Update: Cust has signed with the Mariners; 1 year, 2.5 million.
Well, the hot stove is crackling, but nothing good for the A's quite yet. MLB.com reported that Billy Beane was to return to the Bay Area yesterday to care for his ill children. Meanwhile, the A's are knee-deep in talks concerning Hideki Matsui, who batted .274 with a .820 OPS (and the much needed 20+ homeruns) last season with the Angels. We'll see if he can overlook the drawbacks to playing in the Coliseum that caused Beltre and Berkman to look elsewhere. The A's are out of the running for both as of right now (Berkman has already signed with the Cardinals) and also couldn't reach a deal with Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma.
Things look less than rosy for the A's when you consider the moves that their competition are making; there's a rumor that Jack Cust is close to signing with the Mariners, and the Angels are looking at Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford.
Thoughts? Hopes? Vents?
We'll be here all day.