The next move

went with lowe

he’ll cost a lot, but dunn has no spot, cabrera is a type A (i think) and he sucks, and sheets is injury prone (but definitely intriguing.

"My group runs some frogloks down the hall to finish them off and POP! RASTER! If there was a way to scream louder than caps in EQ I was doing it. Man I am straight panicking because I know I have NO CHANCE soloing and the party has run off. I'm in my hotel room; it's like 5am, and I am straight hollering, in EQ and in real life. Bottom line is the group comes back, heals me, and kills Raster! WOOT!" -Curt Schilling on his favorite memories in the video game "EverQuest"

by travdog6 on Jan 5, 2009 10:23 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Lowe will be worth every penny of his contract.

At three years.

by oc on Jan 5, 2009 10:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I picked him too. Never been on the DL.....like Zito.

It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver

by WaddellCanseco on Jan 5, 2009 11:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Can I vote "all of the above"

I voted Dunn because I have heard some good arguments how he could really effect the Holiday decision at trade deadline and beyond if need be, besides;

Sweeney CF

Suzuki C

Cust DH

Holiday LF

Giambi 1B

Dunn RF

Chavez 3B

Ellis 2B

Crosby SS

sounds real solid to me….ah dare to dream

Save the thesaurus for when you are in front of the judge. When speaking of the A's, speak with your heart on...................your sleeve!

by norcalfan on Jan 5, 2009 10:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

More lefties!

by oc on Jan 5, 2009 11:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You'd sign Cabrera, trade for Hardy, and still play Crosby at SS?

It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver

by WaddellCanseco on Jan 5, 2009 11:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

that looks less frightening defensively than I'd originally thought

Dunn doesn’t have a big arm – that would be a big-time liability in RF.

"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other." - Jack Handey

by JJ on Jan 6, 2009 12:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I really really want a new SS

So I voted Hardy.

On a related note, here’s a plan no one has mentioned: how about we acquire a SS who is a RHB, who every year he’s had more than 20 games at SS has had a good UZR there, who hit 35 HR’s 2 years ago, and who’s available cheaply? Who am I speaking of? Bill Hall.

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

by vignette17 on Jan 5, 2009 11:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Problem with Hall is, he has an albatross contract

He doesn’t project as a better value than Orlando Cabrera, who costs only money and a draft pick. So unless the player the A’s give up is worth less than a lone second-rounder (Murton?), he’s not worth it.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jan 6, 2009 12:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He’d have to perform well to be worth his contract. He can definitely get the job done defensively. He had a bad year hitting. I’m not sure what to expect. He’s not learning to play CF or coming back from a long injury layoff. He had a lot of problems with contacts and got LASIK. Yost is gone. Beane could always ask Jim Skaalen about him.

by Lovejoy on Jan 6, 2009 7:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

if I had to guess who we pick up I would say… Nomar Garciaparra.

yes Chavy has said he feels better than he has in years, but Nomar can play some third if needed.
Bobby Crosby as our 09’ SS really? Are we just going to cave and go with that?
Nomar still can play some SS. (and a much better hitter when healthy).

If he comes cheap, why not. He can play 1st too, and is a right handed bat for our left handed heavy lineup (given Giambi is back).

Who knows, I could be way off but it seems Billy plucks that guy everyone forgets about towards the end of the off-season.

by HRH on Jan 5, 2009 11:48 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I have been wondering some about Nomar.

How washed up is he?

by IM4Oakgal on Jan 6, 2009 12:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Pretty thoroughly ...

He probably doesn’t out hit Barton and is much worse defensively …

Oh, you meant as a shortstop?

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

by devo on Jan 6, 2009 1:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Most pressing need is a starting pitcher...

and Lowe is the best of the lot. I voted for him.

by IM4Oakgal on Jan 6, 2009 12:16 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I voted for Sheets

purely because of financial reasons. I don’t think Beane is gonna open his piggy bank for Lowe because he will cost too much. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have Lowe in the rotation because it makes the A’s a genuine contender with him and Duke at the top of the rotation. Sheets, although risky, is super talented when he is healthy and I think Beane will bite because he won’t be able to help himself.

Once one of these things get done, I’d be all for going after Hardy Not saying that is gonna happen either, but boy would that be sweet!

by mrod on Jan 6, 2009 11:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you...

Sheets is more of a possibility than Lowe…Lowe is just a dream. I voted Lowe as who I thought would be best not most likely.

by IM4Oakgal on Jan 7, 2009 12:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Lowe

I hate the guy.

Plain and simple, I hate Derek Lowe, and yes, completely because of the 2003 ALDS.

But, is he a good pitcher?
My first thought is that at this point he’s a fairly mediocre innings eater.
But at the Colliseum (and w/ Ellis), he might be a really quality pitcher.
So then I thought maybe he’s worth it.

But he’s not going to sign a one year deal. And we really don’t need a starting pitcher for longer, and his presence would only block our future.

So, Sheets it is.

"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau

by King Richard on Jan 6, 2009 12:20 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

i dont think there's ever a time we don't need a starting pitcher

in my opinion, its hard to have too much starting pitching. and if we sign him for three years (four tops) he probably won’t be blocking anyone. and if he is, we trade him or find a better use for him.

that being said im quite skeptical of ever getting him

"My group runs some frogloks down the hall to finish them off and POP! RASTER! If there was a way to scream louder than caps in EQ I was doing it. Man I am straight panicking because I know I have NO CHANCE soloing and the party has run off. I'm in my hotel room; it's like 5am, and I am straight hollering, in EQ and in real life. Bottom line is the group comes back, heals me, and kills Raster! WOOT!" -Curt Schilling on his favorite memories in the video game "EverQuest"

by travdog6 on Jan 6, 2009 12:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I know we won't get him.

The big money teams will snap him up. I would wager that…the Mets will come around eventually and pay him his asking price.

by IM4Oakgal on Jan 6, 2009 12:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Lowe is a really good pitcher

and Ellis will help him out a ton.

With the A’s pitching depth though, I think the A’s can, and should, avoid contracts of more than 2 years with a 3rd year option for pitchers. Lowe will easily get 3 guaranteed. You don’t guarantee lots of years to pitchers unless you absolutely have to to fill a need long term.

"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."

by Blicks on Jan 6, 2009 7:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

All of this is true, but

you seem to be assuming we’re stuck with him for the full contract. I see no reason why we couldn’t sign Lowe for three years and still easily trade him after one or two. Given that he doesn’t want to come to the west coast anyway, I hardly think he’ll ask for a no-trade contract.

That said, I will be very very surprised if we sign Lowe. Of all the FA SP names out there, I think he’s the one we’re least likely to get. Several of the others are plausible, but not Lowe.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jan 6, 2009 10:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I like Sheets

because he can be signed to a two year deal with a possible third year option? He’s basically Rich Harden 2.0. Tons of potential, great pitcher, but is injury prone.

It would be nice to have another RHP and another veteran in the rotation. With Sheets at #1, it makes everybody else that much better. Suddenly, Duke at #2 and Gallagher at #3 doesn’t sound too bad…

Maybe he won’t be opposed to sign with Oakland, unlike Furcal, now that we have Holliday and possibly Giambi. If Oakland signs Giambi and Sheets, I think they become the new favorite to win the AL West.

by green_and_gold on Jan 6, 2009 1:18 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Sheets

if he can be had cheap, which is looking more and more likely. apart from SS, our biggest need is in the rotation.

the real question is, can he be had cheap? as in, if he would have accepted arbitration he would have been guaranteed more than $12,125,000 (his salary last year). doubt he will sign for much less than that per. is that salary worth it?

holdin' it down for the bay from upper westside manhattan

by SamYam on Jan 6, 2009 8:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

12M is worth it, yes.

by mikev on Jan 6, 2009 8:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If no one offers more than $12 million then he will have to sign for less...

or not play at all.

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

by brenarlo on Jan 6, 2009 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t really say for sure, but I’m pretty certain he could sign tomorrow with the Brewers for one year at 13-14-15 million.

by Lovejoy on Jan 6, 2009 9:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I like Lowe...

Durable groundball pitcher who would be in a pitcher’s park. I’d still take him for 3 years. One or more of our young pitchers will fizzle in the majors and it’s probably a good idea to stagger their call ups anyway.

I’d pay $16 million over 3 years for 100+ starts and a 3.80 ERA.

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

by brenarlo on Jan 6, 2009 9:06 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Trade for Tejada and have Houston pay for 2/3 of his salary

They brought back Canseco McGwire why not bring back Giambi Tejada??? It was B-12!!!!!

"Hey dad my Jack Cust Bobblehead is batting right handed"....."He's not batting right handed he's striking out swinging."

by What Would Rickey Do on Jan 6, 2009 9:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

From the RotoWorld box

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the A’s are on the verge of completing a one-year, $5.25 million deal with Jason Giambi.

by A'sfaninNC on Jan 6, 2009 9:19 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

with a 4 mil option

by A'sfaninNC on Jan 6, 2009 9:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I like the way this deal's structured

If you have a larger budget this year, use some of it and get yourself some flexibilty for 2010.

"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other." - Jack Handey

by JJ on Jan 6, 2009 12:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Orlando Cabrera

on the cheap. Appears to be little to no market for the guy, and he’s not Bobby Crosby. He’ll provide an upgrade on both sides of the ball, and isn’t Bobby Crosby. I think he’ll end up signing for substantially less then what Renteria signed for, and oh yea, he’s not Bobby Crosby.

I am with all who want to sign another starting pitcher, but I don’t think Lowe is going to sign with the A’s unless they really outbid other teams and I already know i’m in the minority here but i’m not too fond of throwing $10+ million a season at a guy who will probably end up missing substantial time on the DL (Sheets). He’s a great pitcher if he’s healthy, but we already have a guy making 8 figures who has trouble staying on the field and I don’t think a small market team can afford two guys like that.

by JPShark on Jan 6, 2009 9:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Cabrera

It seems his agent was trying to sell him as a 2B to the Yankees in an effort to drum up business. I wonder if he’d consider signing a 1 year deal, allowing him to be one of the top options on the FA market 12 months from now.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Jan 6, 2009 10:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

A's would be better off locking him up for 2 years

There’s no indication that the farm will produce a long-term answer before 2011.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jan 6, 2009 1:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I've been thinking 2/15.

Although, I can honestly say I won’t be suprised to see him come cheaper then that. The guy is drawing next to zero interest at this point (at least that we’ve heard) and the A’s may very well be his only option when all is said and done. I realize we will lose a draft pick, but we won’t see a SS emerge from within the system for at least another 2 years and Cabrera could outplay Crosby fairly easily over that time span. Other then Jason Donald, I don’t see any truly realistic trade options at this point. I haven’t been a fan of signing Cabrera, but if his price drops as much as it looks like it might I don’t see how the A’s can pass him up.

by JPShark on Jan 6, 2009 3:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Andy Pettitte must think he's worth more than he is

He just turned down $10,000,000 from NYY.

The way the market is now and they way he got hammered in some of his starts last year. IMO, he just made a dumb decision. He’s not worth 10 mil.

by Trainman on Jan 6, 2009 10:04 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Dumb decisions to you maybe...

but he’s in the position of not having to care… he can just retire.

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

by brenarlo on Jan 6, 2009 10:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He said he wanted to come back to the Yankees

They have a new ballpark and a zillion dollar roster and he wants more than 10.

He’s not worth 5 million IMO.

If he had wanted to retire then he would not have said he wanted to come back.

He must have lied when he said he wanted to play for Yankees in 2009 because turning down 10 million in this market is a DUMB decision.

Especially with that 4.54 ERA and 233 hits in 203 innings.

by Trainman on Jan 6, 2009 10:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

or he could take the 10 million and stfu!

by mrod on Jan 6, 2009 11:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i thought the yanks took their offer back?

"My group runs some frogloks down the hall to finish them off and POP! RASTER! If there was a way to scream louder than caps in EQ I was doing it. Man I am straight panicking because I know I have NO CHANCE soloing and the party has run off. I'm in my hotel room; it's like 5am, and I am straight hollering, in EQ and in real life. Bottom line is the group comes back, heals me, and kills Raster! WOOT!" -Curt Schilling on his favorite memories in the video game "EverQuest"

by travdog6 on Jan 6, 2009 1:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

now that giambi is signed

sign mulder and isringhausen
trade for tejada
trade for dye/damon
maybe durazo an NRI

by Asfan4ever723 on Jan 6, 2009 10:39 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

That group would really need some veteran leadership...

What is Geronimo Berroa doing these days?

by Titus on Jan 6, 2009 1:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

don't bogart that joint my friend!

by mrod on Jan 6, 2009 11:27 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Time to phone up Orlando Cabrera

The starting pitcher bargains are off the market. The A’s need to fill the other gaping hole on their roster, and if Cabrera is a league-average patch for $6-7M a year for 2 years, he’ll turn the trick. The draft pick isn’t that important.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jan 6, 2009 1:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs