DETROIT SERIES:
GAME 2

Wouldn't you know it? The Tigers flash on the screen Nate Roberston's career stats with the bases loaded:

.308 opp avg o HR allowed

The next pitch Payton lofts into Payton's Place in left field.

Rich Harden?!?! Are you friggin' kidding me?!?! BP wrote a few weeks ago that the Reds would be difficult to deal with since the whole organization has no plan, no clue, and no guts to do anything. Instead of trying to make realistic deals to improve the team in the long run, the Reds are basically other GMs will go temporarily insane and give them mana from heaven to...avoid last place?

Just to add something to my previous post: the Reds could have shopped Dunn, Kearns, etc. for some real grade-A prospects and ready themselves for a run in the near future. The deal basically made some really, really stupid decisions like picking up Sean Casey's option instead of shopping last off-season (after a career year) and signing Eric Milton to the multi-million albatross contract. The Reds might well have picked up some pretty good prospects from the A's farm system: guys like Suzuki, Garica, and maybe even Barton if Beane is really desperate or O'Brien is really stubborn. Either way, a realistic and a win-win deal could be made for both sides.

Dan O'Brien is an idiot for asking for Rich Harde, especially since (according to Peter Gammons, anyway) Beane already laughed off a Harden-for-Kearns deal in the off-season.

Still, Zach, Miguel Cabrera? We should all have a dream. He is a guy who's asking price is legitimately in the Rich Harden-range (I wouldn't make that trade, but I wouldn't think their GM was an idiot for asking, like Cincy's is).

I want Matt Watson to get a fair shake. He was hitting better than DJ all season, and look where DJ is at.

Dan O'Brien didn't ask, he demanded.

And I think you skipped what ach had offered to the Marlins.

Nick Swisher and Joe Blanton. Two young, cheap major leaguers for a player who will become too expensive for the Marlins to keep since they signed Carlos Delgado.

I make that deal in a heartbeat if I'm Florida and try to swing Delgado to Boston or the Mets. Stick Swisher at 1st base and make Blanton a solid number 4 starter for the next 5 years.

Manny Ramirez to the Giants, a team already trying to shed payroll? Sabean is a terrible GM, but he's not that foolish.

The Giants have almost $15 Million leaving the payroll at the end of the season.

The also need to have the seats filled to make their stadium payments.

If Bonds doesn't come back they need somebody. Ramirez is not the worst idea.

Re: Cabrera for Harden. Agreed. I too wouldn't make the trade, but *that* trade is a far more reasonable than Dunn/Kearns for Harden (unless, of course, it's Dunn AND Kearns for Harden). Cabrera is a young and cheap offensive firecracker. Harden is also a young and cheap pitching machine. Again, I too wouldn't make such a trade, but such a trade is far more plausible and a possible big win-win for both sides.

Yes, us A's fans can dream, can't they?

I think fans are forgetting Harden signed an extension at the beginning of the season.

I think the Swisher and Blanton for a young established player makes sense.
The A's have prospects coming up and there can't be a 7 man rotation of a 5 man outfield.

I'm not sure that Cabrera is available, but the A's have to upgrade at the corner outfield spot with a 35-40 HR guy and those guys are hard to find this young.

The A;s just went something like 37-7.

They were 15 games under 500 primarily because they had something like a dozen starting pitchers over the first two months, and the position players lineup read like 'Who's On First?'.

Within about a week, Harden and Crosby returned, and Johnson started playing full-time.

Now, I present to you: a team playing to its capabilities. A rotation with one of the very best ERA's in the game, and deep enough in the year so it can no longer be suggested luck is a player in that.
One of the youngest rosters in the game today, with a chance to lock up many of those responsible for the 4th-best current record, for some years to come.
And we see an on-going litany of folks ready to pitch 2 of those most-key players for a nebulous gain. (How the hell are we going to do better than 37-7?)
Anyone thought this thing through?

Because this is still a small market team.

Because the A's can't lock up all of their young players and they will eventually age and get expensive. They have to pick and choose who they can afford and make decisions, i.e. Chavez over Tejada.

Because a small market team has to constantly re-invent itself or be the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers of old; lock up aging talent for much too long then pay an arm and a leg to fill their empty uniforms with a little bit younger, but more expensive, versions.

Because team chemistry has nothing to do with the A's current run. Winning is a great catalyst for a happy clubhouse. In any clubhouse.

Because the A's ran over a few bad teams and have been as lucky as they were unlucky earlier in the season. It's the law of averages right now.

Because the A's have good pitching and their offesne finally woke up doesn't mean this is the team that Beane has envisioned or the best team he can put on the field.

Because the A's have played 103 games:
GAMES STARTED
Harden 15
Zito 23
Saarloos 17
Haren 22
Blanton 20
Etherton 3
Glynn 3
That's 7 starting pitchers, not a dozen. And Glynn was only added once he performed so well in AAA Sacramento. Otherwise, we'd be talking 6 starters of a 5 man rotation.

Because ERA doesn't mean jack, it's a nice stat to hang your hat on, but ERA doesn not translate to wins. The A's had a great ERA early and they were 15 games under .500.

Because the A's are in constant movement to the roster and lineup, Payton, Byrnes, Johnson, Dotel, Durazo - they are going to make more down the stretch.

Because the last two games have been a prime example of the A's good fortunes the past few weeks.

Because the A's still haven't got past the 1st round of the playoffs since 1991.

Damn right JR.

You can't be complacent.

You have to rework the roster for next year as you look at what the lineup will be for tomorrow's game.

I ran into this blog this winter when everybody was crying about trading Hudson and Mulder.

This was the only outlet who called those moves what they were, "huge, outstanding and necessary."

It is frustrating being an A's fan because everybody forgets how much turnover on the roster there is. You don't hear a peep about losing Byrnes right now. Or Dotel. Or even Durazo. And Dotel and Durazo didn't bring anything in return.

"Root for the laundry". Absolutely

I cannot understand why no one besides Zachary and myself is genuinely worried about the current outfield situation.

Is it realistic to think that Kotsay will play AT ALL in Minnesota? As cautious as the A's have been with Kotsay, would they risk exacerbating his back by playing him even once on the turf? Playing him at all in Minnesota risks him being out for another two weeks thereafter.

"Marco Scutaro, starting left fielder" -- if this phrase doesn't set off alarm bells, what will? "Adam Melhuse, starting pitcher"? "Dan Johnson, dancing lead in 'Swan Lake'"? "Eric Byrnes, political commentator"?

Oh, you and Zach are not the only ones worried. I almost crapped my pants when Ginter was out there. I don't think they need a trade, and I believe Watson should get a fair turn. I wonder what criteria Beane uses for his call ups? I mean, why Johnson over Watson? Or last year when Harden was brought up, Duchscherer had better numbers.

Manny Ramirez to the Giants, a team already trying to shed payroll? Sabean is a terrible GM, but he's not that foolish.

I'm not so sure. I don't think Manny will go anywhere, but I think Sabean is that stupid.

<<<"Because this is still a small market team.

Because the A's can't lock up all of their young players and they will eventually age and get expensive. ">>>

Cabrera won't age and get expensive?

<<<"lock up aging talent for much too long ">>>

Make up your mind. Either you want to hang onto a player as they 'age and get expensive' or you don't: 'aging talent for much too long.

I hardly see how giving up Blanton and or Harden and or Haren or any other of our ESTABLISHED first- and second-year players gives you any gain.

<<<"Because ERA doesn't mean jack, it's a nice stat to hang your hat on, but ERA doesn not translate to wins"

Just how wrong do you like to be? Um, if the pitching staff had a HIGH ERA, we would lose a LOT more games. We lost games early because we didn't hit, not because the ERA meant nothing, or was just a 'nice stat'. Obviously, if your staff has a ZERO ERA but your lineup has a ZERO batting average, then you still lose. That takes NOTHING away from the value of ERA, or the pitcher who has a low one.

<<<"Because the A's still haven't got past the 1st round of the playoffs since 1991. ">>>

This really has nothing to do with anything. Again, you can't have it both ways. The 'laundry' hasn't made it past the first round, to be sure. Maybe that is because the 'laundry' is being changed so often, less than four players out of 45 who suited up four years ago are still wearing the 'laundry' today.

If you can GAIN, great, make the trade. With Payton instead of Byrnes, you got a guy who basically performs the same, but bats from the other side, so gives an advantage to us, because of the heretofore LH-heavy lineup. And Payton is paying dividends precisely because of that.
Witasik for Bradford was a wash.
Kennedy and Quintanilla filled immediate needs for us, and long-term needs for the Rockies.
HOWEVER
None of this activity had us sh*tcanning ESTABLISHED, young, and un-injured starters.

Everyone seems to think we can toss off a couple starters, and the well is so full in AAA that we won't miss 'em. Well, Cruz got shelled as a reliever in his first go-round; I'd be a little hesitant to give him the ball during a pennant race.
Ditto for Garcia. And pretty much anyone else pitching currently at the AAA level, excepting Rheinecker, and he's done for the year.
If you want a BAT, we HAVE them. Watson not only is performing very well in Sacramento, but had a pretty decent accounting for himself when he was up earlier this year. There are THREE guys in Midland who may as well get a shot as soon as possible; the best one's name escapes me right now; numbers 2&3 are Ethier and Barton.

So if you want change for change's sake, why give away your farm? Just do a switch, and be done with it. Regardless, it is silly to contemplate getting rid a a pitcher with an ERA like ANYONE currently starting for us. Just silly.

Dear Goodmeat: CAPITALIZING words doesn't make you RIGHT.

Payton and Byrnes hit from THE SAME SIDE. Not DIFFERENT SIDES, as you asserted.

You got a lot of other things WRONG too (how wrong do you like to be?), but that is OKAY.

DEREK: SUCH AS?

One wrong don't make YOU right.