the 3 AL teams still in contention who could use a Piazza in the lineup: Twins, Angels and Mariners. The Mariners need starting pitching a lot more and i doubt the Angels will give up much for Piazza -- they'll probably prefer going after Konerko or Teixeira. The Twins are not going to give up top prospects (like Slowey) and they're only 2.5 games higher than the A's in the standings.

IF we can get something really good for Piazza and not just a throw away we will never hear from again.  It does make a major difference with him in the lineup,makes me wonder what might have happened if he had been brought back when he should have been brought back.   If the A's are counting on Cust as the full time DH next year they are taking a real chance.  He is not a 29 year old quasi-rookie for no good reason.  He swings and misses an awful lot, and takes far too many called 3rd strikes.

said, "It ain't over till it's over."  As long as these guys are playing like this there is a chance.  It may be a marginal one....but a chance nonetheless.  And really, in baseball that's all you can ask for.  I say keep Piazza and run the string out all the way to the end.  Were are not likely to get anything of significance in return for him and I would rather watch exciting baseball for the rest of the season.  A slim chance is better than none so we may as well go down fighting.

To trade Piazza would be to throw in the towel, and would send a verrry negative message to a perennially positive clubhouse: "Boys, we can't do it this year."

It would take longer to rebound from a poor second half missing the playoffs outright than from an average to A's-like (Hey, two months left! No?) second half.

We CANNOT falter in the second half of the season! That is our calling card and that nearly invincible reputation we have for this time of year is our calling card. The A's know this. Other teams know this.

Keep it rolling by keeping key players.

Hold 'em, Billy.

Haren vs Weaver is a matchup the A's have to win pretty much 9 times out of 10 (interesting enough, we lost this matchup earlier in the year). No sense in making a big deal out of this win.

If Braden beats Felix tomorrow and the A's go on to take the series and the next series vs Detroit, then I'll start to entertain notions of a run. Sorry for being a party pooper.

if anyone knows if Piazza has had enough playing time to net us a draft pick if we keep him to the end of the season.  If so, we may not get better then that via trade. Probably hurts our chances of getting a pick that he is no longer considered a catcher for terms of determining his worth.

While the rampant optimism is great, the A's should be planning for next year.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/ps_odds.php

BB will likely trade anyone who isn't part of the team's long-term plans, provided he can get decent value. As the DFAs of the Gamer and Ronnie Mac show, sometimes he won't even hold out for value.

In the case of Piazza, I think the earlier points are right: as soon as someone makes an offer that beats whatever draft pick compensation we'd get this fall, he is gone. In the meantime, we can all savor his contribution to this week's mini-surge.

his ERA has been rising like crazy lately. if he keeps this up, his ERA will be in the mid-to-high 2's by mid august. oh, the shame!

then he hits another...last night was a good night all around.

but I say trade Piazza, if the offer is right.  Angels, Twins and Braves all could use Piazza's bat and all have a good prospect at SS (although I don't know if Escobar is still a prospect) who might require more than just Piazza, but Kennedy or Calero could be available as a useful throw in.  Now is the time to get the max trade value and get some truly useful players with which to build.
Furthermore, now is the time to at least inquire about what a few teams would give up for Swisher.  His trade value may be very high and there are a few playoff bound teams that would probably love to have him this year and in the future.  He has a good, long-term contract so he isn't just a rental.  Would the Red Sox part with some blue-chip prospects?  Would the Braves give up Saltalamacchia (and maybe a pitching prospect)?
The A's farm system looks rather bare right now, and it may be an ideal time to replenish it.  If we did get, say Morales and Saltalamacchia and give up Piazza, Swisher and Kennedy, the team would all of a sudden be younger and cheaper, and maybe go into next season with money to spend on an outfield or 1B bat?

I’m a long time A’s fan and a season ticket holder. Nick is a excellent player and does excellent work in the community and for cancer

BUT his actions on Tuesday and Wednesday were the actions of a BAD BOY not a grown up.  Throwing his bat in a fit of anger when he strikes out is poor judgment and seta a bad example for little league players.   He needs to learn to cope being on a losing team.  Since he came to the A’s they always finished the season and went on to the playoffs.  When ANY player acts like this they should be fined.
Ashamed of him.