Hi all, I know this is just a minor league deal and that deals like this get made for depth all the time, but I believe LaRoche was once a fairly well regarded prospect.  My question is what this means for Kevin Kouzmanoff?  I don't expect LaRoche to take his starting job by any stretch, but between Encarnacion, Beltre and now LaRoche when is the poor guy going to get a break, and what do you think these moves will do to his confidence?

I also have another question, last year the A's had Dallas McPherson at triple A and he put up what looked like good numbers to me (22 HR's, .267/.339/.541.)  If the A's are so desperate for third basemen for...whatever reason they seem to be, why let him go?  Especially if they're going to sign people like LaRoche and Encarnacion.

Thanks for your insight!