I think the real question is what will put them over the top.

Starting pitching is the area with the most realistic hope of improvement to provide a more helpful answer to your question, though …

I guess another big bat wouldn’t hurt. I’m thinking Crosby for Jose Reyes of the Mets. Well toss in Jack London Square, a dozen Raideretts and MC Hammer.

I’m missing the arm but I have one hell of a head first slide!

I went with adding a Starting Pitcher

I think our bullpen is in pretty good shape if they’re able to replicate last year and perform close to those numbers.

sign him

Short Stop
Starting Pitcher
First Base
Third Base

The Bullpen is fine as is. We have enough good arms back there to have a solid pen, and enough pitching prospects in the minors to fill it as the year(s) go by.

Shortstop is a hole that we need to fill, and if we do not, we have to compensate somewhere else. A GOOD hitting 1B (as opposed to Barton) would go a long way to off set any hole at SS.

But outside of Short, the most glaring hole in the team is Starting Pitcher. We need 1 good pitcher on a short term contract that will put us over the top, but will not block our top prospects who are coming up. Then again, if we were to sign the man on the FA market that meets this criteria, Ben Sheets, to a 2 Year Deal, that would be fine too, since Duchscherer is leaving and it would give us a veteran ace while the pitching prospects adjust to their first or second year.

Should we address a longer term solution for Duke with some money or just do what we can next year?

Orlando Bloom Cabrera

Kenny Rogers to pitch only in home games (25-4 lifetime!) on the cheap giving our young guys a little rest
A Dunn-Cust-Giambi carousel at DH-1B-RF with Buck/Barton as late inning defensive replacements (can you say Jimmy jack?)
AND
Bobby Crosby to realize he’s really a left handed hitter – those low and away pitches would be right in his wheelhouse!
Seriously though, let’s talk Rogers and Dunn.

“the starting pitching is weak at best.” At best, it could actually be very good. Trouble is, the odds of a “best case scenario” coming together are not 50/50. They’re also not 5/95, though.

of course my vote is Sheets. This off-season is one of the most fascinating in recent years, for sure. If the A’s can work something out with Sheets I will be a happy camper fo-sho!

the Orioles, Rangers and Tigers:

Tigers — Verlander, Bonderman, Robertson, Galarraga, Jackson — 100 PRAR
Rangers — Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, Gabbard, Mendoza — 73
Orioles — Guthrie, Olson, Uehara, Hendrickson, Liz — 73
Athletics — Eveland, Braden, Gallagher, Duchscherer, Gonzalez — 70

Here are the good rotations:

Yankees — Sabathia, Burnett, Chamberlain, Wang, Hughes — 163 PRAR
Rays — Shields, Kazmir, Sonnanstine, Garza, Price — 147
Angels — Santana, Lackey, Weaver, Saunders, Adenhart — 144
Red Sox — Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Buchholz, Wakefield — 141

Sure the A’s have surprise candidates like Cahill and Gio but so does everyone else, from the crappy rotations — Porcello, Holland, Tillman — to the good ones — Hughes, Price, Adenhart, Smoltz.

It makes sense if they can get him for a reasonable contract, something in the neighborhood of 9-12 million per year with some incentives thrown in. I don’t know what his medical records look like but if he checks out then Billy Beane absolutely needs to at least consider the idea of inking this guy to a deal.

Sheets, if healthy, puts another #1-#2 guy into the rotation, gives the younger guys someone else besides Duke to lean on for guidance, and can put the fear of BeJesus into the opposing team, more so now now with the addition of Holliday and Giambi in the A’s lineup. Call me crazy, call me naive’, but you can’t fault me for looking to try and improve the starting rotation for the next 1-2 years friends. “Love me or leave me!” M-Rod

So why not continue to stockpile the starting pitching depth? This is my main concern at this point. The offense has inserted a signifigant upgrade with the additions of Holliday and Giambi, and if Billy Beane decides to add another bat, well then, great.

However, if the starting rotation were to get a Sheets type added, then it stands to reason that the A’s would be in better shape than not. Of course, that would be with a healthy Sheets.

We are not really privvy to that info my good man. I would love to have access to the A’s payroll, as would most, and until that day comes I am not convinced that they don’t.

I’m a huge Clint Eastwood fan. Any news on the Rangers and if they are still looking at Sheets?

They would be in first place in my book.. and alot of other peoples too