Pull the Trigger Billy, Again and Again And Again....
by may7 on Dec 17, 2007 3:20 PM PST
Email
PrintI think that the Haren trade shows that Billy Beane is back on track. Maybe when the team moves to Fremont, Beane can become more like his spiritual pupil Theo Epstein and play shrewdly with more cash on hand, but for now he's got to make one more big Moneyball push and he's off to a good start. I hope that he not only trades Blanton and Street for even more prospects, but just goes full boar and just flips the table over. Since prospects are not a guarantee, it's best to cast as wide a net possible now, so that the ones that do come through will peak and gel together at the same time like the bevy of Kansas City Athletics prospects in the 60's who became the powerhouse teams of Oakland in the '70's. I say trade Swisher and, if anyone will take him, Chavez as well. I'd even see what prospects Ellis could land. Chavvy is getting further and further from his power hitting heyday and it might be best to cash in now, or we'll end up with another Kotsay on our hands. Swisher has yet to show whether he's the 35 home run stud of 2006, or the guy who bumbled his way to 22 last year. Even if we have to bumble along with Donnie Murphy and Jack Hanahan next year, the core of the coming wave will already be in place with Barton and Suzuki on for their first full seasons. I say out with the old and in with the new.
22 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Don't quite agree
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.
I can't agree with the broad axe stroke
Keep some guys. There is something to having a reliable veteran who has been through the good of the A's to see us through the dark of night.
Someone like Swish still needs to be the face of the team in order for people to buy into the team.
Otherwise, we are the Marlins and never have anyone to grow up with.
I totally agree
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.
anyone else read this diary title ...
... and feel an odd compulsion to Netflix this?
I do ... now ...
but mostly because I just want to get your reference ...
I again have to point out
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.
Been looking at the A's farm system
Even with the influx of talent, 3B is pretty much desolate.
Cross your fingers
and pray that Landon Powell can play third base... he ain't catching, that's for sure.
There's a reason why every Chavez-to-LA proposal has LaRoche coming back to Oakland.
Frankly, it's understandable-- why should the A's have spent top picks on a position which was supposed to be covered until 2010?
The thing about third
is that it's the one non-catcher position where (apparently) speed is not beneficial to a player's defense. There was an article about this on THT a while back.
Since Powell is likely to be pretty much in "1988 Kirk Gibson" mode for the rest of his career, it would be good if he could play a position where speed is not an issue...
Joe Torre went from catcher to 3rd
back in the 1960s-70s. Won a batting title too!
by One won lost won on Dec 17, 2007 9:56 PM PST up reply actions
How can you possibly say ...
maybe catcher, but not third?
3b is far and away the position with the most similar skill set to catcher ... and its like 100 times easier.
Chavez is the only one I wouldn't trade,
but then I'm a sucker for the miracle of modern medicine. That said, his value is at an all time low and we'd probably be paying someone else to take him off our hands - pointless at this stage.
agree
Baisley and Hannahan, Melillo in a pinch. Alex Valdez, Affronti, Vitters, any of the failed SS's if they could hit. Longshots at best, though Valdez has a fair chance to become a AAAA player.
Hey, Travis Buck can play 3B badly. So there's always that.
Language Nazis of the world -- Unite!
We have nothing to lose but our friends.
"Going the whole hog"
by The Dogfather on Dec 17, 2007 6:58 PM PST up reply actions
This one looks pretty full...
And he fits into a genuine Moneyboar rebuildingloading plan -- only $75 a dose, with a $25/dose discount for 10 or more!
And you can, well, see
that he clearly hasn't taken steroids.
Talk abbout a ball hog...
http://thepigpage.com/burzlaff/image...
We should wait to trade a few guys
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.
If only...
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.
by smartkidfromcarmel on Dec 20, 2007 7:37 PM PST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
