The Infield Conundrum

Barton was recently sent down to Triple AAA (and rightfully so) to make room for Mark Ellis on the roster. But now that Ellis is back, what do you do with him? After all, it's not like you're going to take Weeks out of the lineup, and the other guys have (generally) earned their places as well. So what can the A's do?

Obviously, there is the option of turning Ellis into a utility infielder. It's what the A's did with Bobby Crosby during the twilight stages of his Oakland career. Ellis' defense might recede a bit when playing other positions, but he should remain generally stellar. The problem is, where do you slot him in? Scott Sizemore is a good fit at third base, and is an aggressive hitter. CoJack has earned his place on the team, and he plays first base. And Adam Rosales is still around, vying for playing time.

People has also talked about sending Ellis to the Giants. Ellis would be a good fit for San Francisco at second base; they have been hit by injuries themselves, and currently have Burris and Crawford in the middle infield. Who do the A's get in return for Ellis? Barry Zito has been thrown out, but that isn't very likely. The Giants have have to pay most of his contract, and it's an expensive. Essentially, they would be paying Zito to play somewhere else. You could just request a package with some prospects, because Billy Beane would have some leeway with the trade. He has Ellis, and the Giants could use Mark. But ultimately, do A's fans want Ellis to leave, particularly to the other side of the bay? He has been on the team the longest, and is a leader in his own.

Of course, there is something else: call up Chris Carter. Forget about Ellis - do whatever you want - but call up Carter to put at first base. This would pretty much eliminate Ellis from the picture. In calling up Carter, you could finally get some power at first base.

So what do you think?