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Meyer Up, Eveland Down

Depaul_tiny by Zonis on

Per Rotoworld;

Athletics recalled LHP Dan Meyer from Triple-A Sacramento.
Dallas Braden, Sunday's scheduled starter, is dealing with a throat infection, so the A's wanted another pitcher up as insurance. Meyer was 10-5 with a 4.48 ERA for Sacramento.

Athletics optioned LHP Dana Eveland to Triple-A Sacramento.
Eveland was a fine starter for the A's in the first half, going 7-6 with a 3.49 ERA, but he had struggled mightily in his last three outings. The A's will hope he rediscovers his command quickly, allowing him to be brought right back to the majors. In the meantime, they could go to Dan Meyer as their fifth starter. However, Gio Gonzalez is another possibility.

So per AN's hope, Meyer is finally getting his shot. Though it is interesting that it comes at Eveland's expense.

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Interesting indeed

I would have expected it to be at Lenny D’s expense.

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by vignette17 on Aug 3, 2008 2:59 PM PDT reply reply   0 recs

I think Lenny is out of options

by sending down Eveland, the A’s avoided losing DeNardo all together and they will probably give Eveland a little rest and bring him back up after missing a start.

Hot dogs, get your hot dogs.

by jjham15 on Aug 3, 2008 3:41 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Well DiNardo passed through waivers earlier

What’s to say that he won’t again? He hasn’t exactly been dominant recently.

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by vignette17 on Aug 3, 2008 3:46 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

About friggin time!

Eveland has been on a downhill slope for awhile and yesterday he looked about as bad as I have ever sen him. I hope we get to see Meyer on the mound soon.

by mrod on Aug 3, 2008 3:11 PM PDT reply reply   0 recs

I don't like this move

Eveland should have gone to the bullpen. Play it shorthanded if you have to. Don’t burn up Eveland’s last option needlessly four-fifths of the way through the 25 man roster period.

It probably won’t matter that much, but Cliff Lee wouldn’t be a Cy Young candidate for the Indians today if he hadn’t had an option remaining last season when he was sucking pond water.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 3:41 PM PDT reply reply   0 recs

I think the move had something to do with the fact that

there was a real question as to whether Braden would make the start today (flu) and they had to have someone available to start if Braden couldn’t go. True, they could have tried to pass DiNardo through waivers, but I think they feel Eveland truly needs some work before he’s ready to pitch more in the major leagues.

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 Aug 3, 2008 4:03 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

OK then, DFA Brown or Davis

or option Hannahan if you insist on keeping everyone on the 40-man.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 4:09 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

If Frank comes back as DH in '09,

I think we’ll see Rajai on the team in ‘09 too, despite being a terrible hitter.

If Frank’s DHing and Cust is the everyday LF, Rajai is the perfect defensive sub/pinch runner for those two.

Rajai is really the ideal 25th player for a roster, IMO. You don’t worry about getting him regular at-bats, and his defense and speed shouldn’t get “rusty” the way an unused hitter does.

I think Rajai’s the fifth OF next year, Petit’s the utility infielder, and there’s a big battle for 4th OF – Murton, Denorfia, Buck, a rushed Cunningham(?), etc., with the preference being a right-handed hitter.

"The painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me." -Wedding Crashers

by notsellingjeans on Aug 3, 2008 5:12 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Cust, presumably

if Thomas is DHing.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 6:36 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Frank should NOT be on this team next year,

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 5:15 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

The Argument for keeping Thomas

is that he is a Right Handed Power Bat that the A’s do not have at all. The closes thing the A’s have elsewhere is Carter, and he’s in High A.

Cunningham has a very good chance of making the A’s in 2009 as the starting CF or LF, and even as the Starting CF or LF in September 2008. He’s had a great year at AA, and more importantly, is Right Handed. That would help a lot in a lineup and outfield comprised almost entirely of Lefties.

facepalm.jpg

by Zonis on Aug 3, 2008 5:22 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I think Arron will make the team.

Heck he almost did this year before breaking his wrist. I just dont see this team competing next year either so I would want Franks ABs to go to someone who needs them.. Like Buck or Cunningham.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 5:48 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I see Sweeney, Cunningham, Gonzalez

being the “every day OF” in 2009, with the rest battling for 4 OF honors – which means an every day gig on this team.

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 Aug 3, 2008 5:50 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I think Aaron will make the team but prob not outta spring training..

Buck will prob start for a few months then if Aaron is playing well he will come up.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 6:00 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Au contraire, I think Cunningham

is scheduled to come to Oakland on 9/1/08 with a one-way ticket.

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 Aug 3, 2008 6:01 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I hope so.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 6:04 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Another reason not to pay Thomas actual money next year

Since that puts Cust right out of positions.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 8:55 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

What I'm wondering is

wasn’t there some contender out there that could have used a player with Rajai’s skillset?

Couldn’t they have gotten a minor prospect out of, I dunno, the Yankees for him?

On a team with a set roster, he’s a good pure backup player. On a team with a roster in flux, he’s an annoying roster hindrance.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 6:38 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Rajai Davis

Skillsett:Fast black man

Eveland rocks! Eveland rocks! Somewhere Drew Carey just smiled.

by miggyk2 on Aug 3, 2008 6:41 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Paul...

I think the way options work is that this is considered an option YEAR, meaning Eveland can be recalled and sent down as many times as we want, until the end of the year. Starting next year, he is out of “options”, and must pass through waivers before being sent down. That’s what I think, anyway…I could be wrong.

"A’s baseball….It’s almost better than a stick in the eye." ~ alox

by Gallagher's Watermelons on Aug 3, 2008 5:50 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

But Eveland made the team out of Spring Training...

He hasn’t used an option yet in ‘08, and Paul’s saying that it’s lame to use one now, on the back end of a sunk season, instead of keeping him in the bullpen for the remainder of ‘08 so that the A’s still have an option to use on him in ‘09.

"I'm going to take a camera crew and march into Billy Beane's office and demand to know why instituting his newfangled cost-saving measures means that the run manufacturing plant had to get shut down." FJM

by Elvez on Aug 3, 2008 6:11 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I think what trumps that is that the A's simply feel

Eveland needs AAA work before he makes another big league start. He doesn’t have major league command and he should not make major league starts until he gets some.

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 Aug 3, 2008 6:14 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

In that case

ride it out for the year, then burn that option to start next year. I seriously doubt he’ll accomplish much in less than a month of AAA pitching and we now don’t have that option for next year.

In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!

by DMOAS on Aug 3, 2008 6:22 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Maybe it's a sign that the A's don't care that much

Which could mean they have grown to like him about as much as I do.

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 Aug 3, 2008 6:28 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Making roster moves because you "don't care that much"

is really foolish. Even if there’s only a 10% chance that keeping the option will help, why would you just pointlessly throw it away?

I’m pretty sure Eveland’s problems of late have as much to do with fatigue as they do with suckiness, and pitching at AAA is not going to ease the burden on his arm. If anything, it might worsen it because the hitters are worse and he’ll presumably be pitching more innings.

It’s as though they’re expecting to DFA him in the offseason and they just want to use him up as much as possible, and burn off his options, so that people will be less likely to claim him. I sure hope that’s not true, because that would be evil.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 6:47 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I don't think I would presume it to be evil....

just business. After all, Eveland pitched himself into this particular predicament. Despite his rather poor showing of late, there’s no way he passes through waivers. Someone will claim him on the chance that a change of scenery would do him good.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Aug 4, 2008 9:22 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Doesn't work that way

Read my post at the end. I put it in the wrong spot. :D

"A’s baseball….It’s almost better than a stick in the eye." ~ alox

by Gallagher's Watermelons on Aug 3, 2008 8:21 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Actually, it does work that way

You aren’t out of options until a team actually uses all of your options up. It’s a common misconception that a player can only be sent down in his first three years. In fact, many top players still have all of their option years remaining (Barry Zito, for instance, has never used an option year).

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 9:08 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

link

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Aug 3, 2008 10:23 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Nice link

I’ll be saving that one

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Aug 4, 2008 7:36 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

That Gorman guy...

He doesn’t write for them anymore, but if you have a subscription, look at some of the headlines from his archive. There’s four or five great articles that were really educational for me.

"The painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me." -Wedding Crashers

by notsellingjeans on Aug 4, 2008 9:07 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Link

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Aug 4, 2008 11:20 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Only if he is not recalled by 8/22

He has to spend at least 20 days on the farm for an option to be burned …

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Aug 3, 2008 10:15 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Good point

I had forgotten about that.

MLB needs to hire some neutral outside party to go through the rules and just frigging clean them up a little. This stuff is impossible to keep track of.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 10:35 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Of course, devo forgot to mention the exclusion

for months that happen to have 5 Fridays. That one is all too often overlooked.

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 Aug 3, 2008 10:43 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I hope MLB's rules consultants don't read SBN

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 10:44 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I've never even begun to attempt to understand those

I follow college ball, which is simple—13 scholarships, and you can get whoever wants to play for you…

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 3, 2008 11:03 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Well, in defense of college hoops

They’ve got a pretty complex player-payment system in place, as well.

by mikev on Aug 3, 2008 11:22 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   1 recs

heh

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 Aug 4, 2008 8:03 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

+1

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Aug 4, 2008 8:11 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

QOTM

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 4, 2008 9:19 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

naw that's just

ohio state and usc

"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 12:10 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

+1

especially $C

by ohmangoAs on Aug 4, 2008 8:34 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Hey watch it!

I love catfish…..they just get a bad rap for being bottom feeders.

:)

by mrod on Aug 3, 2008 3:54 PM PDT reply reply   0 recs

I would like to see Meyers get a few starts to see what he can do.

Cant hurt, and we need to find out about him.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 5:49 PM PDT reply reply   0 recs

Both of them?

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 Aug 3, 2008 5:50 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Maybe we got the good one this time.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 5:59 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

That's baloney...

Which has a last name, it’s M-E-Y-E-R…

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 Aug 3, 2008 6:00 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Oh I wish that I was Oscar Meyer's weiner

wait… that isn’t right at all.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 8:58 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long

I don’t think we will ever see Dana Eveland pitching in an Oakland A’s uniform again.
He just didn’t have big league command and he’s unlikely to ever find it. He was a useful player for about a third of a season.

by Bubsy on Aug 3, 2008 8:05 PM PDT reply reply   0 recs

-10000

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 3, 2008 8:13 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Yeah

That 3.88 ERA he had through 21 starts means he’s not an MLB caliber pitcher. He finally hit the wall (against an extremely good offensive team) that we’ve all been predicting he’d hit.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 9:00 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I actually think Eveland's 3.88 ERA was an example

of the “unsustainable luck,” aka “peripherals will catch up to you,” doctrine at work. I don’t doubt that fatigue is a factor in exaggerating the level of his struggles, but I also don’t think Eveland was pitching all that well when he had a 3.88 ERA. Look at Saarloos’ 10-win season and Joe Kennedy’s “great ERA” beginning to the 2007 season, and how quickly those guys fell into suckitude.

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 Aug 3, 2008 9:09 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Maybe

He was walking a lot of people (one every two innings) but he wasn’t giving up all that many hits (under 1 an inning) and his HR rate was pretty solid (1 every 20.5 innings).

They aren’t ace numbers but they aren’t awful. I think his stuff is for real, his control is a work in progress, he can be a very good 5th starter for us if he never gets any better than he is (and there are teams where he’d be a #3 or #4), and there’s absolutely no question he’s a MLB caliber arm.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 10:05 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I agree he's a perfectly good #5 starter

Thing is, those are a dime a dozen – you can pick up four off the scrap heap and two will be ok while two will be dreadful. So if you are good at scouting pitching talent – which the A’s are – you can grab a #5 starter pretty easily.

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 Aug 3, 2008 10:18 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

A perfectly good starter for us

And therefore a perfectly good #4 for most teams (and an upgrade at #3 for some).

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 10:29 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

That I'm not buying

Even the hapless Rangers should start Millwood, Padilla, and Feldman ahead of Eveland.

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 Aug 3, 2008 10:31 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Why?

Millwood and Feldman are both having significantly worse years that Eveland (including his last start). Millwood has a 5.4 ERA.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 3, 2008 10:43 PM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I'm no Millwood fan, but he's been pitching hurt

and is definitely better than Eveland. I’d trade Eveland straight up for any of those three.

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 Aug 4, 2008 9:35 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Millwood would be fantastic pitching in Oakland.

Shit, the guy won an ERA title pitching half his games in Texas.

by mikev on Aug 4, 2008 10:34 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Cleveland, but yeah...

I’ve always thought Millwood was overrated, but in a more pitcher-friendly park, with good health, he’d be a #3 starter at worst.

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 Aug 4, 2008 10:58 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Perhaps would have been is more apt than would be ...

he turns 34 in a few months and has lost a couple MPHs off his fastball since his Cleveland days (which is as early as the data is available) ... at the same time, he has been hurt be a generally horrendous defense behind him … so it’s not entirely clear that, even in Texas, he hasn’t been a respectable #3 …

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Aug 4, 2008 11:27 AM PDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Definitely agree - I wouldn't touch Millwood

with a ten foot pole going forward due to the age and injury factor combined with the fact that I was never much enamored with him in the first place.

On the flip side, Feldman hasn’t put up great numbers, but going forward I’d trade Eveland for Feldman right now – I like Feldman and think that with Oakland’s defense behind him he could be quite successful.

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 Aug 4, 2008 12:01 PM PDT