The Oakland Athletics' new roster, for now

Is it safe to come out?

I'm not entirely sure what just happened. That had to be one of the wildest 30-hour periods in Athletics hot stove history. There were three trades and a major free-agent signing, bringing four new players to the major league roster. There was a point where I just started typing names on my computer to see if the trades would happen in real life.

So, now that the dust has settled, what does the roster actually look like? This isn't meant as rosterbation, since it is virtually guaranteed that Billy Beane isn't done yet, but rather a means for us to get our bearings and see what's going on. Here is what Oakland has at this exact moment, excluding Brett Anderson because it sounds like he could be gone by week's end:

Starting Pitchers (pick 5)

Scott Kazmir
Jarrod Parker
Sonny Gray
Dan Straily
A.J. Griffin
Tommy Milone
Josh Lindblom

Relief Pitchers (pick 7)

Jim Johnson
Ryan Cook
Sean Doolittle
Luke Gregerson
Jerry Blevins
Dan Otero
Jesse Chavez
Fernando Abad
Evan Scribner
Pedro Figueroa

Position Players (pick 13)

C Derek Norris
C Stephen Vogt
C/1B John Jaso
1B/OF Brandon Moss
1B Daric Barton
1B Nate Freiman
2B Eric Sogard
2B/3B Alberto Callaspo
SS/2B Jed Lowrie
SS/2B/3B Nick Punto
3B Josh Donaldson
LF Yoenis Cespedes
CF Coco Crisp
RF Josh Reddick
CF Craig Gentry

So, what really did happen these last two days? Well, here's how I see it. The A's are losing three major things from their 2013 team this winter: veteran starter Bartolo Colon, closer Grant Balfour, and right-handed outfielder Chris Young. They addressed all of those needs with these moves. They also had a logjam of left-handed hitters at corner positions that needed to be broken up, and they accomplished that.

Scott Kazmir will plug into Colon's old spot in the rotation. Johnson will presumably take Balfour's role in the ninth inning. Gentry will get at-bats in the outfield against left-handed pitching and spell Coco Crisp in center, as Young did last year. They will do these things with varying degrees of quality, either above or below the level of success achieved by their predecessors. But the roles are filled. And, with Smith out of the picture, there are more at-bats at DH/LF/RF/1B for the likes of Moss, Reddick, Jaso, and Barton. What we have here, for better or for worse (and I'm honestly not suggesting one way or the other yet), is a full roster.

It might sound excessive to spend $22 million combined on the 2013 seasons of Scott Kazmir and Jim Johnson. However, if Kazmir can command $11 million, and Ricky Nolasco can fetch $12 million, then what can Colon get? 15 million, at least? And is it crazy to see Balfour exceeding the $7 million salary commanded by Jonathan Broxton, Brandon League and Huston Street? The combination of Colon and Balfour could have easily reached $25 million and, worse yet, locked the team into longer-term contracts. Colon seems destined to get three years from someone (ages 41, 42, and 43), and, at age 36 next season, there is no reason why Balfour can't get a three- or four-year commitment from somebody. On the pitching side of things, the A's got younger and cheaper while maintaining their future flexibility. They also got deeper in the bullpen, with the addition of Luke Gregerson to go along with Johnson, Fernando Abad, and the returning members of the 2013 pen. Whether they got better or worse is a discussion for another day; this is a moment for objective digestion of the things that have happened.

In the outfield, Oakland has given up power and depth but added speed and defense behind starters Cespedes, Coco and Reddick. Gone are Seth Smith, Chris Young (signed by the Mets), and power-hitting prospect Michael Choice; in is fleet-footed defensive ace Craig Gentry. If the team doesn't add another outfielder, then Brandon Moss can serve as the extra man out there and free up some at-bats at first base. With Moss's versatility increasing the flexibility of the roster, Oakland could find space for a luxury like a third catcher or Daric Barton. Additionally, Kitten Face Gentry is under team control through 2016, so he's not a one-year rental; he could potentially replace Coco if the A's fail to re-sign him after the season.

The immediate needs of the team have been addressed. There are still some areas which could be improved on, of course; I wouldn't mind seeing an upgrade at second base if it were available, for example, but I could also live with Eric Sogard platooning with Callaspo or Punto if I had to. It sounds almost certain that Brett Anderson will be traded, and Callaspo is an obvious candidate for a salary dump, so who knows what the roster will look like by the end of the week. But as things stand, it is functionally complete, such that the A's could go into the season with this group if need be.

Alright. May as well get to talking rosters, lineups, and trade speculation, To the comments!