Game Thread and DLD 3/28/2013 - A's vs. SFG

First off, if you've been listening to Gameday Audio during Spring Training, you will be treated to full-fidelity sound to the extent that FM radio provides this evening. That's as good a reason as any to watch or listen to this game.

Next, with the middle infield situation basically settled, these games will be the last opportunity for Nate Freiman and Daric Barton to make their cases to be on the Opening Day roster. I suspect Brandon Moss and Freiman will get the majority of the playing time this series, with Barton not making the team. That said, of course, I could be wrong. Final cuts will presumably be made after the final game of this series on Saturday, so we will know then.

In other A's/MLB news:

Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference announced earlier they have settled on a definition of replacement that both sites can use, and FG is rolling out the changes today. Once you do the math, replacement level ends up being 47.7 wins. This can settle some of the seemingly-eternal debate that arises when the sites show vastly different WAR values for the same player. Conversely, this doesn't mean that replacement level is defined forever from this point forward. Indeed, it's supposed to be relatively difficult to pin down.

The A's announced that Fernando Rodriguez underwent Tommy John surgery today. He will miss this year, and may have recovery time company with Jonny Venters. One word: Barves.

Opening Night is a sellout. Now, what about the rest of the games? Pack the house for Tuesday and Thursday nights and prove the naysayers wrong.

Forbes released their annual MLB team valuations yesterday, and the A's had the biggest jump in team value, now to $468 million. The A's received significant increases in value due to their stakes in an MLB investment fund and MLB Advanced Media. I hope to write a longer post about this at a later date.

Lineups, courtesy of Baseball Press:

FTG!