figured he was going to be released

Throw away all your conceptions about Scoot and look at him for what he is;

A light hitting backup infielder who can play 2B, SS and 3B, and who's best position is 2B, with average speed. And he's due $2-$3 million bucks.

So yeah, trade him for a couple low A prospects who might return something...

Then replace him with, say, Donnie Murphy. A better hitting backup infielder who can play 2B, SS and 3B, and who's better defensivly than Scutaro, and is faster.

This isn't that big a supprise really. None of us made our mock 2008 rosters with Scutaro on them. And it could also very likely be a favor to an old friend JP, who can use Scutaro as his everyday SS if he really needs it, much like the A's, and has the money to pay for it.

The Jays middle infield situation is as bad as ours, after all. Too bad we couldn't give em crosby.

Can't have him on the roster with Hannahan and Murphy, and Murphy handles SS a lot better, as well as both those two being a lot cheaper.

Sad to see Scoot go though. Great memories.

And goodbye.

Marco!

I hereby dedicate this diary to posting favorite Scutaro memories and highlights of his career with the A's!

My personal favorite is probably during the 2006 ALDS, when he hit his double down the line, knocking in a couple runs, and the entire stadium was chanting "<clap clap> MARCO! <clap clap clap> SCUTARO!"

be one of our double secret cult favorites - confounding non-a's fans with his popularity here. and, an awesome performance with his wife in the indianapolis indians movie- a player to be named later. thanks marco. look forward to your tip of the hat to us before your first AB back in the O.

#18/C

Performance: Low-A Midwest League (1st pro season)

6-7 3.98 ERA 21 GS 110.2 IP

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Graham%20Godfrey&pos=P&sid=milb&am p;t=p_pbp&pid=453232

Born 9/9/84  R/R

From BA's 2007 Prospect Handbook:

Throws 90-94, solid curve as #2 pitch. Control, command and change-up points of emphasis for 2007.

To Marco Scutaro. Thanks for the moments.

It's good to get two worthless Single-A players in trade for one of the A's best clutch hitters ever who the fans universally love. Way to throw the fans a bone, Beane.

Not a surprise, really, but still sad to see him go.

His hard work, determination, numerous walk offs, and ability to adapt to whatever position we needed him at will always make him a favorite in my books. We couldn't keep both him and Murphy, so it makes sense from a baseball standpoint. He'll get a huge cheer from the crowd when he returns, and it will be well deserved.

I already miss that hot little piece of Venezuelan man candy.  

I know some people are going to bring up the sentimentality of Scutaro and insist that this deal sucks, but two Single-A pitchers with a little upside are just about all you can expect from a career backup infielder who will cost close to $2 million next season.

If anything, Beane did us the fans a favor by at least getting SOMETHING in return for him, since it might've been a lot easier to just DFA Marco or release him.

I'm not "wild" about Kristian Bell, who's got some pretty serious command issues, although scouts seem to think that he has a "live arm" and can touch the mid-90s with his fastball and can get righties out with a plus slider. With luck, he could be Kiko Calero.

Graham Godfrey is the real "prize" here. Although he was taken in the 34th round by the Jays, he was enticed away from going back to school with a six-figure signing bonus, which is an amount usually reserved for a 6th or 7th round selection. So Godfrey obviously impressed somebody enough to overpay for him.

He keeps the ball on the ground and keeps his walks down. With luck, he could be Lenny DiNardo.

So, the way I see this deal, is Oakland gets an extra 6th round and late-round pick in exchange for a guy we picked up on waivers years ago and was not part of the present or future. So while not being an "Effin Eh" trade, it's better than "Scutaro was claimed on waivers by the Blue Jays"/

Scutaro is a very cheap option (was hoping for a Crosby trade)...

hahahaha

but rather than ruminate upon that I'll just take this opportunity to say goodbye to a player we've all enjoyed watching and having on the team.
Truly a class act, and a guy with character who was easy to root for and who really did seem to have some kind of "clutch" ability in many crucial at-bats.
But most importantly, I think, he was just a fun guy to have on the team.
I hope he goes on to good things in Toronto and perhaps beyond, and enjoys a solid MLB career in general.
(And we just lost our best ballpark chant for any active player...dammit!)

I just ADORE Marco! I am going to miss him so much, I don't know if words can fully express it!

but my godson who's going to school in Toronto will no doubt instruct the Blue Jays fans in the art of the MARCO!  SCUTARO! chant.  

Marco Scuatro walk off wins

Only six-time Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez (512) has appeared in more games than Scutaro (476) since Scutaro joined the A's in 2004.

That's pretty amazing, er sad.

i KNOW the move makes sense but i still hate it!

i will miss that lovable little venezuelan!!

I'll miss him being in the division.

Toronto: where ex-Oakland utility infielders get traded

As a person who has only been watching the A's since '04, Scutaro has been one of the guys I've really liked in my time as an A's fan. Sure, you know not to expect that much at the plate, but he could come up with some timely hits and in '04 particularly I loved watching him play defense. I'd even go as far as to say that some of the plays he made at 2B that year are part of the reason I became an A's fan. It's definitely slightly sad to see a guy I identify so much with the club moving on.

That said, of course I approve of the move 100%. I just wish him luck in Toronto.

Now...fingers crossed for the progression of a certain Mr. Murphy.

Logic dictates that this is a good move considering that he is easily replaced on the field.  In the heart however, he will be missed.