there in no time.

We should play Jack Cust at shortstop for a week, just so we can feel good about Crosby again.

by Ozzz on Oct 25, 2007 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Just warn Ellis, though.

We don't want Blanton running over him.

by danmerqury on Oct 25, 2007 9:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh Man!!!

Those were both awesome comebacks! I'm laughing my ass of you guys!!!!!!!!

Great stuff.........Jack Cust For President!

by mrod on Oct 26, 2007 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions

ditto on the other comments

he had some of the highest quality at-bats of any Athletic last season. too bad it didn't work out.

I find your lack of Faith disturbing...

by rebus on Oct 25, 2007 1:55 PM PDT reply actions

It's all on Denorfia...

for the OF now...they were similar, but hopefully Snelling doesn't go off in TB, cuz that will make me feel like crap. Also, here's to Denorfia playing well after over a year of layoff

by maffew @ Athletics Nation on Oct 25, 2007 2:00 PM PDT reply actions

Dangit

That was the last remaining piece of the Cash trade-- and the A's gave him away for absolutely nothing.

Why couldn't they have resigned Cash? When will they get out of this small market mentality?

by PaulThomas on Oct 25, 2007 2:02 PM PDT reply actions

Cash had a bad attitude.

And it's green.

Let's face it; how many green players has that racist, Billy Beane, signed?

Disgusting.

We should play Jack Cust at shortstop for a week, just so we can feel good about Crosby again.

by Ozzz on Oct 25, 2007 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Did you really think the A's could have

afforded to keep Cash? Sooner or later, he'll end up with the Yankees.

by ozzman99 on Oct 25, 2007 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions

Doesn't surprise me that he did not make it

through waivers, but it does surprise me that Tampa Bay grabbed him. Seems another outfielder in the mix is not something that would be a top priority for the D-Rays.

by AsFanInLA on Oct 25, 2007 2:19 PM PDT reply actions

Word

Apparently they think a Snelling plus a Baldelli will equal one healthy outfielder, or something.

Yet more grist for the "they're-going-to-trade-Carl-Crawford" mill, though.

by PaulThomas on Oct 25, 2007 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions

Or they're stockpiling players who have an "elli"

How's their 2B situation?

It kind of sounds corny, but you develop a bond with your pumpkins.

by Poppy on Oct 25, 2007 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Do they need anyone to badly run a B&B?

She could use the work.

We should play Jack Cust at shortstop for a week, just so we can feel good about Crosby again.

by Ozzz on Oct 25, 2007 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

WHo's gonna sing the National Anthem?

Nellie?

by ozzman99 on Oct 25, 2007 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Doyle, we hardly knew ye...

"It was OK," Swisher said. "I got the shoulder down, but I didn't wrap. You gotta wrap and drive."

by LAXile on Oct 25, 2007 2:23 PM PDT reply actions

Meh.

Someone else can hope he doesn't need a ninth knee surgery.

So it goes.

by jeepers on Oct 25, 2007 3:02 PM PDT reply actions

Doyle on turf

Now there's a good idea....

Lookout Landing seems more interested in this story than we are. (Not that they're terribly interested either.)

Guess who the Rays released to make room for Doyle on the 40-man roster? Witasick.

"Ten times thy self were better than ten Hattebergs" -- Monkeyball, channeling Shakespeare

by iglew on Oct 25, 2007 3:32 PM PDT reply actions

Turf

Snelling's knee just swelled up hearing this news. I can't believe the Rays picked him up.

Maybe we can trade Ruddy Lugo for Chris Snelling?

by Colorado Fan on Oct 25, 2007 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Snelling doesn't have knees.

At this point, you'd have to think he has a couple of universal joints where his knees used to be.

We should play Jack Cust at shortstop for a week, just so we can feel good about Crosby again.

by Ozzz on Oct 25, 2007 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions

Alright!

No I don't have to hear people talk about DOYLE anymore. Thanks for the week of playing time, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

:-)

A's all the way in 07 . . . oh never mind!

by micdog2001 on Oct 25, 2007 3:38 PM PDT reply actions

I hope the baseball gods smite you.

Visiting from LL.

by Graham MacAree on Oct 25, 2007 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions

They already pre-smit us last year

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Oct 25, 2007 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions

40-Man Roster is now...

35 Players Strong... or Weak, however you want to look at it. (Davanon, Piazza, Stewart all being Free Agents)

If Beane is looking to clear Roster Space, I'm not sure why Beane chose to keep Colby Lewis over Chris Snelling. It seemed like Snelling was going to be given every opporunity to play for the Green & Gold next season.

Beane must have thought Snelling would slip through Waivers. He was wrong.

by Colorado Fan on Oct 25, 2007 4:22 PM PDT reply actions

I bet you Colby is already on the Waiver Wire as

well, but it takes longer for players not to be claimed, especially since the D-rays would have been one of the first teams to have a shot at Snelling, so we hear about the claim a lot quicker. Colby is probably passing Cleveland right now, going through Boston on his way through the NL.

by theblackpearl on Oct 25, 2007 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Also, probably no one claimed Colby Lewis

because it's difficult to do anything when you're laughing so hard.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Oct 25, 2007 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Doesn't even matter if he clears or not

since Lewis will be a free agent after the season if the A's don't keep him on the 40-man roster.

If they DO want to keep him-- for whatever reason-- they're going to need to leave him on the roster.

by PaulThomas on Oct 25, 2007 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Snelling = another injury

I only can guess but what Beane is doing is getting ready for the rule 5 draft. Snelling knee is a slide away from being back on the DL. After last year do the A's realy want a injury waiting to happen. Snelling would not get much in ABs next year with swish, buck, kotsay and deforia in the mix. Beane has also stated he wants to resign stewart.

by Arcman on Oct 26, 2007 7:51 AM PDT up reply actions

Not just the rule V draft,

Beane is going to protect a bunch of kids who are potential snatches from the minor league system by other teams. Guess that is the same thing. Petit, Robnett and others need some protection on the 40 man roster. Petit developed into a better prospect; Robnett part of a fairly good draft class.

And we know he will go for some rule V picks once again. At least one will be picked up.

Charlie Brown GO A'S WIN

by Charlie Brown on Oct 26, 2007 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions

Robnett...

While I'm not normally one to complain about strikeouts... my God. It's like he was trying to set the minor league record, or something. In 130 games this year, he had a K:BB ratio of 146:38. Anybody who picks him as a Rule 5 would seriously regret the decision.

by PaulThomas on Oct 26, 2007 9:07 AM PDT up reply actions

Agreed.

I wouldn't have bothered protecting him, at least until now. You almost have to at this point, with five open roster spots.

Beane must think there's an awful lot of draft-worthy Rule V talent this year.

So it goes.

by jeepers on Oct 26, 2007 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Shannon

I want Shannon Stewart back....the guy is a stud...

by maffew @ Athletics Nation on Oct 27, 2007 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions

and by stud

i mean he can hit decently and doesn't go on the DL

by maffew @ Athletics Nation on Oct 27, 2007 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions

Ah, I thought you meant

he can't hit with much power and is entering his mid-30s.

I really liked and appreciated Shannon, but I don't want him back. Mostly because he can't play CF and we already have Buck, Swisher, and Barton to man LF/RF/1B.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Oct 27, 2007 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions

Shannon is good, but

Shelling actually had better stats (in extremely limited time). I also don't understand the point of getting Snelling if you don't give him a 2 or 3 year window to play, given his injury history.

I also really don't understand keeping Marshall and Snelling on the roster for the year and then losing them in the off-season for nothing. It's not like the roster spaces weren't valuable during the year, especially because we were so injury depleted. I mean we traded for Snelling and he gave us like 10 abs. Probably have to say that was a bad trade.

by bringbackmiggy on Oct 27, 2007 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions

They traded nothing for him

or in this case Ryan Langerhans, who a. is functionally the same thing, and b. cost them nothing to get.

Except from the standpoint of Lew Wolff's checkbook (which lost the cash they spent to get Langerhans), it was a good trade.

by PaulThomas on Oct 28, 2007 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions

DOYLE!!!

i still believe

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Oct 25, 2007 4:54 PM PDT reply actions

Damn I was hoping

we'd get to keep him. DOYLE! We hardly knew ye.

by IM4Oakgal on Oct 25, 2007 6:04 PM PDT reply actions

That makes a lot of sense

Tampa Bay has more able outfielders than they can play in MLB and AAA combined and completely lack any pitching. So, what do they do? Use a roster spot to pick up DLRoto favorite, Chris Snelling to run around on astroturf. Games played in TB next year - 10?

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the DRays, but it's moves like this that make you realize why they are in the position they're in (28-year-old GM's or not).

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Oct 25, 2007 6:50 PM PDT reply actions