Orioles release Melvin Mora, would he fit for the A's at third?

	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	GO/AO
SEASON	125	450	44	117	161	20	0	8	48	34	1	60	3	3	.260	.321	.358	.679	1.02
CAREER	1401	4979	750	1384	2169	265	14	164	693	487	15	876	91	53	.278	.352	.436	.788	0.84

I would grab him if cheap as dirt

1yr 1 million – sold

by ryanmoser on Oct 31, 2009 7:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

well i think he would cost more than that

but i would do anything under 4million(is that too much?) and maybe give him incentives in his contract to motivate him

by Twan54321 on Oct 31, 2009 8:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ya I don't think it is going happen...

Mora is old, and past his prime. He would have to have no options besides the A’s to even consider a 1/1 contract. You know somebody will be willing to give him more than that. Besides, Chavez could be ready (unlikely), AK is available, and Wallace is only a few months, perhaps a year away so options at 3B are there.

I'm the genius who said Chris Carter will slug .650 his rookie season.

by JamesCaprio on Oct 31, 2009 8:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes, let us look at career numbers for a 39-year-old...(?)

Brian Sabean, is that you?

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Oct 31, 2009 8:53 PM PDT reply actions 5 recs

That...

is that bat they need.

I'm the genius who said Chris Carter will slug .650 his rookie season.

by JamesCaprio on Oct 31, 2009 9:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

its a one year deal, im not talking about signing multi years

and we’ve certainly done much much much worse(Giambi, 2009) than what he could provide.
and if he sucks we could release him and bring up Wallace, but i dont see anyone we could pick up for cheap that would be better. and hes only 37, give the guy a break haha. I never said it would be a great idea, but its an idea. Maybe we can hear from people that have more to say instead of just throwing insults around(yes i consider that an insult, don’t want anything to do with the Giants)

by Twan54321 on Oct 31, 2009 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

or maybe....

you can come up with a better idea? Haha just kidding. No the dude is past his prime, and it was a short-lived prime. Then you add the fact that Oakland is not exactly a place where too many hitters restart their careers.

I'm the genius who said Chris Carter will slug .650 his rookie season.

by JamesCaprio on Oct 31, 2009 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We could look at what some 39 y/o have done

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_39_bat.shtml

by LowcountryJoe on Nov 1, 2009 5:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mora doesn't compare to any of those guys.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Nov 1, 2009 8:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

jucied or not

OBP.609? that’s unpossible. Bonds was good at baseball, If anyone is serious about a bat, give him a look.

by Future Ed on Nov 1, 2009 9:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

HAHA....

rec’d!!!

I even posted the Melvin Mora idea yesterday before the fanpost and now that I’ve had time to sleep, the idea is horrible…

AK-47 take 500K or we will be happy to bring up Wallace while Chavez would spell him ala Garciapara’s 2009 role with the team!

Brett Wallace it is time for you to get in there and play 120 games at MLB level and see what he has got! Same with Carter, Buck and/or Cunningham…

The foundational Western philosophical quote; "I think, therefore I am..." applies to everyone except Booby "the joke" Crozby

by MMunoz33 on Nov 1, 2009 9:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The other remaining games would go to Adam Kennedy or Chavez???

The foundational Western philosophical quote; "I think, therefore I am..." applies to everyone except Booby "the joke" Crozby

by MMunoz33 on Nov 1, 2009 9:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, no, that's not the right play either

Any play that involves Brett Wallace playing third at all is likely to not be the right play, in fact, but I digress.

The right play is to sign a guy who can actually play third, well, for several seasons. That probably means either Adrian Beltre or Chone Figgins (Figgins would have an added utility in that if Wallace miraculously turns out to be way better than the scouts say he is, he can be slid to fill in whatever position is a problem at the time).

If one insists on getting a stopgap solution, at least look at someone like Pedro Feliz, who is likely to cost less and be just as (not) good.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Nov 1, 2009 10:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Feliz isn't the worst option in the world

He’s a glorified Hannahan — another “all field / no hit” who happens to provide more power and less OBP, but bad is bad and both are just not good hitters. If Beltre and Figgins are not good contracts, then Feliz would be my 3rd choice.

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 Nov 1, 2009 10:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Figgins really cant though

He hasn’t played any other position in years. His outfield defense is bad as is his 2b defense.

"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT

There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"

by designatedforassignment on Nov 1, 2009 11:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

How terrible is he at SS?

I know he played some games there several years ago, but I assume he must have been bad or else they’d still be playing him there.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Nov 1, 2009 1:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I know what his UZR says

but when a player shows extremely good defense at third and extremely poor defense at second (or vice versa), the odds are that that’s an artifact of sample size. The difference usually isn’t that large.

If anything, I’d think Figgins (very short, fast, not renowned for his arm) is more a prototypical second baseman than third baseman. If a third baseman had a vacuum glove but poor range, I could see how one might expect him to do poorly sliding to second— but that’s not at all how I think of Figgins’s defense.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Nov 1, 2009 1:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Kennedy

Had never played 3B B4 2009…I think he’s your man, until and unless Wallace gets the spot. I can’t think of a better utility guy than Kennedy; he plays 2b, 3b, and RF already…probably handles SS as well…dang sure would if he knew he was the somewhere-everyday guy….

Name the last time we had a utility guy hit 290…..

by BoyHowdee on Nov 4, 2009 6:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Jay Payton.

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 Nov 4, 2009 7:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

MCC-style post

Hey, he posted a .340/.419/.562 (OPS+ 155) line in 2004.

GIT ’ER DONE, GINATS BRASS

Hey Al, just go away, baby.

by doctorK on Nov 1, 2009 4:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

How about jason Bay???????????????????????????????????????????

The foundational Western philosophical quote; "I think, therefore I am..." applies to everyone except Booby "the joke" Crozby

by MMunoz33 on Nov 2, 2009 1:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

why not just play Wallace?

Wallace should easily duplicate Mora’s 2008 numbers and he’s tons cheaper.

by batterbatter on Oct 31, 2009 11:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This is most likely the best move

by LowcountryJoe on Nov 1, 2009 5:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think this is penny wise and pound foolish

I don’t know what crappy 3rd base person provides the plan b behind the fantasy that eric chavez plays again. Wilson Betamit? that would be poetic.

by Future Ed on Nov 1, 2009 9:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dubious, to say the least

Wallace’s MLE OPS last season was .680. Combine that with bad defense and you’ve got a hope-killing black hole of a performance from third base. Even if he improves on that by 10 runs (quite a lot), you’re still wasting a year of his service time for a barely-above-replacement-level performance.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Nov 1, 2009 10:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

and, look at what the Royals did by bringing up a third baseman too soon

as the heir apparent to George Brett. Alex Gordon might have done better without the added pressure of debuting at 23.

"It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics. " GB Shaw

by One won lost won on Nov 1, 2009 5:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

23's not that old to debut, though.

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 Nov 1, 2009 7:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Melvin Mora is a one man population explosion.

He’s like a tribble.

"Flea Markets aren't just for blind dates anymore!"- The Reverend Billy Lard

by Gaijin_Suketto on Nov 1, 2009 12:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'd like to see

Dallas McPherson signed to a minor league deal. He could hit 25 – 30 HR and still be dirt cheap. I’d go for Mora too for a reasonable price.

Oh, but if I catch a line drive by a girl, that’s girl-on-girl action, the twiceness is eliminated, and it just counts once - gigglingone

by closetasfan on Nov 1, 2009 4:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Dallas is a minor league Hall of famer

The question is will he ever get another shot? – I like the idea, sign D minor league deal and between him chavy and wallace – someone will get the job done – or atleast I hope.

by ryanmoser on Nov 1, 2009 6:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You mean between him and Wallace, don'tcha?

In 2008 I was watching a team that was rebuilding. In 2009 I feel like I'm watching a team that just sucks.

by UncleLeo on Nov 1, 2009 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love chavez

and I won’t stop trying to convince myself that he is going to play and hit 25 HR.

by Future Ed on Nov 1, 2009 9:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

why would you do that to youself?

she’s not going to answer your call.

by PL78 on Nov 1, 2009 9:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Mora late signing

Mora is 1 of those players that would be a late signing. I don’t see him getting more than 3 million 1 year deal. He does hit lefties so he is more of a platoon player now. For the A’s he would be a fall back if they don’t think they can do better. About a 10% chance of signing with the A’s.

by Arcman on Nov 1, 2009 8:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

this makes sense

I see him as a late Feb/early March signing too, 1 year $1.5M. He’s coming off a ROUGH year and is old.

by PL78 on Nov 1, 2009 9:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Which is why you may as well sign and play Kennedy at that point

If it’s not a useful upgrade, it’s not worth doing. $1.5M is still money, and a player is still a roster spot someone else can’t have.

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 Nov 1, 2009 9:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather sign Dallas McPherson.

They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick

by mikev on Nov 1, 2009 9:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He didn't play a single game this season...

I think he may have hung up the cleats at this point.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Nov 1, 2009 10:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

McPherson's back

He has a bad back that goes out all the time. Just another minor league Chavez.

by Arcman on Nov 1, 2009 11:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, we gotta get another one o' those.

In 2008 I was watching a team that was rebuilding. In 2009 I feel like I'm watching a team that just sucks.

by UncleLeo on Nov 1, 2009 12:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Need a couple more of these bad backs...

Sorry that I thought McPherson was a good option; not another medical case for the A’s. Adam Kennedy at least did not break down on us last season.

Charlie Brown GO A'S WIN

by Charlie Brown on Nov 1, 2009 1:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather sign Elle MacPherson

In 2008 I was watching a team that was rebuilding. In 2009 I feel like I'm watching a team that just sucks.

by UncleLeo on Nov 1, 2009 12:19 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I hope they would tailor the uniform better for her

I think plenty of the fans in the stands would be jealous every time she touched the ball.

by el generico on Nov 2, 2009 12:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

How about Elle MacPherson

Granted, she’s 46, but she can still bring it.

The A's. The SWINGING A's. That's right, the SWINGING A's.

by eastcoasta'sfan on Nov 2, 2009 2:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Correction: Bring 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 Nov 2, 2009 5:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

oh they've been broughten.

They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick

by mikev on Nov 3, 2009 8:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, as much as Mora was once a solid player

we’ve got to stop the sign-cheap-and-cross-your-fingers thing dead in its tracks.

Someone will definitely pick him up though.

by Mark H on Nov 1, 2009 10:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

true

but we have ZERO options at 3B, internally. We need to either sign Beltre or look to the scrapheap. Mora is on said heap, so he needs to be talked about.

Hey, I think we all agree that we should sign Beltre, am I right? 3/30 or 3/40 should get him, and we have tons of money coming off the books, lets grab him to man 3B until we can get a certified 3B in the system or make Wallace miraculously good defensively.

by PL78 on Nov 1, 2009 11:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

3/30 and 3/40 are pretty different, though.

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 Nov 1, 2009 11:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Much as I despise Mora's play at this point, I would much rather sign him than Adam Kennedy...

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Nov 1, 2009 10:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather have Kennedy

Mora’s at the fall-off-into-oblivion stage of his career. He could easily put up Giambi-type numbers in 2010. So you’d have a lousy fielder who can’t hit. At least Kennedy is young enough to give you a .280 average with more power than Mora has at this point, and maybe - just maybe - with a year under his belt, his play at 3B will improve slightly. I’d rather see Feliz because the guy can field and has some power on a team that sorely needs it. But no way I take Mora over Kennedy, even if the cost were the same.

by richwol1 on Nov 1, 2009 11:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I must be reading this wrong somehow

It sounds as if you are saying that Adam Kennedy has more power than someone not named Adam Kennedy.

We are talking about the guy who hit 11 home runs in four seasons between 2005 and 2008, yes?

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Nov 1, 2009 1:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In 2009

Adam Kennedy hit 11 home runs; Melvin Mora hit 8 home runs. It’s possible Kennedy’s power in 2009 was a fluke, as was Mora’s decline. But like I said, I think this kind of decline on Mora’s part looks precipitous to me given his age. So yes, even if Adam Kennedy hits 5 home runs in 2010, he’ll have more homers than a guy who could well be released by May.

by richwol1 on Nov 1, 2009 2:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Adam is way ahead

Mora is a back up plan if Adam isn’t signed but the A’s would rather have Adam back.

by Arcman on Nov 1, 2009 11:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

How about throwing money at Chone Figgins or Jason Bay???

Maybe Johnny Damon?

The foundational Western philosophical quote; "I think, therefore I am..." applies to everyone except Booby "the joke" Crozby

by MMunoz33 on Nov 1, 2009 10:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Apparently, Boston is ready to start the bidding for Bay at 4/60

Which means Bay will probably get more than that wherever he lands, Boston or elsewhere. Not a good deal.

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 Nov 1, 2009 10:34 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No thanks

Remembering Bill King

by jeffro on Nov 1, 2009 10:55 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Do you want me to jump off a bridge?

"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT

There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"

by designatedforassignment on Nov 1, 2009 11:12 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Wait -- you're saying signing Mora means

paying $1.5M and DFA jumps off a bridge? Man, this is a tough one… :-)

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 Nov 1, 2009 11:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You also have to watch him be a giant abyss of suck for 162 games next year.

which will be as fun as getting a thousand paper cuts on your tongue.

"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT

There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"

by designatedforassignment on Nov 1, 2009 11:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm...Still thinking, weighing pros and cons...

I am used to seeing 162 games of suck at 3B; you build up a tolerance..

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 Nov 1, 2009 11:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There was that time when

Hannahan, Crosby & Nomar all manned 3rd base for the A’s.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Nov 1, 2009 12:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And OPSed .912

(Together)

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 Nov 1, 2009 3:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That must have been the game where the A's only had one outfielder

"When you get that nice celebration coming in the dugout, and you're getting your ass hammered by guys, there's no better feeling than to have that done." -Matt Stairs

by Aufheben on Nov 1, 2009 10:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, when you have even one of them in your lineup, odds are you're going to lose

so you might as well make things interesting.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Nov 1, 2009 11:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Okay, I think I have my favored mid-2010 lineup ready

Sign Beltre for 3 years @ $10M a year.

1B: Chavez/Barton —> Carter
2B: Ellis
SS: Pennington
3B: Beltre
C: Suzuki
LF: Cust
CF: Davis
RF: Sweeney
DH: Wallace

Bench: Powell, Hairston, Patterson, Chavez/Barton

You use the excellent 3B D by Beltre to offset the terrible LF D by Cust (who can be benched against lefties for Hairston). Hope that Beltre gets to the ones down the line that Cust will have problems with. Chavez….PLAY HIM AT 1ST! The less chances he has hurting himself on the field, the better? If he gets hurt and/or stinks, then its CarterorBarton-time and if Chavez somehow manages to stay healthy and put up good offensive numbers, then its let Wallace+Carter battle it out at AAA, the winner gets to DH or if Carter is a better LF than Cust, let him play there like how the Padres have natural 1B Kyle Banks playing in LF because they have A-God.

by PL78 on Nov 1, 2009 11:42 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Cool. Does Beltre know about this?

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 Nov 1, 2009 11:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I just posted it to his wall on facebook

he should know about soon

by PL78 on Nov 1, 2009 11:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Remind me his user name again?

Is it 1ballshattered or nocupsoprano?

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 Nov 1, 2009 12:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

The type of discussion I wanted to here(read). He probably is a fall back option but I would take him over AK because he can play better D and you never know he could bounce back slightly. But if I had my choice I’d get wright from NYM, ah what a fantasy, it would be great though.

by Twan54321 on Nov 1, 2009 4:25 PM PST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Troy Glaus

1 year, get your career back in order contract.

Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.

by Zonis on Nov 1, 2009 5:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

And play Cust the OF. Yes I said play Cust in the OF.

If you look at the LCS teams this year, you find that the 4 LFers were:

Manny Ramirez
Raul Ibañez
Johnny Damon
Juan Rivera

I don’t know if the A’s can win with Cust in the OF, but I do know that they can’t win without a better offense. So if Glaus can still mash but has to DH, so be it. Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney round out still a pretty good defensive OF overall, the right side of the infield and catcher are air-tight, and SS should be fine.

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 Nov 1, 2009 5:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

SS should be fine?

You mean only defensively? Because unless we’re replacing Pennington, SS is one of the least fine places on the A’s.

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

by vignette17 on Nov 1, 2009 7:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, I mean defensively

I figure either the A’s will upgrade with someone like Hardy, or run with Pennington, in which case SS will be perfectly strong defensively.

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 Nov 1, 2009 7:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

don't forget Jason Bay

by Future Ed on Nov 1, 2009 11:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think its possible to underestimate just how terrible Cust is with the glove.

His UZR for his career is about -19. Meanwhile, a good DH is likely to add about 2-3 wins, so that fielding Cust in order to add another bat is probably either a wash or a marginal improvement at best.

I’d be in favor of adding Glaus if he can play third, or even some first, but I see little chance of the A’s offense being significantly improved until the kids get some legs. I actually think the A’s best chance next year is to get lucky as a solid defensive team, much like the Giants or Mariners in 2009. I’d like to see Geren manage the roster to accomodate defense more, with fewer opportunities for folks like Cust, Giambi, Garciaparra, and Kennedy to don the leather.

That said, I think Carter and Wallace’s respective moves to DH and 1B could occur in the near future, perhaps before either has made it to Oakland (Weeks and Cardenas are both gonna need playing time in Sacramento), so Cust’s days at DH are probably numbered.

"When you get that nice celebration coming in the dugout, and you're getting your ass hammered by guys, there's no better feeling than to have that done." -Matt Stairs

by Aufheben on Nov 1, 2009 11:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

NOOOO

by Tambo45 on Nov 2, 2009 10:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I got one for you

Hank Blalock!

by Tambo45 on Nov 2, 2009 10:52 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Sammy Sosa?? or maybe

Ricky Henderson????

The foundational Western philosophical quote; "I think, therefore I am..." applies to everyone except Booby "the joke" Crozby

by MMunoz33 on Nov 2, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No thanks.

I’d rather have Adam Kennedy, not that I’d like to have him back. At least Kennedy can steal some bases and play more than one position, and isn’t older than the Oakland span of the Bay Bridge.

Figgins is an idea that’s growing on me. He might come cheaper than expected due to his massive postseason failfest, and he can be moved to any of a number of positions.

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

by jeepers on Nov 2, 2009 12:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Figgins' ability to play other positions

has been called into question here. He used to play many positions, but hasn’t for several years. Whether that’s because he can’t or just because the Angels liked him at 3B I don’t know.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Nov 2, 2009 2:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

True enough.

It’s a lot more reasonable proposition than asking Troy Glaus to play shortstop, though.

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

by jeepers on Nov 4, 2009 12:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Plus we can call him

“Cho-ney” when we like him and “Shoooonnnnnnn!” when we don’t.

That’s worth something.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Nov 5, 2009 10:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No. When we don't it's

{shakes fist at former nemesis who’s now hurting us by being our ally}

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 Nov 6, 2009 7:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs