Creative Solutions To Nice Problems

by Nico on Feb 24, 2007 8:06 AM PST in News Comment 39 comments

I like them all so much, can't we just keep each one and I promise I'll walk them (with Chavy's dog) every day if you just let me keep them all! I'm referring, of course, to the glut of non-starters I'd really like to see make the A's Opening Day roster, such as:

Ryan Goleski, who is too good to send back to Cleveland but who (barring a deal) has to be on Oakland's major league roster in order to stay with the organization
Erubiel Durazo, whose "Holy Grail" hitting ability puts him in a category of players the A's usually can't get once, let alone twice.
Bobby Kielty, who is arguably the team's single best hitter against left-handed pitching.
Shannon Stewart, who is a lot better than Cindi realizes when she exclaims, "How good can Shannon Stewart be--I've never even heard of her!"

Now things tend to sort themselves out, and if Dan Johnson starts seeing triple, or if Milton Bradley gets his first owie mid-March, the A's may only wish they had dilemmas. But just in case everyone is healthy and looking good (and playing well), here are some creative, outside-the-box ideas of how the A's can cram these faves--we'll call them "the litter"--onto 25 spots:

FREE PEREZ NOW! No Antonio Perez, no Lou Merloni, no Donnie What's-his-name, just Marco "jack of all three positions" Scutaro as backup infielder to Ellis, Crosby, and Chavez. That means if Chavez goes down, you're looking at Scutaro or Melhuse at 3B for the rest of the game--and then a roster move to part with one of the litter. It buys you time to see if Goleski, or Durazo, Kielty, or Stewart might wear out their welcome, and if one of the litter gets hurt before an infielder does then hey, the dilemma has sorted itself out once again.
FREE YABU NOW! OK, Yabu just stands for that guy who never pitches but probably would if the game went 17 innings and we needed a double-play against a Rule-5 switch-hitter. Perhaps we could survive just fine with 11 pitchers, given that Haren, Loaiza, and Blanton are innings eaters and given that guys like Embree, Gaudin, and Halsey can give you multiple innings out of the pen. Why not keep Halsey, rather than another short reliever like Witasick, in the pen as a back-end innings eater and go with 6 relievers (e.g., Street, Duke, Calero, Gaudin, Embree, Halsey) so that you can hang onto Goleski and have a bench with Durazo to mash righties and Kielty to mash lefties?
FREE MELHUSE NOW! With Durazo and Stewart and Kielty, we don't really need Melhuse's bat, and with Kendall as your everyday starter a back-up catcher's main role is to be ignored by the manager. So let's just give Kendall what he wants: write his name on the lineup card in indelible ink, and tell Piazza he's your emergency back-up catcher, but first confirm with Kendall that if he gets horribly injured (e.g., blocking home plate against the Zamboni machine during a rain delay) he is to emulate the character from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, insist that his decapitation is "merely a flesh wound," hop to first base on the one still-attached leg, and steal second.

OK, these ideas might be presented in descending order of seriousness, but really, please: Can we keep the whole litter? I really like them all.

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Is it too late

to teach Goleski to play catcher and 3B?

He's young right, should be able to learn fast.

by broaklyn on Feb 24, 2007 8:16 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with all of your suggestions

except for Piazza as a backup catcher. You need a guy who can start 30 games - Piazza is not the man. Melhuse is fine as a backup and emergency 3B.

by boilerdan on Feb 24, 2007 8:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I liked the Piazza suggestion...

if Kendall gets hurt they can deal with that in pulling someone up from the minors until they work it out. but Kendall is so durable... I'd take the gamble.

Perez, anything to see him go.

Kielty, I do not agree with. I would much rather keep Goleski and his potential than go with Kielty who we already know has limitied abilites.

by IM4Oakgal on Feb 24, 2007 8:43 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Perez

I think Perez is better than he showed last year, but I don't want to lose Goleski. Melhuse as backup catcher and backup third baseman makes a lot of sense to me. It's not like we're actually going to give Chavez time off if he's hurt, just look at last year for confirmation of that.

I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Feb 24, 2007 9:04 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

If we posted

FREE PEREZ NOW as a headline on craigslist, would someone come and pick him up (please?). Maybe we give him a shot to see if he can do any better than last season, but if it gets any worse I think we need to cut our losses.

I do like Melhuse, but I'd be just as happy seeing Merloni go.

death to myspace!

by malikot on Feb 24, 2007 9:28 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

No one would actually come get him

However, in reply to our FREE PEREZ NOW Craigslist ad, 12 people would reply with cut-n-paste form letters of non sequitur followup questions, four people would offer to trade us their 1986 orange plaid couches instead, and a half dozen replies would ask what kind of gas mileage we got on our Previa.

Nine people would flake on the visits they set up to check our our Perez, which would lead to us leaving it out on the curb in the rain, getting rusty. Make that rustier.

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." --Dr. Johnson

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Feb 24, 2007 12:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

doubtful

I think anyone posting Perez on CL would be FLAGGED immediately.

... our computers then decode what it is the monkey's intending to do ... @('.')@

by monkeyball on Feb 25, 2007 11:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Perez is not worth keeping if

it's only just in case Chavez can't play. Scutaro is acceptable at third on occasion; hopefuly he isn't needed to fill in for Crosby or Ellis for weeks or months at a time.

I would, however, hold on to Melhuse. Besides being a good backup catcher, his bat has pop (and is more effective if opposing pitchers aren't too familiar with him), plus can fill in at 3B in an emergency...and I like his bat a lot better than Perez', regardless of how Perez may have hit with the Dodgers. I thought his stance was awful at the plate last year. As for not hitting much being and excuse? Melhuse played even less often than Perez, yet looked (and hit) much better.

by OaklandSi on Feb 24, 2007 9:52 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Free Perez

I definitely think that we should not Free Yabu at this point. Keeping more pitchers earlier seems to be safer, especially since I don't see how Loaiza has proven to be an "innings eater" at all. In fact, I recall around 5+ on average, and into 6 in most of his better outings.

"Good or bad, I don't know. This is awesome." ~Nick Swisher

by humdinger on Feb 24, 2007 10:13 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I like all of these suggestions

Believe it or not. Why can't we have Piazza start those eight or ten games that Melhuse would likely get? And then you don't have to worry about taking up a roster spot. Yeah, you're running a huge risk that if Kendall gets hurt that you're then thrusting Piazza into a situation that he wanted to give up. But you could always call up a Jeremy Brown in that situation. Melhuse has been a good sub, but for as little as he plays with Kendall around, why not give yourself more flexibility with the roster?

by Tyler Bleszinski on Feb 24, 2007 10:30 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I agree, but......

I have seen an awful lot of pictures with Piazza strapt' in and hangin' out with the catchers. I'm pretty sure Kendall isn't lookin' for any tips, so it would seem managers want to take Piazza out of that role more than he wants to be out. I also think Melhuse has a little value left in him for trade bait with some other clubs, is he old enough to trade to SF?

by norcalfan on Feb 24, 2007 5:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

way outside the box

I read an account somewhere that acquiring Goleski from Cleveland was fraught with problems. Basically the A's got suckered because they were unaware of his injuries. Perhaps Billy can squeeze out an extensive for when we have to return him to the Indians if he doesn't stick on the 25 man roster. Maybe return him by the allstar break and buy a little more time??

by elephantman on Feb 24, 2007 10:40 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Melhuse

I definitely agree we can get rid of Melhues - provided that Kendall found a way to get a couple of years younger in the offseason. If, however, Kendall turns out to be a year older in 2007 than he was in 2006 (and I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict that will be the case) then I want him sitting out one game in five.

So I think we'll have to keep Melhuse after all. The one thing that can change is it will be okay to have him pinch hit in late innings. So I hope he gets a few more PAs this year.

by matthias on Feb 24, 2007 11:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Here's the question re: Catcher

If Kendall had to be put on the DL for typhoid or whatever, would the A's be comfortable with starting Melhuse 5 days a week? If the answer's "Yes" than Melhuse stays and Piazza sticks to DH-ing and being available as an emergency Catcher. If the answer is "No" than we can start to be creative with the roster.

The key will be how well Kurt Suzuki performs in ST. Now, the plan is for Kurt to play full time in AAA but it's possible that he could show enough that management will decide that Suzuki is next in line for the starting gig should anything happen to Kendall. In this case, Melhuse is sent packing and Piazza is the defacto back-up C. Since Kendall never sits, this won't really mess with Piazza's experiment at DH. Suzuki plays everyday in AAA and has his bags packed for immediate deployment to the Show if necessary.

Two more factors come into play as well. The first is the A's will not have the luxury to sit a slightly injured Kendall for 2-3 days, he either plays or he goes on the DL. I can see Piazza make a spot start on occasion but he shouldn't be placed in a situation where he has to be catching the staff on a regular basis. This is going to have a ripple effect on Kendall. He's probably going to want to tough it out instead of going to the DL and playing with an injury could hurt his overall performance and this is his FA walk year. It's one thing to ask him to sacrifice for the team, asking him to hurt his future earning potential is too much. The A's may have to secure Kendall's financial future by offering him an extension before going through with the One Catcher Plan.

The second factor is what happens should Kendall go down for an extended period of time? Suzuki may be Plan B but he shouldn't be expected to be an iron man and play everyday. If Suzuki becomes the starting Catcher the A's will need to have a veteran back-up to share the load. Jerking Piazza around doesn't seem like a good idea (although it is possible that Piazza will miss the tools of ignorance and be eager to go back behind the plate) and the A's brought him to Oakland because of his bat. Neither Baker or Brown have the big league experience that would be preffered from the back-up spot so it will be necessary for Beane to scour the AAA rosters and identify which backstops he'd want to put on the Oakland roster should the Suzuki Scenario come to pass. He needs to know exactly how much it will cost to get one of these guys on a moments notice.

Luckily, most veteran catchers who are on AAA rosters have it in their contracts that the parent club will allow them to be bought out of their minor league deals if they receive a big league offer, so the A's would probably only have to part with a cash package to get the guy they want.

Point is, it might be possible to go into 2007 with only 1 Catcher (Kendall) on the roster but it is a lot more complicated than it sounds.

Insert new, original, thought provoking sig line (...HERE...)

A's Medical Staff, 2006

by grover on Feb 24, 2007 11:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Durazo Piazza and DJ

You can't have three guys on one roster with out defensive value. Durazo starts in AAA and comes up only barring a DJ trade, injury, or train wreck.
Melhuse has to say b/c the A's need a veteran caddy for the youngsters in 08. Also, I think Beane is a lot more attached to Melhuse than most people realize.
Witasick was a starter up until he was 28, and can certainly pitch multiple innings. He's been very effective over his career since moving to the pen, is getting paid $1M+, has no trade value, and can't be sent down. If the A's go w/ 11 its at Halsey's expense, and thats a good thing.
I really like the idea of dumping Perez, but IF is not a position of strength for the A's, and, unfortunately I don't think Beane would be willing to lose him for nothing.

by Panda on Feb 24, 2007 12:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

The roster should eat Yabu

Of the three choices, the IF/C sacrifices seem riskiest. Having only one spare catcher or IF backup is gonna limit some in-game strategies, but not having a 12th pitcher usually won't.

But carving out a spot for the extra OF/DH hopeful is only worthwhile if the A's actually let hitters #12-14 hit once in a while. Not a management hallmark in recent years.

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." --Dr. Johnson

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Feb 24, 2007 1:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Right

Besides, pitchers 11 through 16 say are flexible anyway. Start with Witasik as number 11, Halsey (e.g.) is #12 in AAA and gets the call when Calero, or Duke go down for 15 days. Halsey then gets sent down after a week because they want to bring Windsor up for a spot start for Loaiza who was the flu. Or whatever.

The point is that is will be a real surprise (in a good way because it means we're fairly healthy and effective)if the A's don't use at least 4 or five guys from AAA before September.

by jakarta on Feb 24, 2007 5:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Why is everyone so high on Goleski?

by CyZito on Feb 24, 2007 2:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Fair question

Goleski turns 25 in a month and hasn't played above AA. In fact, he's only had half a season at AA and 87 K in 324 AB is not an encouraging sign.

All that said, Goleski did hit .306 with 27 HR in 445 AB last year and he's got the defensive skills to play a solid RF. He's got average range and a cannon arm.

Simply put, the Oakland A's do not have a RH hitting player in the entire minor league organization that can match Goleski's power/arm combo. The top offensive prospects are all LH hitters and Goleski offers the potential to balance the line-up. If he fails or if the A's have to give him back to Cleveland than Billy Beane is going to have to go outside the organization to find this skill set.

Insert new, original, thought provoking sig line (...HERE...)

A's Medical Staff, 2006

by grover on Feb 24, 2007 2:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Even at AA

those stats look good. 27 dinger guy could be a huge (rh)help off the bench, I am just worried the price to keep him is too high. Didn't we expect this sort of power from Durazo? Who would you rather keep of the two?

by norcalfan on Feb 24, 2007 5:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Personally... I take Goleski

He's not ready for a full time job but he has the potential to be a factor in the A's organization over the next several years. You cannot say the same about Durazo.

Insert new, original, thought provoking sig line (...HERE...)

A's Medical Staff, 2006

by grover on Feb 24, 2007 6:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

I don't really care about Goleski in 2007, it is 2008 and beyond that I would like to see him. The best scenario for Goleski would be for him to clear Rule V waivers, work out a trade with Cleveland, and let him get experience in AAA. Spending 2007 being Ginterized in Oakland is not going to help his development.

I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Feb 25, 2007 6:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Tough call

Goleski's got power and, apparently, an arm that can chuck frozen ropes. But do we really want to carry 5 outfielders? Well, alright, Kielty's really only one half of a platoon, so 4 1/2. The benefit I can see here is that Geren could play Swisher at 1st full time, probably would say goodbye to Dan Johnson (not gonna get PT, will eventually be replaced by Daric Barton anyway) and maybe get some low-to-mid-range prospects in the bargain. If they only carried 11 pitchers, that'd be enough room to have all 4.5 outfielders, Melhuse, and Perez... for whatever that's worth. Let Durazo watch from Sacramento, we should hang on to the Goleski kid.

by Joey C. on Feb 24, 2007 2:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm rooting for the Holy Grail as well.

After all, he was very productive for the A's before he was injured.

Judging by his numbers in the Mexican League, he is healthy again. Now, I'm not going to quote those numbers or put much stock into them because it's the Mexican League, but Durazo has a track record of being a very good major league hitter.

Most of the optimism around here concerning the A's offense centers around the idea that Piazza plus a healthy Chavez/Crosby/Bradley etc etc will make up for the loss of the Big Hurt, and I certainly hope that happens. A healthy Durazo getting regular PAs, however, would get me excited about this offense.

"We've come a long way, and I'm not talking about Virginia Slims, either." - Art Howe

by EastCoastA on Feb 24, 2007 4:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'll vote with my sig...

FREE PEREZ NOW!

by Poppy on Feb 24, 2007 5:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

The way i want it and see it

is plain and simple. Do whatever you have to do to keep Goleski. I think this kid's the real deal.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Feb 24, 2007 6:37 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I have a feeling the A's

see it the same way, partly because (as grover says above) Oakland's depth chart for RH hitting OFers is thin. So Goleski takes a thin minor-league area and makes it suddenly pretty decent.

And since he's probably ready to make some contribution at the major league level, it's not too big a sacrifice to keep him on the major league roster all year. Certainly not with the way the A's seem to view roster spots 23-25--heck, we should just fill three spots every year with Rule 5ers!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 24, 2007 6:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I can see

Goleski, Buck, Bradley, Swisher, and Chavez as an excellent core to build around for years to come. So what's needed to ensure that? Keep Goleski, resign Milt long-term, and give Swish the long extension that we all want to see. Now if Crosby could join that group we'd be in business.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Feb 24, 2007 7:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That's a good point.

Especially since Goleski could start the year on the DL if the A's are so inclined--after all, the Indians couldn't complain with a straight face considering his undisclosed injury. (Even though they're probably telling the truth about being unaware of it.)

If Goleski needs time on the DL, the rest of the roster could sort itself out through trades, poor play, or injuries.

"We've come a long way, and I'm not talking about Virginia Slims, either." - Art Howe

by EastCoastA on Feb 24, 2007 7:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thank God we can always

count on some poor play!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 24, 2007 7:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Goleski

How good is this goleski guy? Why did the indians leave him unprotected? Is it possible that we drafted this guy incase we could not land somebody like stewart and now we have stewart we no longer need him?

I am a sports writter.

by scottofchico on Feb 24, 2007 9:51 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

The guys got power

thats apparent. He hit something like 26-28 HR's in AAA(?) last year and Geren says he likes what he's seen of him thus far in ST so he's definitely worth keeping around.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Feb 24, 2007 11:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I like all the suggestions also, but..

the real problem with not having Adam is when the A's are warming up more than I pitcher. You can't have your DH in the bull pen, plus all the pressure on Mike's old knees, so a reserve outfielder on coach or someone would have to get down in the croached position.

by robertmelvin on Feb 25, 2007 6:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Interesting point--hadn't

thought of that. I wonder what Pittsburgh did the year they went with no back-up to Kendall.

Creative solution: convince Melhuse to retire and then hire him at half price as Special Assistant to Brandon Buckley, i.e., "second bullpen catcher".

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 25, 2007 8:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bigger problem than warming up the pitcher...

What if Kendall goes down mid-game? You can't switch your DH (Piazza) to a fielding position mid-game.
You're basically conceding victory if Scutaro has to run out there and catch 5-6 innings.
Melhuse pretty much has to make the opening-day roster.

If there's a roster spot to be squeezed, it's Perez...Scutaro could play third and so could Melhuse, who was a 3b at UCLA. That frees up your extra bench bat for Durazo (until he inevitably breaks down) and then for Goleski (after he miraculously recovers from his "mysterious injury" which landed him on the DL when the season started.

But it's unlikely Durazo hits well enough to earn a spot. I hope he's the hitter he was in his late 20's, but the reality is he hasn't a good major league season in a few years. And he isn't the type of athlete/body build that ages well. There's a reason he's a NRI, and those guys rarely make rosters.

I'd rather use that open roster spot to keep 12 pitchers (hello, Jay Marshall?), keep an additional situational lefty, and make our pen that much more versatile.
The easiest Rule V pick to keep on your roster for an entire year is a situational lefty.

That roster looks like this:
Kendall, DJ, Ellis, Croz, Chavez, Swisher, Kots, Bradley
Bench: Melhuse, Scutaro, Kielty, Stewart.

Harden, Harden, Loaiza, Blanton, Kennedy
Pen: Witasick, Jay Marshall (L) Gaudin, Embree (L), Calero, Duke, Street. (7 relievers)

"DL": Goleski

Of course if one of the P's needed to start the year on the DL, Flores and Halsey could make the big league roster. But both also have the options and can shuttle from Sac to Oakland all year.

I'm pretty sure Gaudin has options remaining, too. With all the off-days in April, and less pitching needed, we could keep Marshall as the 11th pitcher and have Gaudin start in AAA and still keep Perez.
I'd say the only way Perez gets dealt back to the NL/unloaded is if our infield is incredibly healthy in ST (unlikely) and one of those guys you mentioned really forces our hand.
But Melhuse can't get ax. We still need an in-game back up C.

"Fictional numbers are really effective for making your case." -Devo

by notsellingjeans on Feb 26, 2007 4:36 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Not that I was serious about

going with one catcher, but what do you mean Piazza couldn't go in to play catcher mid-game? Absolutely he could; you just give up the DH, which means that for a few innings the pitcher has to hit--or you pinch-hit for the pitcher when his spot comes up.

If the pitcher has to hit once or twice for every time Jason Kendall is so injured he can't stay in the game, that's hardly a reason to keep Melhuse on the roster at the expense of Goleski or Kielty or Durazo.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 26, 2007 8:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

melhuse or perez

one should go. melhuse has little value as a back-up catcher but as a back-up catcher and back-up 3 bagger he has enough value to warrant a roster spot.
with that being said i'd rather keep perez and dump melhuse but if we're keeping melhuse we should dump perez.

"I'd like to reference a brilliant post from Left Coast Lumber today" - notsellingjeans

by methodrampage on Feb 26, 2007 11:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs