As for Buck you are right they probably trade him next year so he can turn into Andre Either II for another team. Third they will go out of the organization for. Could it be Beltre on a 1 year deal for $5 million? Or could Cabrera come back at ss next year on a 1 year deal? If I am Beane I would trade Cust while he is still cheap and can bribng back players and let Wallace/Everidge fght out for DH. By the way the a’s are ctrying out Carter in OF these days. Maybe they are already beginning to see the log jam at first.

- Brett Wallace will get the first half of next season to prove he can capably play third base at least through his first couple youthful years. If he succeed’s then great! we’ve got third base rapped up for at least the next 2-3 years (basically until his range becomes even more unlimited). However, if he doesn’t stick; hopefully Cardenas will have proven enough at AAA with his bat that the A’s feel comfortable bringing him up in the second half. In conjunction with a Cardenas to third call-up; they will move Donaldson to 3b in AAA so they have yet another back up plan in case it is determined that cardenas does not provide the kind of power and/or overall bat to justify sticking him at third. I am also fairly confident that the team will resign Kennedy as a fall-back option/super utility player in case everything goes to shit.

Also, Corey Brown should be considered in the conversation since you are including other players like Weeks and Donaldson who have similar ETA’s to the big leagues. Even ruling out players like Peterson and Spencer is not a given though I doubt they break through next year, if at all.

- Lastly, don’t completely rule out Wimberely as a shortstop option in the near future. If Pennington can continue to hit the way he has been- his above-average defense means that he is a more than passable stopgap until Green arrives (that is, if he signs). However, Wimberely seems as though he could potentially provide a Rajai Davis like skill set at the SS position- that is the ability to get on base enough through a combination of hitting and drawing walks- then use blazing speed to make plays and put pressure on the other team. If he can play average D at SS that is something that could be very valuable for this team.

did not mean to cross out that middle paragraph. But basically it says Corey Brown should be considered in the outfield mix if you are also considering players like weeks and donaldson, who have similar ETA’s, as in the mix at other positions.

  after what happened to free agents last year I would bet he will wait until March before going after free agents.

Hopefully he can, and I don’t mean the way Cust mans the position.

If he can play a passable RF his stock rises huge as it would allow another power bat in Wallace to man 1st. Suddenly power from 3rd isnt as important.

I think we are seeing a change in strategy in regards to how the team will look in 2010 and 2011. Defense and speed, as opposed to PED’s and bulk is the building plan. As MAC Attack stated, I think Corey Brown needs to be included in the mix for an outfield spot in the future. I’ve seen him many times, and though his stats aren’t eye-popping; he may be a diamond in the rough.

I’m not particularly fond of Chris Carter. He is absolutely brutal around the bag at 1B, and his all-or-nothing swing has many holes. I think ML pitchers could easily exploit his weaknesses. He has some work to do before he comes up. I hope Wallace can make it up to the club by 2011 and not be a Sean Burroughs. I think his power will develop. As for his defense, he looks a lot better than I expected.

I am liking Pennington more-and-more. He’s got a great arm, and though his range is sub-par, a couple years of experience will help his placement. I don’t know if any of you saw Dick Green when he first came up, but he had very limited range. Once he learned how to set himself in the infield,—depending upon the batter, pitch, situation; he became a plus defender. I am hoping the chance the A’s are giving Pennington now will pay off in the long run.

The core of the pitching staff is amazing. I can’t remember a time when we had this kind of depth and youth. They are getting great experience this year, and I think they will mature as a group by 2011.

I mean, it’s not that far off. Is it really true that even a guy like Sweeney who is a few years away from full potential (if the raging post-PED Sweeney argument is at least part right) I should just consider – well – gone? Whatever happened to “cornerstone” players, “franchise” players. Is that anti-moneyball or something? The quotes I’ve seen posted from Beane suggest he’s not a diehard of his own style (as Karl Marx said, correctly, that he was not a Marxist).

And why do folks think the pitches will stay around as the position players disappear so rapidly (with possible exception of Suzuki)?

Or is it just that all the existing players – well – suck, and that’s why they won’t be around? And that this next crop, 2011-2012, will be the new franchise?