1979.

Consider that a hint towards a shocking revelation still to come. But before we start looking back in time let’s focus on the here and now. Your 2008 Oakland currently sport the lowest cumulative team batting average, on-base percentage and slugging numbers in major league baseball. The A’s have scored 554 runs in 141 games played, putting them on pace to score fewer then 640 runs for the season. To put that in perspective, that’s 100 runs fewer then the A’s scored last year when everyone thought the A’s featured a below-average offense. 640 runs in a season would be the lowest number of runs the A’s scored in a non-strike season since… you guessed it… 1979!

How’s that for freaking pathetic.

A few days back I posted a Staturday article that discussed how the A’s had spent their money on player salaries and bonuses in 2007 and 2008. I pointed out that the 2009 roster, as currently constructed, would run approximately $39 million and that if the A’s management was willing to invest the same amount of money as they did in 2007 (roughly $83 million) then they could continue to invest heavily in acquiring amateur talent through the draft and the international markets while leaving $30 million that could go towards the big league roster. Hey, I’m all for developing home-grown talent but sometimes instant gratification is nice too. The A’s have a unique (for them) opportunity to go after a premier offensive player via free agency during the next two off-seasons and quite frankly, they have the need.

(Here’s a link to my previous article for anyone who wants to take a closer look at the dollar figures, I don’t feel like repeating myself.)

The question is, who should the A’s sign? I’m not interested in a one-year-wonder, some fading vet that we can maybe milk one last year of production out of. Been there, done that and with a $30 million wallet I want to move to the high rollers table. The A’s need to find a cornerstone player, someone who’ll anchor the line-up for the next 5-7 years and I don’t really care about what position he plays. Kurt Suzuki is the only player guaranteed a starting job next year as far as I’m concerned and every pending free agent on the roster can proceed to the nearest exit. Yes, that includes you too Mr. Ellis. Love the glove but you quit hitting, your arm is about to fall off and I’m not interested in spending the money to glue you back together.

So what are we looking for to spend our money on? Premier offensive ability and health headlines the list, with the FA-in-question preferably young enough to count on for the next half-decade or so. The A’s need to maximize their bang for the buck, as it were, and with that in mind there are 8 free agents over the next 2 years that could fit the bill. They all have their pros and cons, which is why I’m including a poll for people to vote for their preferred pick. Be prepared to defend you’re rational in the comments, ‘cause it’s only the future of the A’s we’re talking about here.

Let the debate begin.

2009 Options (DOB)

Mark Teixeira (4/11/80)  137 G  506 AB  304/407/540  29 HR  84/87 BB/K

The cream of the FA crop in 2009 and 2010. A switch hitter with excellent numbers, good defense at 1B, the youngest FA-to-be and is probably kind to children and small animals. He’s going to be on every big market wish list and the Angels have already said they’d do everything they can to re-sign him and not let him enter the free agent market. But his agent is Scott Boras and Teixeira has made it known that he wants his next contract to be his last contract, Mr. Boras has whispered a 10 year deal will be necessary to land his client. Dollar wise, you’re looking at a minimum of $20 million a year and Baltimore owner Peter Angelos has long coveted Teixeira so don’t expect the annual number to drop any. If you pick Teixeira in the poll, you’re saying yes to a 10 year deal at $20-$25 million annual.

Pat Burrell (10/10/76)  139 G  475 AB  255/371/516  30 HR  90/121 BB/K

A word to the wise, Burrell is not merely a creation of Citizens Bank Park as his 2008 Home/Road splits show he’s been much better away from his hitter friendly home park. Burrell offers more long term RH power then the A’s have had since McGwire played for Oakland. He’ll probably be willing to sign a typical 4-5 year deal plus an option (as opposed to Tex’s decade-long guaranteed pact) for $15 million annual. Burrell rates as a good, but not great hitter and if he slips as he gets older it wouldn’t take much before he fell from good to above average or less. Flip side to that is sticking him at DH could preserve him through his time with the A’s. Availability could be an issue since the Phillies would like to bring him back and Burrell has expressed a desire to stay.

Manny Ramirez (5/30/72)  133 G  480 AB  323/424/575  30 HR  75/107 BB/K

Manny is high maintenance. At 36 he’s the oldest FA-to-be in either group and he’s already played in as many games this year as he did in either of the two previous seasons. He quit in Boston, forcing them to trade him even as they push for another title shot.

He’s also been one of the best RH hitters in baseball for the past 15 or so years.

Manny got shipped to the Dodgers and is kicking ass in one of the most notorious pitcher’s parks in baseball. Even agent Scott Boras recognizes that Manny is looking at 2-3 year guaranteed deal this off-season, although I’m not sure if there will be any willingness to come down from the $20 million Manny “earned” in 2008.

Adam Dunn (11/9/79)  136 G  440 AB  239/391/520  35 HR  107/140 BB/K

Dunn is the deluxe in 3 True Outcome hitters and he’s destined for an AL DH role sometime soon. Some would argue that he’d just be a more expensive version of Jack Cust and they might be right, assuming of course that the 2009 version of Cust hits more like the 2007 version did and not like the 2008 version is. If that doesn’t happen then Adam Dunn’s career .901 OPS says “Bite Me” to the Custalicious crowd. Dunn will probably be looking for a 6 year deal worth $16 million annual.

2010 Options (DOB)

Vlad Guerrero (2/9/76)

The Angels hold a team option on Vlad for the 2009 season and I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t exercise it. A physical freak, LA has been worried about his body breaking down the last couple seasons and would prefer to have Vlad DH more often. Alas, Vlad’s ego nixes that idea time and again. Would that change after next season? I’m not going to speculate on years/dollars for Vlad or the rest of the 2010 crowd because their 2009 performance will go a long way in determining those values.

Matt Holliday (1/15/80)

Holliday gets a lot of grief because he plays in one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball. And while Coors Field has certainly boosted his numbers it should be noted that Holliday’s road OPS has gone from .815 to .859 to .877 over the past 3 seasons. A Scott Boras client, you can be sure that Holliday will make a lot of money in 2010.

Jason Bay (9/20/78)

Bay has proven to be fairly durable and productive since breaking in to the Show in 2004. Certainly a step below the elite hitters, he and Rick Ankiel are the only outfielders on this list with the athleticism to keep playing in the field for the bulk of their next contract. Like Pat Burrell, once he starts to slip it’s not a far drop to him being merely an average hitter.

Rick Ankiel (7/19/79)

A bit of a stretch to make this list considering he has barely a full season’s worth of at bats in his big league career, 25 HRs and a .854 OPS is more impressive then anything Adrian Beltre has done since 2004. I could have put Chipper Jones here but he’ll be 38 in April, 2010 and I guess I see him going the Cal Ripken/Tony Gwynn route.

There are those who’ll probably advocate waiting until Eric Chavez clears the books, presumably after the 2010 season, before going after a premier FA hitter. The problem with that is the A’s need offensive help NOW and adding a quality veteran bat could help take some pressure off our young hitters. And before anyone says that the “pressure” argument is a myth, consider that Travis Buck has come out and said that he put pressure on himself to try and replace Swisher and Kotsay in the line-up. That put him in the wrong place mentally and combined with his physical problems to ruin his 2008 season. Let’s give the young hitters a rock to cling to, someone who can be “The Man” and allow Cunningham and Barton and Gonzalez to develop without the added pressure of needing to carry the line-up.

I realize that during Billy Beane’s tenure the A’s haven’t exactly gone after premier free agents. You know what else they haven’t done? Post back-to-back losing seasons. The A’s have always preached an atmosphere of winning in their minor league system, often leaving prospects in Sacramento to experience a play-off run rather then promoting them to Oakland on September 1. The A’s need to re-establish an atmosphere of winning at the big league level, both for the players and the fans, and exploiting this opportunity to sign a premier hitter is a significant step in that direction. Don’t misunderstand, I do not think the A’s are one big bat away from contention. If anything, they need to add two good bats and have their young guys develop into the hitters they’re expected to be. The A’s have the youth in place and the cash to buy one of the bats without impacting the rest of the roster. There is no good reason not to pursue one of the 8 players I brought up in this post.

As for the second quality bat I briefly mentioned…

Well, I’ve got an idea about a trade that'll pull that off.