I think it’s important to factor in that Davis plays a position for which the A’s don’t have a replacement on the way especially soon. So to deal him leaves the team with an additional hole (unless you feel Sweeney is a good option in CF, in which case you can soon replace Davis with Doolittle, maybe Carter, etc.). I don’t want to get a good pitching prospect, for example, in exchange for creating another hole, at a key position, at the big league level.

The reality about Rajai is that even if he doesn’t hit well he is a very good defensive CFer — the only one the A’s have — and a great speed presence when he does get on. So if he hits .280/.360 he’s great, but if he hits .250/.320 he still has value.

For a major league ready SS or power hitting corner OFer? Sure. But for just “good value,” while creating a hole in CF? No.

howaboutno.gif

and you made the same speculative list of possible trade partners, Oakland would be near the top of the list as a team that could really use him.

and penciling him in as the 2010 leadoff hitter and starting centerfielder

I also think Suzuki is more valuable to the A’s than both Upton and Navarro (though I’ve been an Upton fan for awhile).

I agree with most who have replied that none of the above packages entices me enough to make it worth letting go of Davis. In truth, that’s what I expected to find before I ever started analyzing this league-wide. But it was worth the exercise for me, because several thoughtful ANers have brought up the idea of selling high on Davis in recent weeks.

Davis’ stats suggest selling high on him, yes. But I feel this analysis shows that the market for his services isn’t enough to justify the hole that trading him would leave behind.

He may get sold cheap in the offseason, and the A’s have stuff the Rays would want, starting with Bailey. Bailey, Rajai, Hairston and something for Upton, Iwamura and Brignac or some such thing sounds like a possible starting point.

didn’t look confident at the plate, looked like April-May Rajai. I think he may be tiring, he hasn’t looked good the last four or five days.

I’d like to keep him as the 4th or 5th outfielder in 2010 unless the A’s can get a good return.

Let’s actually keep a good player!

Lou Pinella has been grousing all season about how they needed a “real” leadoff guy. What if ownership decides that going out and buying Chone Figgins is too expensive for them? I could definitely see some sort of deal involving Rajai + low prospect for either Fukudome or Bradley + cash. The cubs org is just chomping at the bit to dump either guy. Milton’s personal issues aside, I think either guy would work really really well in our current system. Neither guy is a huge power threat (well, this year for Bradley), but they both have great OBP, decent OF defense, and can run well. Doesn’t that sound like us right now?

Upton is a better player than Davis despite his down year. He rushed back from a shoulder injury but he’s still younger, cheaper, and more talented than Davis with a more sturdy track record and a higher upside.

Suzuki is a very fine player and Navarro is poor, but Gregg Zaun will be around and the Rays have the ability to add another catcher by moving a starting pitcher or prospect rather than dealing Upton.

Plus as a I mentioned above, if they were to move Upton (or Crawford) I’m not sure they’d want another MLB ready outfielder to go along with Joyce/Jennings/whomever is left. Heck, even Zobrist could be moved to the outfield full time and Brignac placed at second (or Rodriguez moved to 2B/OF). The team is incredibly deep with positional players everywhere but first and catcher.

I know B.J.‘s perception isn’t swell nationally, but everyone I’ve talked to in the Rays loves the kid. Heck, anyone I’ve talked to likes him. If you’ve heard him talk he’s about the most soft-spoken player around. Over the last two years he’s been one of the top three defensive center fielders in baseball and I don’t think anyone believes his bat is below league average at a true talent level.

Rajai stays an A.

Thank you and good night.

Davis – maybe….but it’d better be for an OF with some serious POP!

Davis to the Celtics straight up for Rajean Rondo, so it can be an all-Raj trade.

(Which I realize isn’t the main point of this post) is just counter-productive in my eyes. I’m sure we could get good players in return for him but I feel he’s just to valuable to the team to trade away now. It would be nice to have a couple established players in place when all the young guys start arriving. Having Kurt behind the plate, Ellis at second, and Cust at OF/DH would be nice instead of inserting 7-9 rookies in the lineup. Add in the fact that Kurt seems to have an excellent relationship with the pitching staff and I’d say he’s about the only untouchable position player we have right now.

I realize that this post wasn’t really well thought out but I just couldn’t really find a good way to turn my thoughts into actual words right now.

I’d like to see someone compare Raj’s career arc offensively to Mr Thomas.

if there’s another Hudson out there who somebody can’t keep, let’s go for it.

The key for me is the first half of the season. Sure everyone loves Rajai in the second half because he was freakin’ awesome. But in the first half he looked like crap and there were numerous times when it sure looked like the smart move was to DFA him. The fact that we didn’t tells me that BIlly thought he saw something in Rajai even when he was bad.

Rajai is only a “sell high” situation if you think he’s going to regress to bad-Rajai. I don’t think Billy is worried about Rajai turning into bad-Rajai again, because Billy still liked Rajai even when he was bad-Rajai.

why the hell would rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies?!

And why does Dion keep screaming over Coach Mariucci?

If there’s a player on the A’s who has bad “peripherals” but is playing extremely well, arent we deep enough to just let them go until their streak runs out? Why make another Hairston trade?