I get that it's not worth it to half-way contend, I still think that trading just for the sake of starting over is a bad idea.  For us Nick Swisher provides good OBP, the best power bat on the team, can hit from both sides of the plate and is signed to an affordable contract through the time when the big rebuilding is supposed to be complete.

But because of recent injuries, low BA, and inconsistent home run production I just don't think we'll get equal value back for him.  Even for a rebuilding team selling at below peak value isn't the best course of action.

It is completely irrational to keep a single player on this team that the A's do not fully intend to have through 2009 and beyond.

I love Ellis and many of the other guys but it just doesn't make any sense to keep anyone except Swisher, who factors into that budding generation with his current contract.

Embree should go, Street and Blanton should go, Ellis should go (unless they are planning to resign him, marco magic crosses fingers), and Kotsay most certainly has to go.

It doesn't even matter if Billy gets a bucket of golf balls for Kotsay's 8 mil, pull the trigger and at least give one of the young guys some experience.

I totally agree, it is just bad business to keep anyone who Billy cannot say confidently is in the teams plans post 2009.

The new generation will grow up together and form that fantastic energy and chemistry the A's are famous for and don't need any lingering A's not part of the future plans slowing their growth or cutting their play/experience time.

that Chavez's contract runs through 2010 with a 2011 option.

That's a pretty fair stretch of time; certainly the team should be contenders again by the 2010 season.

I would say the same about Blanton and Street, but I feel like Blanton at least is kind of replaceable and worth a lot on the market. Street is so unbelievably young that even when he's a free agent he'll still be on the upswing, so it might be worth hanging on to him unless the right deal presents itself.

Swisher definitely needs to stay. After Beane, he's the Face of the Franchise.

Players like Swisher, Chavez, Harden (and yes, even Crosby- who everyone at Athletics Nation, but me, seems to hate) are talented and played way under their potential last season because of injuries and in Swisher's case bad luck. We need to give them, at least, half a season of health to boost their trade value, if we are going to trade them.  

we had such a budget.  Do you think Beane would really spend the money though?  It would kinda go against his style.  I think we would just sign more players like Youk from Boston.  You know, system rejects that get on base a lot.