Brandon Allen on the block?

But I’m not a fan of moving Allen just . It is true that he hasn’t shown much at the MLB level, but niether has Kila or Carter. On top of that I like Allen’s athleticism and the fact that he could likely handle a COF position should we lose depth there because of injury, under-performance or whatever. Allen also looks better then Kila defensively to me, and is obviously a much better defender then Chris Carter. I understand giving Barton another chance, but is it smart to depend on a guy who was injured and absolutely horrible at the plate last season? I would rather move Kila or Carter if were looking to reduce the surplus at 1B, giving Barton the starting shot with Allen backing up at 1B/OF or waiting for another shot in AAA.

This report is mildly bogus. Billy Beane will always shop any player if he can get a good deal.

“Trade Weeks?” you ask. “No way!” you say.

And if someone offers Beane Pujols and Fielder for Weeks (just to prove a point here).

Then yes, we do trade weeks.

Everyone is available, for a price. I’m sure Beane is just finding out Allen’s price.

The A’s currently have 5 1Bs on their roster: Brandon Allen, Daric Barton, Chris Carter, Sean Doolittle, Kila Ka’aihue. The best way to trade is to get rid of what you have a surplus of and gain something that you are in need of. Here is the breakdown of the 1Bs and why Allen was chosen as the surplus to get rid of:

Barton: Has been on the A’s the longest and has established himself. He is 26 years old and only has 1 year left on his contract before he is arb eligible in 2013. If you look at his numbers in 09, 10 you will see that he can be a huge asset to the A’s if he can get back to those numbers. Beane is willing to give him that chance, since he has seen it before and could possibly see it again. If he still plays like crap, it’s no biggie and we don’t offer him arb or resign him at the end of the season. Nobody will trade for him since he only has 1 year left on his contract and he has been injured, so the A’s just have to hold on and see what he can do.

Chris Carter: Is way too valuable to trade. He is only 25 and hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself in the pros. His AAA numbers can say it all. This guy is a monster 1B who can hit 30+ HRs and bat .270+, he’s never had an OPS lower than .812 in his entire AAA career. Just go look at his minors stats and you’ll see why the A’s want to hold on to him for a while and see how he develops. Worst case he just becomes a DH. He is not a trade candidate for Beane at all.

Doolittle: Is 25 and has proved himself to be a solid 1B. His line for his first season at AAA reads .267/ .364/ .448 with 4 Hrs and an .811 OPS. He isn’t much of a power hitter, but he is talented none the less and could possibly get even better. He has no MLB experience yet and only 1 year in AAA so he isn’t a very good trade candidate. Beane will hold on to him and see what happens.

Kila Ka’aihue and Brandon Allen: I put them together because they are pretty much the same. They are both Arb eligible in 2015 and a FA in 2018. They both have minimal at bats in the MLB and have performed very underwhelming in them with pretty much the same stats. Here is their MLB stats: Allen 324AB .210/ .297/ .383 with 11 HRs and a .680 OPS, Kila 283AB .216/ .309/ .375 with 11Hrs and a .683 OPS. Pretty much the same almost exactly. Strange? Now check out their AAA numbers:
Allen 921AB .286/ .401/ .555 with 59HRs and a .956 OPS, Kila 1201AB .281/ .412/ .497 with 63 HRs and a .910 OPS. They are pretty much the same player, capable of the exact same things.

So what it boils down to with Kila and Allen is who is better trade bait. They both have the same stats and they both have the same contracts, now who is going to be more interesting to other teams? There is only one difference that separates them. Age. Allen is 25 and Kila is 27. Allen also has 41 more MLB at bats than Kila. I know the age and the at bats are such a small difference, but it matters to teams. So that makes Allen the better trade bait who can help Beane get a better player that the A’s actual need.

I hope this helps some people understand some things and why Allen is the most obvious and lucrative choice for the A’s to trade.

I am sure we will go with Pennington and Sizemore. However, trading a OF or 1b for a decent prospect on the left side of the infield would suit me.

I like Allen overall. Would like to see an old-fashioned ST battle for 1B, back-up catcher, Utility IF and the last OF spot.