The Oakland Athletics

[IronLungs420]

LOL @ The A's!

 

[j19]

It took me a while to get this one,
but we did get 2 picthers....2 for 1 that's how
the A's roll

 

[T-Rip]

What? WTF are you talkin about? Davis couldnt get on base the tail end of the season and theres no more room for him in the outfield, he's fast, but he's not a better defender then anyone else, and if he's not getting on base he has no value. He wasnt a definitive part of the team, and most of his playing time last uear was because Jackson and Sweeney were hurt.

lol you didnt think he made a good leadoff man?

 

[Chree]

lol

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

lol you didnt think he made a good leadoff man?

He was ok. He would do well and then get into big slumps, and if he's not on base stealing bags his value doesn't outweigh anyone else he was playing in replace of. He wasn't bad, I would of liked to keep him, but I get why he doesn't fit anymore.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

A's part ways with Buck, Cust, Encarnacion

OAKLAND -- Thursday's anticipated non-tender deadline didn't bring many surprises in Oakland, as the A's declined to offer 2011 contracts to Jack Cust, Travis Buck and Edwin Encarnacion.

All three players subsequently became free agents.

The loss of Cust and Buck were highly expected, as was the parting of ways with one of the club's two third basemen on the same day rampant reports spread about Adrian Beltre being close to a deal with Oakland. Beltre, however, told the Boston Globe late Thursday that his first preference is returning to the Red Sox.
Encarnacion's departure, which came just 20 days after the A's claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays, paved the way for the A's to tender incumbent third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff a contract. What that decision -- choosing a better defensive third baseman over one with more power -- says about the club's pursuit of Beltre is unknown.

Thursday's news marks the second straight year in which the A's have non-tendered Cust, whose exit could signal thinking that Oakland officials feel confident about signing a free agent such as Lance Berkman. A's representatives met with Berkman in Houston on Tuesday and are still considered to be strong suitors. Adam Dunn was also on Oakland's radar, but multiple reports confirmed Thursday he has reached a deal with the White Sox.

Cust, who earned $2.65 million in 2010, would have likely doubled that figure for the 2011 season through arbitration based on recent performance. Last year, the A's wound up agreeing on a one-year deal with the slugger, but the two parties aren't expected to reunite again this time.

The 31-year-old Cust, who managed to compile his best average (.271) since joining the A's in 2007 but saw his home run (13) and RBI (52) totals drop, batted .247 with 97 home runs, 281 RBIs, 377 walks and 673 strikeouts in 533 games during his four years with Oakland.

Buck, meanwhile, endured another injury-plagued season in 2010 and wasn't offered much of a shot in Oakland when healthy. Already expected to be non-tendered months ago, his Super Two status all but ensured Thursday's inevitable news despite Buck once being tagged as one of the franchise's top prospects.

The club's other arbitration-eligible players, which included hurlers Craig Breslow, Dallas Braden, Joey Devine and Brad Ziegler, along with outfielders Conor Jackson and Ryan Sweeney, were all tendered contracts.

By tendering them contracts, the A's now begin the arbitration process, in which the player and club exchange offers on Jan. 18. If the sides can't reach an agreement on a contract, a three-judge arbitration panel will conduct a hearing and assign the player either the club's offer or his offer -- nothing in-between -- as his salary for 2011. The A's, however, have enjoyed great success with avoiding arbitration hearings.

Im glad Cust is gone, all he seemed to be good at was killing rallies and striking out, he has hella power, but his potential doesnt outweigh his shitty defense and lack of consistence, and Buck seems to be injury prone. Kinda addition by subtraction. It would be cool to land Adrian Beltre, and if they could pull in Berkman too since Dunn is goin to sign with Chicago, that would be cool too.

EDIT: Just read Berkman signed with the Cardinals, oh well, lol.

A's, Sweeney agree to one-year contract

The A's avoided arbitration with outfielder Ryan Sweeney, signing the 25-year-old to a one-year deal on Friday.

Sweeney led Oakland with a .294 batting average this past season before he went on the disabled list with right patella tendinitis after the All-Star break. He underwent season-ending surgery on July 30, finishing with one home run and 36 RBIs in 82 games.

As expected the A's sign Sweeney, so its lookin like Crisp, Sweeney, and Dejesus in the outfield.

 

[MooreBlock530]

i always believed travis buck would live up to his potential...i was wrong

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Oakland Appears To Be Out Of Beltre Bidding

The A's appear to be out of the Adrian Beltre sweepstakes altogether, reports Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter). The third baseman has previously indicated a desire to play elsewhere and Oakland seems to be focused on other targets.

A few weeks ago, Oakland reportedly offered Beltre a five-year, $64MM deal which is equivalent to what he signed with the Mariners prior to the 2005 season. However, the third baseman's camp was reportedly seeking something similar to the five-year, $90MM deal that Torii Hunter signed with the Angels prior to the 2008 season.

With Adrian Gonzalez no longer Boston bound, it would seem that the door is once again open to Beltre's return. Had the BoSox landed Gonzalez, they would have shifted Kevin Youkilis to third, filling his position. Of course, the Red Sox and Padres could still rekindle the trade talks, leaving the third baseman without a spot to fill in Beantown.

With them backing away from Beltre, and Berkman and Dunn finding homes somewhere else the selection of free agent bats is getting thin. Theres a possibility of Vlad Guerrero, but from the looks of the rumor mills it looks more like Hideki Matsui as a possibilty

Let's take a look at few Athletics-related items..

•It makes sense for the A's to have withdrawn their offer to Adrian Beltre as he has repeatedly ignored the club's offers, says Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter).
•Before signing with the Cardinals, Lance Berkman was offered a two-year deal from Oakland, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Berkman chose St. Louis in part because of familiarity with the division, having an everyday spot in the outfield, and relative proximity to his home in Houston.
•While Beltre and Berkman are the latest big-time free agents to shrug off offers from the A's, Hideki Matsui doesn't seem to have any concerns about being in Oakland, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The veteran enjoys hitting in the Coliseum and likes the Bay Area. Also, his agent Arn Tellum gets along very well with the A's front office, Slusser says (via Twitter).

Matsui wouldnt be terrible, lifetime .290ish avg, 20+ hrs, and he's not injury prone...WS MVP, and a good clutch hitter...and maybe having another japanese player would entice Iwakuma to sign for a lower amount, but it looks like the A's bidding was just an attempt to block the Mariners possible attempt, and Iwakuma will go back to Japan for another season and make a run at a bigger contract after next season.

 

[Chree]

giants should pick up encarnacion since hes "a 20+ hr guy"

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

giants should pick up encarnacion since hes "a 20+ hr guy"

They could.

 

[Chree]

yeah..


im pretty sure the redsox will make it happen with adrian,

beltre should be in oakland

weth also signed with nats today lol

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

yeah..


im pretty sure the redsox will make it happen with adrian,

beltre should be in oakland

weth also signed with nats today lol

Yeah, Werth got that obscene contract, like 7 year $125+ million...The Nationals are putting pieces together pretty well not to be the laughing stock of the league anymore, theyre gonna have their shit together eventually. I mean I think it depends if sox can relight things with Gonzalez, I think if they can get him they will, if not keep beltre, but if they can get him someone will pay out more for beltre...Its still really early in the offseason but it would have been exciting to get a big name, not passed their prime, and not coming off injury...Matsui would be a decent signing, and there would probably be enough room to bring in another hitter too, so we'll see what happens. The defense is still solid, and all the pitching is locked down, so....

 

[Chree]

meh, werth is pretty werthless and way overpaid. if they wanted to shell out that kinda $ they shuda thrown the franchise worth at cliff lee and paired him with strasburg.

kinda model after the giants, n go pitching 1st

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

meh, werth is pretty werthless and way overpaid. if they wanted to shell out that kinda $ they shuda thrown the franchise worth at cliff lee and paired him with strasburg.

kinda model after the giants, n go pitching 1st

Yeah. I wouldnt say he's worthless, he's a good player, he's not worth way over $100 million though...I think they think theyre already on pace with pitching since theyre getting Strasberg back, theyre getting Zimmerman back off tommy-john surgery, and theyll see what Hernandez can do, then they have a couple other guys like JD Martin who have potential to be real solid, but they have to see...Werth helps and it shows theyre lookin to the future to have him on a long term contract...I dont think theyre looking to patch together a team to make a run like the giants, I think theyre looking to build something big, but time will tell...

...Im excited though, next season is going to be fun, the A's pitching staff is going to be fun to watch, getting people back off injuries, and if they can land a bat or two theyll finally have some run support, and god damn chavez is finally gone, lol.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

A's showing a strong interest in Matsui

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Hideki Matsui may not be seen as the most attractive free agent on the market, but looks are in the eye of the beholder. Or, at least the pursuer.

The A's have shown a strong level of interest in acquiring the 36-year-old slugger, whose presence would immediately fill Oakland's vacancy at designated hitter. General manager Billy Beane met with Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, on Monday at the Winter Meetings, but Tellem refused to divulge any information about the gathering while addressing a group of reporters on Tuesday.

"They are private meetings," Tellem said, "and it's not really my style to comment until I really have something to say."

According to Tellem, Oakland isn't the only team in on his client. In fact, "several" clubs have expressed interest in his bat, and Tellem expects to hear from even more.

Matsui, who made $6 million this past year, finished the 2010 campaign with a .274 average and .820 OPS to go along with 21 homers and 84 RBIs. The latter numbers would represent a large upgrade for Oakland, as Kevin Kouzmanoff and Kurt Suzuki led the A's this season with 71 RBIs in 551 and 495 at-bats, respectively. Kouzmanoff also led the team in homers with 16.

Tellem was rather vague when speaking about Matsui's contract wishes, but he did lay out what the Japanese veteran values most.

"I think he wants to play on a regular basis and contribute to a team, and be on a team with a chance to be competitive in the race and looking for the support of a positive environment," he said. "I believe we'll find one of those."

Oakland seemingly fits that mold, as the club believes it boasts the pitching staff and -- hopefully by offseason's end -- just enough added elements necessary to fight for a postseason berth. Matsui would figure to receive the everyday DH job, with possible intermittent stints in the outfield if needed.

Tellem added that, at this point, Matsui does not have a location preference and is open to listening to all teams.

"I think we'll have a better sense after I go through all the meetings this week," he said.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Cust ends up in Seattle...
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/ne...08&content_id=16282662&vkey=news_oak&c_id=oak

Agent: Beltre still considering Athletics

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Amid talks that Oakland is officially off Adrian Beltre's long list of potential suitors, agent Scott Boras told reporters on Wednesday that his free-agent client is still considering the A's.

"We're open to discussions with all teams on Adrian," said Boras, holding court inside the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotel. "We've been going through a number of negotiations with a number of teams. There have been a lot of willing participants. Certainly, Oakland was a team he said he would be interested in looking at. We had meetings with their club. That's where we're at now."

The A's reportedly rescinded their offer to Beltre -- said to be worth at least $64 million over five years -- earlier this week, and they have since focused on attracting a designated hitter and starting pitcher while at the Winter Meetings. In Boras' eyes, though, "offers are like curtains."
"There is opening and closing, but they're still in the room," he said.

This marked the second straight year in which Beltre declined a large offer from Oakland, and it has not been determined whether the club will still pursue the All-Star, who hit .321 with 28 homers and 102 RBIs last season.

Boras relayed that there are several clubs that have been in contact with him about Beltre. Oakland's interest has been very public. Same for the Angels.

Although Boras wouldn't go as far as saying the Angels represent Beltre's top choice, he did indicate that the third baseman recognizes a handful of incentives that come along with playing for them.

"Our policy is on teams, I'm going to let them dictate who they announce publicly who they're interested in," he said. "Obviously, Adrian has a home in L.A. and has played in L.A., and he's very comfortable with that marketplace."

There's no timetable on when Boras would like to see Beltre sign, mentioning it could be relatively soon since "we're well down the road with a lot of teams." He added, however, that it could take a while before his client's new home is revealed, depending on how the market progresses as the winter unfolds.

"We're in the middle of a lot of negotiations with a lot of teams for him, and they're ongoing," Boras said.

"With the amount of interest and such, I would say there's a chance for those types of contracts for the hitters, the veteran hitter, those contracts would move a little quicker than normal because of the fact there's just so many people who need bats. Those 3-4-5 guys in the offense, there's just a real shortage of them."

Boston, who Beltre played for in 2010, is probably not one of Beltre's current suitors. The Red Sox completed a trade with the Padres this past weekend for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, all but ending their pursuit of their former third baseman. The move came just days after Beltre openly expressed a strong interest in returning to the Red Sox, who are now expected to move Kevin Youkilis to third base.

"Adrian had a great time in Boston," Boras said. "It was really a situation for him where he really enjoyed his teammates, really liked the city. ... He played there in a way where he got to experience a different brand of baseball, being a West Coast baseball player his whole life. He got to see that. It puts him in a position to make a very prepared and informed decision about his free agency and what his choices might be as they go forward."

Though the offseason began with thinking that Beltre would prefer to stay on the West Coast, Boras shut down that notion Wednesday by saying that geography will not be part of his final decision. Aside from the A's and Angels, a handful of mystery teams are thought to be in on the infielder. All, Boras insisted, will be sized based on certain factors.

"He's got goals that he wants to look at as to what the organizations have in talent and ability to win," Boras said, "And, of course, the economics are a part of it, as well."

Doesnt seem likely if you ask me though, especially since Beltre has turned them down a few times in the past, and they seem to have switched focus to courting Matsui...

Oakland's focus hasn't strayed from the free-agent market, where veteran sluggers such as Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Derrek Lee still await their 2011 fate. Matsui, whose numbers continually fade by the year but whose power potential could still represent a difference-maker for a lifeless Oakland lineup, appears to be at the forefront of the A's priorities.

Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, met with general manager Billy Beane on the first full day of the Meetings. Tellem, without going into specifics, later informed reporters that several clubs are in on the Japanese slugger, who is expecting a one-year deal within Oakland's price range. If Matsui isn't reeled in, Guerrero may be a possibility, if Texas doesn't bring him back.

Vlad and Matsui would fill the DH spot pretty well, and Lee wouldnt hurt anything if he came at the right price, Im not sure about Thome though...Whoever it ends up being its gonna happen in the next couple weeks since the winter meetings are over...

Look for the A's to finally make headway on bolstering their lineup with a designated hitter as they continue to work to compile an offense that will match their talented pitching staff. Several attractive players are already off the board, and Oakland officials know they can't wait much longer if they want to reel in a legitimate power bat. They're also still on the lookout for a starter, a viable option to include in their fifth starter mix, which also currently boasts Tyson Ross, Josh Outman and Bobby Cramer. An additional reliever may be in the cards as well.

 

[Chree]

beltre is a faggot

 

[Chree]

Athletics Sign Hideki Matsui
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 14 at 12:35pm CST]

The Athletics have officially signed Hideki Matsui to a one-year deal, $4.25MM deal. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news yesterday and ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the amount today. Agent Arn Tellem of WMG represents Matsui.

The 36-year-old Matsui arrived in the AL West last year and batted .274/.361/.459 in 554 plate appearances, mostly while serving as the Angels' designated hitter. Matsui hit 21 homers and 24 doubles in his first MLB season on a team other than the Yankees.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Athletics Sign Hideki Matsui
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 14 at 12:35pm CST]

The Athletics have officially signed Hideki Matsui to a one-year deal, $4.25MM deal. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news yesterday and ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the amount today. Agent Arn Tellem of WMG represents Matsui.

The 36-year-old Matsui arrived in the AL West last year and batted .274/.361/.459 in 554 plate appearances, mostly while serving as the Angels' designated hitter. Matsui hit 21 homers and 24 doubles in his first MLB season on a team other than the Yankees.

Yup, one year < $5 million, not too bad. And they still have some cash to bring in another bat if they need to, or a potential 5th starter.

 

[Chree]

A's To Sign Rich Harden
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 15, 2010 at 11:16am CST]

The A's have agreed to a major league deal with Rich Harden, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The deal will pay Harden $1.5MM plus incentives, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

The longtime starter will be a bullpen option in his second stint with the A's, according to Slusser. Harden spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in Oakland, where he posted lofty strikeout numbers and a 3.42 ERA between trips to the DL.

The 29-year-old continued to encounter health issues in 2010, but the low ERA and remarkable strikeout numbers were nowhere to be found. Harden battled glute and shoulder injuries this year and posted a 5.58 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 92 innings for the Rangers.

Seven teams other than Oakland reportedly had some interest in Harden: the Yankees, Twins, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mariners, and Rockies. WMG represents Harden.