Susan Slusser reports what many of us have thought of, if not said aloud, regarding Eric Chavez's future - it's possible he doesn't have one in a baseball uniform at all. Her column, which you can find here, reports that Chavez is as indecisive as ever, saying in an e-mail: "The truth of the matter is that I don't know what I'm going to do."
Chavez, as you know, won six Gold Gloves with the A's, from 2001 to 2006, and has 230 home runs with the team. At this point, his name pretty much hearkens back to the late 90's/early 2000's teams, featuring Miguel Tejada and Jason Giambi, as he has faded to memory, playing less than a full season's worth of games from 2007 through this year, including only 8 games in 2009 and 23 in 2008. He also has come to represent the futility of the A's spending, as his monster six year, $66 million contract has practically been a wash for more than half of its tenure.
With Kevin Kouzmanoff coming into his own at 3rd base and Daric Barton becoming a team leader at 1st base, one wonders if even a healthy Chavez could take time away at either infield spot, or just join the roster of players, led by Jack Cust, at designated hitter. For a guy once known for the best hot corner play in the league, if not the majors, for more than half a decade, the prospect of recovering from back surgeries and neck surgeries to be less than half a player can't be a happy one. If he does retire, I believe the A's fans will understand, and remember him for the glory days, not his trying again to come back as a broken man to the green and gold.
For me, being born in the same year as Chavez (1977), it's hard to think of this guy as more than over the hill, seeking retirement. Maybe it truly is too late for me to put on the spikes and try out for my minor league career. But Chavy, if you've got nothing going on after this, maybe we can go hit a few flies in the East Bay. For old timer's sake.
