So yes, Orlando is gone.  He's a Twin now.  He leaves behind a gleaming Cliff Pennington and a fuming Bobby Crosby.  But beyond the "1st half O-Cab sucked, but post ASB O-Cab was pretty good", what do you think about signing O-Cab for next year ?  Was his 1st half slump a sign of regression due to age?  Was his post ASB streak a complete fluke?  Both?  How would you feel about him coming back to Oakland next year?  Granted, (no Grant Green pun intended) it depends on how Pennington performs, and who might be available the next offseason.

We've heard that Orlando liked playing in Oakland.  From SuSlu:

Cabrera and his wife, Katie, really love the Bay Area and Cabrera thinks the A's are setting themselves up well for the future.

Of course, BB can't vote in my poll, because as much as that kills him (from MLB.com):

Asked if he'd be interested in re-acquiring Cabrera as a free agent this winter, Beane cited tampering rules in declining to comment with any specificity.

"Given he's now Twins property," Beane offered, "it wouldn't be a good idea to address his potential free agency."

 

But here's something I just thought of recently: Did O-Cab feel burned that the A's traded him?  Well, that would be understandable,  but is it to the point that he would've wanted to play in Oakland next year, and now he doesn't?  Tough to find a truthful answer on this, since he's a professional, and pro's are obligated to say something like: "I'll miss my teammates and the fans, and playing for the (insert ballclub here), but I'm looking forward to playing with the (insert ballclub here) and the great organization they have."  Orlando is no spring chicken, and I can see him embracing the veteran leadership role (as he did with Gio) and maybe even thinking about getting a ring.

But all of this aside, would you want O-Cab on the team next year?  And for how much (or little)?  As a primary target or as a last resort?  Am I asking too many questions?  And why do you close your eyes when we make love?  Okay, I was just making sure you're paying attention still awake.

I must admit, of all the offseason FA acquisitions, O-Cab was the one I was most excited about.  Not to play the hindsight card, but I felt that O-Cab had a much better chance to play and contribute more than Nomah and Giambi (like we didn't know they were both older and injury-prone?).  And truth be told, I was both skeptical of a non-Coors Holliday and feeling burned at having fallen out of the Maracaibo Patrol Craft (Carlos Gonzalez, for the newbies).

But going forward:

Pennington may very well not be an adequate starting shortstop.  This is his audition.  The curtain rises.

A Tejada signing or Hardy trade might be very nice, but just in case, we should explore our options.

I didn't put any stats in this post on purpose.  Because:

People will post enough stats as it is, through arguing the point they are trying to make.

I'm hella old-school, and I only believe in AVG, RBI, and a solid W-L record (yes, that's a joke)

I don't feel I need to post OPS and WAR stats to gauge the general feeling of O-Cab on AN.  I'm pretty sure that the opinion of him has already been formed and cemented.

So onto the poll and the (hopefully lively) discussion.  Will the east bay once again be a home for a recovering Legna?