The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Jonny Gomes is nearing a deal with the Oakland Atheltics.

With Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp and Seth Smith already in the fold, plus guys like Collin Cowgill, Michael Taylor and Michael Choice coming up from the minors, the A's outfield appears to be rounding into form.

Gomes is a decent defender and he brings good numbers to the plate against righties (.375 OBP). The A's will probably platoon him with one of the younger guys. There's even a chance he serves as a sort of utility oufielder / pinch hitter because his bat does have a bit of pop to it (14 HR in 311 AB).

Jonny brings another veteran to a very young team in need of more experience. An interesting fact is that Gomes is the only major-leaguer from Petaluma, CA and bringing in a local guy also gives the fans one of our own to root for. If the A's aren't going to be a big-spending team, bringing in as many fan favorites as possible is a smart bet. Anything that might get a few more fans to come out for A's games sounds good to me.

(Follow me on Twitter: @justplainaj)

Links: http://blog.sfgate.com/athletics/2012/01/19/petalumas-jonny-gomes-nearing-a-deal-with-the-as/

http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=477435 "10 Things You Didn't Know About Jonny Gomes"

Twitter: @susansussler "The San Francisco Chronicle has learned local favorite Jonny Gomes is nearing a deal with the #Athletics"