But then I think I’ve made my position on this one clear.

we’ve got no shot at Dunn or Burrell, anyway. And, it looks like Giambi’s the better choice, anyway.

Keep Crosby. All the naysayers will be proved wrong this year.

But I don’t feel we should “aggressively pursue” him. Wait and see how the market plays out and then maybe by the beginning to the middle of January we can sign him.

Of course I’m all for signing Johnson and Furcal and even trading for the other Johnson so long as we’re not giving up anything that we’ll miss. The most I’d be willing to trade is H-Rod.

I thnk Beane should keep Giambi on the backburner as plan B in case Nick Johnson, Dunn, or Burrell can’t be had reasonably, and then grab Giambi only if he takes a 1 year deal, maybe two years if its incentive based/team option

Or should I say, I do not like the “Lets just say he is "X” runs +/-". If you are going to use numbers to value someone, I’d rather you quote actual stats, not just what you feel it should be.

Between 2001 and 2006, Eric Chavez was a surgeon at third, winning six straight gold gloves. Unfortunately, back and shoulder problems have plagued him for the past couple of years and he’s never really made it back from any of his attempted comebacks.

That said, he has been publicly optimistic about being completely healthy by Spring Training. Last year, the A’s acquired Jack Hannahan as a sort of replacement, and although he has proven himself Crosby-esque with the bat, he has been very solid with the glove.

Obviously, a healthy Chavez would produce much more than Hannahan over a full season, but a healthy Chavez is far from a sure thing. So all things considered, from a STRICTLY DEFENSIVE point of view, who ya got in 2009? Hannahan or Chavez?

Is sounding worse and worse. I’ve off the Koolaid. Furcal at 3 years or Cabrera, but no not O-Cab, A-Cab – Asdrubal. Something about bad defense that I can’t handle. The thought of Furcal having bad defense to begin with, and then all his injury issues screams hardcore regression to me.

I voted no, because I don’t think we should aggressively pursue Giambi, but we should pursue him and allow Barton to ripen if nothing else.

Lets spend where the price is right. Johnson for sure, Giambi over Furcal because really if Furcal can get his same offer from the Dodgers at 2/25 (not sure that he will be able to) then the A’s will have to significantly top that and I don’t care for it.

Have we talked about Ben Sheets yet?

so I guess the hitters in his league is comparable too?

I realize there are probably some reasons your comparison is sort of legitimate, but from a pure statistics standpoint I disapprove. I really dislike it when journalists compare the AL and NL without crossing the two (via interleague play, or players switching leagues, or anything else).

but I digress. [revs up engine to Giambi bandwagon, peels out over nevermoor]

If his price drops enough and its a 1 year deal, fine.

I doubt that happens though.

YES to Randy though.

While I did not discuss his merits quite as eloquently, I cam to the conclusion that he’s going to be between a 1-2 win upgrade over Crosby. What you don’t mention in this post is the health histories of all the players. Cabrera has a strong history of staying healthy (though he is getting old) while Crosby does not an Furcal has that back issue. In synchrony with this is that Randy Johnson is 45 and hasn’t exactly been the model of health over the past few years. It is unlikely that he gets anywhere near 30 starts (notice I said unlikely, not impossible). If I’m Beane, I’ll go with a Giambi, RJ, and Cabrera signing to fire up our offense for next year. This way, we are left with short term deals in case any one of these players decides to suck/get injured, thus leaving open spaces for our youngsters in 2010 and beyond.

I say we go after Randy Johnson.

I’d be willing to offer up $3.5 for a 1 year deal with incentives up to $4.5. I’d also be willing to offer him a 2-year deal worth $5-6.5, as a vet it would do a lot of good for our young studs to learn all they can from The Big Unit and get some considerable time with him over 2 years as they make their way to the big league club.

NO! to Nick Johnson, i don’t want to add another old vet coming off an injury, plus he would take time away from Cust-Holliday-Barton.

OK to Giambi. We all know he has a great eye for the strike zone and would be looking to show he has high value by signing a one-year deal.

I say we stick with Crosby or get Fulcar if he ends up with his D in his hand at the end of the winter talks and we can get him for less. There are a bunch of FA Shortstops out there and i’m sure we can find one at a cut rate 1 year deal.

If we can’t get Fulcar i say we pocket that money and possibly try for Holliday at the end of the season. Oakland with a hot-fire young rotation, good young outfield talent and a few vets at the DH and 2B would be a great team to contend. I think Holliday would consider a few years in Oakland if it meant a realistic chance of getting a ring.

I haven’t forgotten all the craptastic times in which Giambi screwed up a basic throw to second base.

UZR defensive performance of not being an everyday first baseman for the Yankees last season? Dunn and Burrell were basically everyday outfielders, so they had more opportunities to display their below average skills.

I wouldn’t oppose a Cabrera signing – except that as a Type A free agent who was offered arbitration he would cost the A’s two draft picks, right? I’m mindful that since the A’s only won 75 games last season they should have a pretty high first round draft pick next June.

Cabrera is not great, but he handles the bat alot better than Crosby, and he plays a decent shortstop.

just by teaching Barton about hitting. Kind of like Frank Thomas and Nick Swisher in 2006 (did you know Swisher had exactly 141 hits in 06 and 07 but his homers became doubles (HR 35 – 22, doubles 24 + 36.)
   Maybe G could help Barton and Ryan Sweeney in the power department? (psst, stick this needle in you butt cheek and you’ll be hitting bombs all over the yard, oh and wear this thong.)

“Now some might point to Johnson pitching in the "easier league" – but the truth is, the AL only scored .017 more runs per inning – which, over the 184 innings Johnson pitched, means a difference of 3 runs. Not really much of a difference – less than the difference in defense”

This doesn’t actually make sense. Nobody has argued that the NL is “easier” because just the offense is better in the AL. The ENTIRE TALENT POOL is better overall. So the AL teams scored .017 more runs per inning, which is probably because of the pitcher hitting fact. But here’s the thing: AL offenses are playing AL pitchers most of the time. I don’t see how citing this stat proves your point at all.

The AL is better. Significantly. Most win projections consider the AL half a win better.

–Jason Giambi appears headed back to the Athletics as a free agent, and an announcement could come at the meetings as the first baseman/designated hitter lives in Las Vegas.

…Perotto

cries

Unless BB got Giambi to take a cheap deal this early in the offseason…

Dewan’s Plus/Minus system has Giambi as the 3rd worst defensive 1B over the last 3 years at -30, including a -18 last year. That’s a huge difference versus UZR.

So, has anyone done a death match comparison between Plus/Minus and UZR?

That word causes my vote to be “no”.

looking at Giambi’s UZR—as well as his xBABIP from a year ago—I went from “Hell no” to “Hell yeah!”

As for the intangibles, he’d be great with the young guys. And while it still chaps me a bit that he left for a better chance to win with the Yankees, the fact that he didn’t win with the Yankees kind of cancels out any resentment.

and stick to Manny.

Ned is one to offer a ton of years and a ton of money (as in 50++ MM) to an injury prone player.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_verducci/12/09/verducci.cuts/index.html?eref=writers