It's possible Brandon Allen won't be saving the A's franchise after all. After looking bad following his fast start in 2011, then being overmatched by Felix Hernandez (join the club), Susan Slusser and others report that Allen is the casualty of Oakland's roster crunch now that Daric Barton is deemed ready for prime time.
Allen is out of options, so the A's have 10 days to trade him or they can hope he sneaks through waivers at a time when most teams have little roster flexibility. The decision to give up on Allen means that either the A's think Kila Ka'aihue is the better player and thus the one worth keeping while out of options, or that Oakland felt that spring training and a handful of at bats against King Felix were a sufficient trial for Allen.
What do you think? I loved Allen's short swing when I first saw him. At the same time I certainly grew not to like his pitch recognition and let's face it: His slump began very soon after joining the A's and has never let up. I'm beginning to think that the fearsome 3-4-5 of Allen-Carter-Taylor just might not be happening. Yikes.
Tommy Milone makes his A's debut tonight at 7:05pm against Luis Mendoza and the Kansas City Royals.
