I know that free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre would cost the A's a lot of money and they already have a pretty good defensive third baseman in Kevin Kouzmanoff, but Billy Beane has talked a lot about getting players who fit this current team perfectly.
The thing is, the A's are starving for offense in any way, shape or form. And while Beltre isn't exactly a "thumper" per se, he's a HUGE upgrade over anything the A's have and he's also possibly the best third baseman defensively in baseball.
I know Beane isn't thrilled about getting guys who can be a huge liability defensively, especially having witnessed Jack Cust in the outfield over the last couple of seasons. So Beltre would be an ideal solution to this issue because he adds a very good, middle of the order stick while maintaining and probably even upgrading the infield defense. Can you imagine an infield of Barton, Ellis, Pennington and Beltre? Trevor Cahill might never allow another run. OK so I'm exaggerating, but wow, that's quite the baseball purists dream watching that infield pick it.
Granted, Beltre will be 32 right around the start of next season, but he would be a great addition that would continue Beane's trend towards building an amazing defensive team while serving as that significant upgrade. And if the A's are serious about making that run at a World Series in 2011, you can then also spend some money to bring in Adam Dunn as the true thumper in the lineup. I know, I'm dreaming pie in the sky here, but if you bring in Dunn to DH and Beltre playing third base then I think the team is poised to make a true run in 2011. Course it's easier said than, um, Dunn. I don't think this would be easy and it's certainly not my money and it all depends on what the market is for both players. I've stated before that while I would love a couple of the big name players, I just don't see it happening. Maybe players will have seen how the young pitchers performed in 2010 and be more likely to believe that the A's can take that monumental jump in 2011, but who knows whether that's reality at this juncture except maybe Beane and Wolff.
Oh and I wouldn't expect the A's offense to suddenly be frightening with Beltre and Dunn. I just think they would suddenly have just enough offense to really support the young pitching while even improving the defense.
I know I'm dreaming, but isn't that what the offseason is all about?
