Survivor-Fremont edition

  Whether you wanted it or not, the rebuild and accompanying fire sale are upon us. Personally, I have been looking forward to this, as rooting for a team that is "Stuck in the middle" is boring. I think it's better to be lousy for a couple of years while developing organizational depth than it is to hope that the mediocre status quo will pleasantly surprise. The "Swingin' A's" of my youth were sold off and pieced out too, but that was a different scenario entirely. This rebuild will hopefully set the entire organization up for a long run of success coinciding with the opening of the new park. The Finley A's were just dismantled, with no plan for the future.
  It's fun in times like these to speculate who will be the next Athletic(s) "voted off the island". In a way, it's a compliment for them, because it means that the league values them. Another positive for them is that their new teams will almost certainly be closer to contention in the short run than the A's will be. I have broken the team down into the following "groups" based on what I think will/should happen to them this season:

Group A: Pack your bags, Boys...
      Blanton, Street, Embree, Ellis, DJ
   These are players that can bring a decent return right now based on their recent performance/durability and contract situations. With Silva scoring a $12m/yr deal with SEA and Cordero a similar deal with CIN, the values of Blanton and Street are at an all-time high. They are young, talented, and cheap. They can bring us a handful of players to root for at the new park. Ellis and Embree have lesser value, but could cetainly be useful to several contending teams, and we should exploit that. DJ's value is not going to get any higher than it is now (because he won't get AB's), so even if we can only get a six-pack of brew in return, he's gotta go...

Group B: Hope like hell for strong, healthy starts for these guys---THEN SHIP 'EM!
      Chavez, Kotsay, Calero, Harden, Duke
   This group of A's has shown brilliance in the past, but injuries have rendered them next-to-worthless in the trade market. We've gotta hope that they prove to the league they're back to their previous level so we can get some return for them in midseason trades.

Group C: Still on the Fence with these guys
      Gaudin, Swisher, Crosby, DiNardo
   This group may end up being the ones that endure the lean years but are not around for the awakening. Personally, I would lean toward trading Gaudin as soon as he shows the league he's healthy (Group B), because soon enough he'll either suck or be asking for Silva money, both of which are bad options for us. I say ship him. Swisher is an interesting case. His contract is so heavily backloaded that by the time we're any good, he'll be no bargain. If we ship him now for prospects ready in '10, we lose 100 games instead of 96. What's the difference? Crosby actually benefits more from the rebuild than anyone else, No one will be expecting much of him, and if he pans out, he can still be the man. If not, no biggie----see ya!

Group D: The Fremont Gang
      Barton, Buck, Suzuki/Bowen, Casilla, Blevins, Brown, (Hannahan?)
    This group should be nurtured to form the core of the next A's dynasty. By '10 or '11, this group will be joined by the best of the talent that this year's trades acquire. Unfortunately, this group must take the field with Group F...

Group F: Five Squared
      Meyer, Eveland, Komine, Braden, Windsor
    They'll probably draw straws for #1, #2, etc., but at this stage of their respective careers, they're all #5's. It might be a good year to bring your glove to the Coliseum and sit out on the LF stairs waiting for the dinger shower...

    It's a sobering reality, but it's not the first A's fire sale, and it won't be the last. Small-market baseball at its finest...Go Fremont A's '11/'12!