Please Leave

Jeff Pearlman is the geek at the party that makes everyone uncomfortable.

In his latest effort to piss everyone off with a pulse the SI 'writer' gets to make stupid statements and get paid for it.

Here's the one that irks us most:

Isn't it a little disingenuous for A's owner Steve Schott to come out right before the season and say his club won't re-sign Miguel Tejada? What is he doing with all his revenue-sharing money? And why kick dirt on the season before it even gets under way? Does this mean Oakland will trade Tejada in midseason?
--Wayne, Salt Lake City

Wayne, if I'm an A's fan, I'm ticked off. This is a franchise that appears to want out of Oakland, and what better way to make that happen than to issue a "poor us" message to the league? Simply put, the A's do not believe there is competitive balance to be found in their city.
Certainly, Tejada is attractive to several teams, especially since he's willing to negotiate a new deal during the season. There aren't a ton of clubs that need a shortstop and can afford him, but if you're the Los Angeles Dodgers ... well, you get the idea.

When is the last time a MLB team moved? Since when has the Oakland franchise been mentioned with moving anywhere except within the BayArea or Northern California region where new stadium locations are scouted? They'd still be the Oakland A's, just like the NFL's New York football Giants (and J-E-T-S) play in New Jersey.

Now, don't get us wrong, we're not Schott/Hoffman mouthpieces (the offer of $140 million still stands, gentlemen), but we need to clear the air. Steve Schott and Ken Hoffman bought the A's to keep them in the BayArea. They have had several offers from people outside the BayArea and have never gone as far as simply discussing the possibility of letting prospective buyers look at their books. For a price mind you. Joe Morgan and Reggie Jackson and a few other names have crept up now and again since the Haas days of buying the team to assure that they'd stay in Oakland. But, Schott and Hoffman have rebuilt a struggling franchise and have been able to be cost-effective and still make a small profit for themselves. Hey, they own the team. They deserve a nominal to substantial return on their investment.

Now, having written that, let's return to the violence. What competitive balance? The A's are one of the best teams in baseball and are one of the best organizations in all of professional sports. The A's don't need to level the playing field; they are the one's tilting it! The problem is with economics and that is a fundamental problem with MLB, not the Oakland Athletics.

Miguel Tejada's value is going to slip. Once teams realize that the A's won't sign him, they'll wonder why. The front offices of MLB teams are filled with people who can take a hint. They gamble, they take risks, but it really has to take someone galactically stupid to go out of their way to show off their moron skills.

So, look for Cam Bonifay and Chuck LeMar the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' brain trust to charge hard for Miggi once the season is over.

Don't laugh. It's not that far fetched. Lou Pinella wouldn't mind getting an everyday veteran player in Miggi, regardless of age, and it lends instant credibility to the Devil Rays. Hey, they signed Rey Ordonez, didn't they?

The Dodgers need to unload bad contracts and won't take on $10 million a year for an exponentially aging shortstop.

We'll throw this in because it's about the Dodgers; Kevin Brown should be converted into a closer and Eric Gagne should be traded before the year is out. Gagne is only signed through this year and his trade value will never be any higher. Several teams will be hurting for closers come May as many current closers are already hurting, or injured. Brown is an injury risk and throwing 20-30 pitches four times a week is a lot less taxing than 250-300 twice a week.

Take This, And That

We've been confirmed for the April 3rd Baseball Prospectus Pizza Feed. We've also been given the okay to occasionnaly quote their articles. We're going to post our 'Stuff to Get' article a little closer to Opening Day, but if you don't already subscribe to BP.com, then you don't like chocolate or bunnies. Or chocolate bunnies. Solid ones, not the hollow ones. And not with the white flaky stuff on them. Caramel, too. Has to have some caramel involved.

What were we writing about?

An size 'XL' shirt would be great, by the way.