This plan is predicated on defense and sucking for another year.  So please don’t point out that I am throwing a little league team out here in 2010.  Not only do I know, but it’s pretty much what I was gunning for. 
The reasons for this are:
a)  We are not going to resign Holliday nor are we going to be able to make a trade for/pick up any stud player to replace him. 
b)  If we are going to suck next year, we might as well get a look at some people (Everidge and Pennington)
c)  If we are not going to score any runs, we might as well throw out the best defense possible.  Hence the lineup below (with the exception of probably Everidge) runs out people whose UZRs are better than average (some of them outstanding).
Finally, I have no good reason for calling this the Marshall plan other than the fact that Jay Marshall is in our bullpen in 2010.

Lineup:
LF – Scott Hairston
RF - Ryan Sweeney
C – Kurt Suzuki
DH – Jack Cust
2B – Mark Ellis
SS – Reid Brignac
1B – Tommy Everidge
3B – Cliff Pennington/Manny Burriss
CF –Julio Borbon
Bench:
Willie Harris
Landon Powell
Rajai Davis
Daric Barton
Rotation:
Duke
Mazzaro
Anderson
Cahill
Gio
Closer:
Andrew Bailey
Bullpen:
Sam Demel
Brad Kilby
Jay Marshall
Brad Ziegler
Edgar Gonzalez
FA Filler/Wuertz like offseason trade/Seat filler (Kevin Cameron) for H-Rod

Trade Michael Wuertz/Matt Sulentic for Andrew Lambo/Dee Gordon
Analysis: Broxton’s big piggy really wants to go home, and he is struggling.  Wuertz is a man among boys right now, and that kind of insurance will probably be beneficial in the stretch run.  That said, Ned Colletti traded Carlos Santana for Casey Blake, so trading Lambo is probably in Ned’s wheelhouse.  The potential snag here is if they end up trading for Roy Halladay, which would surely deplete the Dodgers whole system.  As for Dee Gordon, he is a real speedy guy that fits into the new A’s profile.
Trade Travis Buck/Gregorio Petit for Reid Brignac
Analysis: Essentially trade some major league failures.  With Bartlett, the Rays need Brignac less and with Gabe Gross, they need Buck more.
Trade Adam Kennedy/Santiago Casilla for Manny Burriss/Scott Barnes
Analysis: I know people like Kennedy but we probably won’t have him past this year.  Might as well turn him into someone younger, even if he doesn’t have a high ceiling (Burriss).  Scott Barnes might be a stretch in this in that he is having a real good sleeper season, but with Bumgarner and Alderson at higher levels, maybe Sabean could be talked into it.
Trade Dallas Braden/Aaron Cunningham/Russ Springer for Guillermo Moscoso/Julio Borbon/Martin Perez
Analysis: Ok.  This probably won’t happen.  But if we want to pretend we are in an alternate universe, here are some reasons it could.
a)  If the Rangers are really in it to win it, then they need a SP. 
b)  They probably don’t have enough money for the Halladay sweepstakes, so Braden could be seen as a nice consolation.
c)  Martin Perez is really, really good.  But with Feliz and Holland, they might be able to talk themselves into it.
On top of Perez, Moscoso would be nice Rotation insurance in case of injuries and Borbon looks like the killer of all flying things II.
Signing Willie Harris
Analysis: Ummmm.  I am thinking player-coach?!?

After all these moves are notable prospects would look like: Carter, Cardenas, Weeks, Green, Ynoa, Lambo, Perez, Barnes, Gordon.

Obviously this will never happen, and I am just really indulging in my fantasies of being a GM.  But to speak frankly for a second, I do wish that Beane would go with some of the core ideas in all this.  We are going to have a terrible offense next year (even if we call up Cardenas and Carter midseason, they will need some time to cut their teeth), so we might as well just go cheaper route and throw out an amazing defense.  Also, we really need to learn to sell high, and I can’t see Braden or Wuertz having better seasons, we should deal them now.  The hope is in 2011, some of our offensive prospects will have at least a half a year of major league experience under their belt and be better, perhaps we could overpay Adam Dunn to occupy DH for 3-4 years and he could mash, and our young pitching will have matured enough to make our rotation an enviable one.

Finally, if we are going to go with a minor league offense next year we might as well go with a minor league manager.  Promote Tony DeFrancesco!

P.S. We could also call this the Sanjaya plan.
P.P.S. I’d like to see ads running in Oakland during 2010 with the slogan: "A’s in 2011!"