If you were Billy

by bballfanr33 on Jul 16, 2008 6:50 PM PDT

If you were Billy Beane what moves would you make? Who would you DFA? Who would you trade/aqquire? I decided to do this because im bored since there is no mlb ball the next couple days.

The first thing I would do is try and get some power. It does not seem like the A's are going to make the playoffs this year but I dont seem them doing it the next few years unless they can get some power proposed trade: Joe Blanton and Travis Buck and Matt Murton For Jason Bay. The A's seem to have a lot of pitching depth so I would like to see this move. Next I would try to trade Crosby. He is not good at offense or defense and is not a good player at all. Proposed trade - Crosby and Huston Steet for Reid Brignac and Gabe Gross. I would also trade Eric Chavez and Ryan Sweeney , cash and Gregorio Petit and player to be named later for Chase Headley the 3B prospect for the padres finally I would DFA Jack Hannahan. I like how scrappy he is but I dont think he does much to help the team . So this would be my lineup 1. Mark Ellis 2B 2. Reid Brignac SS 3. Carlos Gonzalez CF 4. Jason Bay LF 5. Jack Cust DH 6. Chase Headkley 3B 7. Gabe Gross RF 8. Kurt Suzuki C 9. Daric Barton 1B Rotation Smith Eveland Gallagher Duchesher Gio Gonzalez bullpen casilla cahill Henry Rodriguez Andrew Brown Jerry Blevins Brad Ziegler Dallas Braden Closer Joey Devine please give me your thoughts and what would you do?

0 recs | Comment 28 comments

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Too many deals

You just don’t really see a team make so many trades in so short a period of time. I have to be honest and say this sounds more like you’re trying to apply the things a fantasy team GM would. It’s just not very realistic to me.

You also forget that someone like Frank Thomas will be due back soon so he will be there ahead of Wes Bankston. Where is Jack Cust?

One of the biggest things that’s unrealistic is having Henry Rodriguez up already. He started the season in High-A, dominated, was promoted to Double-A quickly, struggled hugely with his control (lots of walks) and gave up a lot of hits, and he’s back in High-A now. It’s too soon to think about bringing him up.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 16, 2008 7:43 PM PDT 0 recs

If you had Headly would trade him for a

border-line starter (Sweeney), broken down overpriced 3B (Chavez), and a poor could-be major league starter (Petit)?

I sure the hell wouldn’t.

"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did." -Yogi Berra

by brenarlo on Jul 16, 2008 7:54 PM PDT 0 recs

Hey...

Don’t harsh his groove.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Jul 16, 2008 8:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

Don't forget the PTBNL!

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 16, 2008 8:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

Mr. Cahill

has no business in the bullpen. I doubt we’ll be in contention at the end of the season, so no need to rush him up and use him in that regard.

by hibachi7_7_7 on Jul 16, 2008 9:17 PM PDT 0 recs

Crap. I didn't even see his name on the list. Another bad move.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 16, 2008 9:25 PM PDT up 0 recs

If I were Billy, before actually putting Bay, Headley, and Brignac

in the lineup, I’d call the Pirates, Padres and Rays, just as a courtesy, and let them know about the trades. It’s just a P.R. thing.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 16, 2008 9:34 PM PDT 0 recs

If I were Billy

I’d give myself a raise.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Jul 16, 2008 9:53 PM PDT up 0 recs

Nah, he's a part-owner

Woudn’t want to decrease the company’s value

by nevermoor on Jul 17, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

IF i were Billy

I would see how the rest of this month played out and see if the team will be buyers or sellers…..

If buyers i would trade for a bat maybe a Holliday or Bay…

IF sellers i would try to deal Blanton, Street, Embree, Emil Brown, and Kieth Foulke for some prospects maybe some infield talentwise prospects…

Other than that i like the direction he is heading….
He is building a team for now, the future, and the new stadium years

Brandon Marshall is a BEAST!!!!

by TommyTSlice on Jul 16, 2008 9:49 PM PDT 0 recs

and then I would trade our entire minor league system for....

You want to know why the A’s can’t even sell out for the Giants and why when they play the Red Sox there’s more Sox fans than A’s fans, because they never keep anybody. You cannot build a fan base with ever changing spare parts. Here’s an idea for the magic Beane, draft some good players, market the hell out of them and here’s the neat part sign them to a contract. Glenn Dickey has a good column on his website on how terrible the A’s marketing team is and while I agree they’re not exactly P.T. Barnums they don’t have much to work with. I’ve never understood why someone as smart as Beane doesn’t understand that baseball isn’t just a game, it’s entertainment and you have to have interesting people doing interesting things for anyone to be interested. In the early 90’s the A’s had nearly 3 million come to the the Coliseum because the A’s were good and because they hade big personalities. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. I’m going to go rant at my dog now.

by briandouglas on Jul 16, 2008 10:05 PM PDT 0 recs

I bet I know what your dog will be thinking.

“Sausages? Sausages! Please, sausages!”

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 16, 2008 10:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

Snausages!

"the A's need more quality preembreetive pitching" ~monkeyball

by OptimistPrime on Jul 16, 2008 11:00 PM PDT up 0 recs

yes. let's sign lots of players to big, long contracts so that by the end of the contract they are in severe decline and below replacement level.

by emar24 on Jul 17, 2008 10:00 AM PDT up 0 recs

OK....

Without getting too harsh here, you miss a whole lot of points:

1. The Bash Brothers won 3 consecutive pennants and 1 World Series. What would the attendance be like now if the A’s performance had been that good recently;

2. The economics of the game have changed substantially since 1988-1990. Remember those days when the Yankees weren’t really any good and the Red Sox were our postseason whipping boys?

3. The economics of the market have changed substantially—i.e, the appearance of PacBell/AT+T whatever you want to call it Park.

4. And the venue-thanks Al and city of Oakland/Alameda County greed- has changed substantially.

And yet the A’s still have the 3rd (or is it 2nd) best record in the game over the last decade.
“They never keep anybody”—well, they did keep a lot of that championship team and by the strike year we were in the dumpster.

by windyfelix on Jul 17, 2008 10:25 AM PDT up 0 recs

Don't Forget the People

I have heard that Baseball isn’t exciting enough for people today; it’s long and slow and the action can vary. A’s and Giants attendance was relatively equal prior to PacBell. Candlestick was far from the metropolitan area with no public transportation, the Coliseum had better location but similar environs. PacBell is downtown, in a commercially happening area AND is built as an amusement park, there are things to do BESIDES watch the game. Todays fan wants “an experience”, all I want is a baseball game. REGARDLESS of the reason I like that the A’s do not pay players a lot of money; they put a competitive, entertaining product on the field without giving away big money to players (ZIto anyone?) Is this the best business model to fill the house, doesn’t look like it, but it is a model I like. ALL of this will change as they transition to Fremont, Beane and Wolf will want an exciting team to arrive to a packed house and 2 to 3 times the season ticket base. What will happen to OUR A’s then?

Enjoy the game

by DCinWC on Jul 17, 2008 10:51 AM PDT up 0 recs

If I were Billy, would I be reading this fanpost?

Actually, some A’s honchos do read the site. Maybe Billy is reading this fanpost as we speak, wondering what the metaphysical implications of this question are.

Nah.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 16, 2008 10:09 PM PDT 0 recs

If Billy's reading this ...

... he’s likely wondering “Who the f%$# is this guy who doesn’t even bother to use paragraph breaks or lists or adequate punctuation or even check the spelling of players’ names?” Then he’d DFA the poster.

I told them 'My game is like a blog.' Because I don't know what a blog is, but it don't sound good. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 17, 2008 9:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

As long as he also gets DFA...

by nevermoor on Jul 17, 2008 9:57 AM PDT up 0 recs

i like it

but i don’t see it happening! I do not see any team nice enough to take Chavez off of our hands for the salary he is making. He is making a ton of money and he is not the player he once was. Maybe the best move would be to DFA Chavez?? I mean he was once the cornerstone of the franchise but that was years ago and we have to think of the future. He is making a lot of jack and he just cannot earn it any more. Sure he got a lot of those nice awards for being the best third baseman around but i don’t see him doing it ever again. I hope the A’s when we get the new ball park continue to be contenders. I have been following this team since the mid 70s when i was a small boy. It would be nice for them to get another world title if not in oakland in their new ballpark.

by beatNYY on Jul 17, 2008 6:13 AM PDT 0 recs

You still pay him when you DFA him.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on Jul 17, 2008 8:44 AM PDT up 0 recs

"If you DFA, you still must pay."

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 17, 2008 9:28 AM PDT up 0 recs

Rapid Fire

Wow, heck of a lot going on there.

I think we’ve got a pair of solid developing outfielders in Sweeney and Gonzalez. I agree that trading for an outfield bat is something to seriously go for (provided we are “buyers”) before the break.

I’d actually take any of the Pirates outfielders at this point:

1. Bay: .287 AVG / 19 HR / .531 SLG
2. Naday: .321 / 12 / .525
3.McLouth: .281/ 19 / .542

I list average instread of OBP because I think we need to bring in a guy that can hit to drive in runs rather than be the guy to get on base.

It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.

by ru155 on Jul 17, 2008 7:06 AM PDT 0 recs

SLG is what measures hitting to drive in runs

by emar24 on Jul 17, 2008 10:01 AM PDT up 0 recs

If I were Billy Beane....I would cut my hair! It doesn't

look good. Especially when he is sweaty! Not a good combo.

AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********

by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on Jul 17, 2008 9:40 AM PDT 0 recs

Two chicks at the same time.

"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico

by jeepers on Jul 17, 2008 9:55 AM PDT 0 recs

if i was billy

first of all, i would never have written that book.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jul 17, 2008 12:18 PM PDT 0 recs

If I were Billy Beane

I would not let this season go to waste. I would trade Streets Blanton & Buck for Jason Bay or Matt Holiday. I Know I know… Its a rent a player and our track record indicates them signing elsewhere after the season ex: Ray Durham & Johnny Damon. But its the kind of offensive bat that we need to take down the Angels. We have enough pitching depth to recover from the lost. Go A’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Great October on Jul 17, 2008 2:53 PM PDT 0 recs