Devine activated, Conrad goes down
by EddieVegas_NRAF on Aug 2, 2008 9:18 AM PDT
17 comments
Not like that, sicko.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txathleticsdevine&prov=st&type=lgns
I had high hopes that Conrad would hit his way into a full-time job. I suppose I had the same hopes for Bankston, Patterson, Murphy, and Murton. (And T-Buck, at one time.)
Does anyone here think Devine will get a chance to audition for the closer job once in a while as the string gets played out? Or will Geren keep throwing Street out there, hoping he succeeds more than 75% of the time and drives up his stock a little bit?
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Since DeFrancesco has been demoted to 1st Base Coach
let’s hope Geren has the guts to demote Street to setup man and move Devine to closer.
by petitceebee on Aug 2, 2008 9:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Not in a million years
He’s looking to drive up Street’s value and demoting him won’t do that.
Also Street has not be very good by any means, but he’s not been terrible enough to demote. Managers are creatures of habit and have a really hard time making switches like this. Look how long it took Leyland to demote Todd Jones.
by Crosbino on Aug 2, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
DeFrancesco
when was this? Was if for sending when he shouldn’t and holding when he should of sent?
Enjoy the game
by DCinWC on Aug 2, 2008 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Couple days ago
Tony DeFrancesco and Tye Waller swapped positions. Now Tony D is 1B coach and Tye is 3B coach.
Here on AN there was plenty of speculation that it was due to Tony D’s failures at 3B, but the team never said. They just switched.
So far, it looks to me like a better fit this way.
(Didn’t Bob Geren and Brad Fischer swap positions between 1B coach and bullpen coach a few years back?)
"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk
by iglew on Aug 2, 2008 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would question the "demotion" label in both cases.
3rd base coach isn’t necessarily a superior position to 1st base coach. Likewise, the closer isn’t necessarily superior the loogy, roogy, bloogy, or set-up guy. I think Ziegler is clearly the best pitcher in the pen right now, but it would not be a “promotion” if they were to start using him exclusively for saves from now on. He’s already being used in the most important spots of the game, and those don’t necessarily come in the 9th inning.
My sense is that the A’s will be more flexible with Street now that the trading deadline is past. As long as there was a possibility of trading him, they wanted to keep him in the “closer” role for the sake of perceptions. Now, I think, they’ll revert to using each pitcher where they feel he is most effective. That will still probably mean Street in the 9th often, but not so religiously as before.
"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk
by iglew on Aug 2, 2008 11:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
3rd Base coach is clearly superior
There is rarely a hard decision to be made about sending a runner at first (plus the player can see the ball as they’re running towards the field). 3rd base, on the other hand, makes high stakes decisions frequently.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson
by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 12:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Joey in street out?
Would be smast of the A’s to take Street out of the closer role and put in Joey for a test run. Street is arbitration eligeable next year so it would save atleast a million off next years contract by not being a closer. Tuesday is the day when waiver players will past through so there could be a deal in the works. If embree is picked will the A’s let him go same for Brown.
by Arcman on Aug 2, 2008 10:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't think
anybody here believes we will be the ones to sign Street to that deal, much less pay him the money. He will be traded at some point this offseason.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on Aug 2, 2008 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Embree for Closer = Higher Draft Picks
Enjoy the game
by DCinWC on Aug 2, 2008 11:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Experiments are over...
While the A’s were trolling for trades, it looked like Beane was throwing people in the mix: Bankston, Conrad, Patterson, Murton …hoping against hope that one of them would stick and pull the A’s from their doldrums. None did, and the team fell from contention.
Now I suspect it’’s time to hunker down and win as many games as possible in 2008 to lay a good foundation for 2009. Petit was clearly the best back-up infield option; Barton has the most upside at first base. You’ll see Dinardo go down when Foulke comes back, and that’s how I think August will play out, barring injury.
Come September 1st, I would hope Meyer gets a chance to pitch in the rotation —Gio can either wait til next April or May, depending on how Beane wants to play the control issue. I also think the A’s should consider another year of Embree -—relief pitchers go good to bad to good. That’s why I’d have traded Embree this past off-season, and why, should the A’s trigger their option, he might well be good trade bait next June if he rebounds in 2009, which I think is likely. These old fart lefties last forever.
by richwol1 on Aug 2, 2008 11:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Embree
That’s a pretty good point about Embree. We’ve all seen plenty of veteran relievers who have a good year after a lousy one (eg, Foulke, Rhodes, etc).
The team’s option on him for 2009 is $3 million. That’s a lot for a pitcher who sucks, but it’s not outrageous if he turns out good and/or tradeable.
"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk
by iglew on Aug 2, 2008 12:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
post trade deadline info
There were conversations, I learned today, involving three and then four teams to try and acquire Street. The Sox would have sent Orlando Cabrera somewhere with prospects going back to the A’s. However, the A’s wouldn’t pull the trigger without the Sox including Aaron Poreda in the deal and Williams wouldn’t do it.
Another interesting trade discussion the Sox had was with Baltimore about Brian Roberts. I heard today that Baltimore’s asking price earlier this year for Roberts was either Floyd or Danks, + Alexei Ramirez, + Josh Fields. The Sox wisely said no of course. Then after the Street deal fell apart, the Sox went back to Baltimore to see if their asking price had changed. Williams did not say who was asked for but it said “it would affect the current roster”, which I’m assuming meant it hadn’t changed much. The Griffey deal was Plan C after those two other potential deals fell through.
by Asfan4ever723 on Aug 2, 2008 12:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Hm
Probably just as well for the Sox that they made the Griffey deal, as I think all three of the players in that trade will be total nonentities, and so at least they didn’t lose anything. Although they might just manage to lose some games unnecessarily if they put him in center.
Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.
by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
what players
floyd/danks, ramirez, fields? i think they will be a little better than “non-entities”. especially danks.
"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball
by flipgatey3 on Aug 2, 2008 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Huh?
They didn’t trade any of those guys, they traded (IIRC) Danny Richar and some mediocre relief pitcher.
Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.
by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
my bad dude
i took it to meant you were talking about…
“Another interesting trade discussion the Sox had was with Baltimore about Brian Roberts. I heard today that Baltimore’s asking price earlier this year for Roberts was either Floyd or Danks, + Alexei Ramirez, + Josh Fields. The Sox wisely said no of course.”
"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball
by flipgatey3 on Aug 4, 2008 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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