HERE IS THE MARKET

Player	Age	2006 Salary		Player	Age	2006 Salary
J.D. Drew	31	$11,400,000		Jason Schmidt	33	$10,500,000
Julio Lugo	31	$4,950,000		Roger Clemens	44	$20,000,000?
Barry Bonds	42	$20,000,000		Andy Pettitte	34	$16,428,416
Dave Roberts	34	$2,250,000		Mike Mussina	37	$19,000,000
Mike Piazza	38	$1,250,000		Ted Lilly	30	$4,000,000
Ray Durham	34	$7,000,000		Gil Meche	28	$3,700,000
Shea Hillenbrand	31	$5,800,000		Barry Zito	28	$7,900,000
Aubrey Huff	29	$6,916,667		Randy Wolf	30	$9,125,000
Rich Aurilia	35	$1,300,000		Adam Eaton	29	$4,650,000
Kenny Lofton	39	$3,826,421		Greg Maddux	40	$9,000,000
Bengie Molina	32	$4,500,000		Jeff Suppan	31	$4,000,000
				Joe Borowski	35	$327,000
				Vicente Padilla	29	$4,410,000
				Jeff Weaver	30	$8,325,000

Here are the top free agents still out on the market. I'd like to run down some of the A's options regarding this list and then follow up with a few more tomorrow.


Would that be okay?

J.D. Drew	Drew wouldn't be bad. Except he is represented by Scott Boras. The A's have shown an affinity for disregarding Boras clients.
Julio Lugo	This would be a coup. Lugo would represent an upgrade over Bobby Crosby in the sense that he can stay healthy. Lugo has also played 2B and 3B. A nice option to have when your 3rd baseman like to take a few months off every season.
Barry Bonds	If he costs less than $10 Million a year - the A's should lock him up for two years. The ultimate snub to all of baseball. Attendance goes up and the A's can load the contract with incentives. A 100 game DH and 30-35 games in the field.
Dave Roberts	Jay Payton's faster, less powerful match.
Mike Piazza	Yes - Frank Thomas like DH who could also get Jason Kendall out from behind the plate for 30-40 games a and be someone's personal catcher. Cheap, too.
Ray Durham	As a 2B? Not so much. As a DH? Yes. Also relatively cheap for a player who hit more than 25 HR last year with a .360 OBP.
Shea Hillenbrand	Clubhouse issues aside - just doesn't produce enough and doesn't get on base.
Aubrey Huff	His numbers seem to have dipped and I'm not so sure it’s because he has been 'unhappy'. Over-hyped and too expensive to gamble on. He's a DH/Jeremy Giambi OF'er.
Rich Aurilia	Hmmm. 35 year old infielders are generally not a good option. Aurilia is cheap, though and could be a decent block at 3B and 1B.
Kenny Lofton	Too expensive as a CF back up. He's always good trade bait, though.
Bengie Molina	No.
Jason Schmidt	For what the market is doing for position players, it's interesting that Schmidt's name has not come up with the A's. Schmidt would provide the A's a front line starter and take pressure off Rich Harden and Danny Haren. He could also drag Joe Blanton - kicking and screaming, into being a professional pitcher. As much as he would cost - he's a bargain.
Roger Clemens	No.
Andy Pettitte	No (see above)
Mike Mussina	Didn't he already sign with the Yankees?
Ted Lilly	Eh. In this market he's overpriced and as hyped as Barry Zito.
Gil Meche	Suppressed numbers at Safeco doesn't bode well in the rest of the parks in MLB.
Barry Zito	No. Just isn't worth the money for 4th starter numbers. His only positive attribute is eating innings - but he dances a tightrope every night. Doesn't deserve frontline starter money,
Randy Wolf	Yes. The A's have been interested in Wolf for several years and I have a feeling they may trigger this deal by the Winter Meetings.
Adam Eaton	Interesting. A middle class Gil Meche.
Greg Maddux	Yes. The A's could provide Maddux the stadium to continue his groundball work. He could also take over for Curt Young as pitching coach in the next 3-5 years.
Jeff Suppan	Can any pitcher be this overhyped following post season play?
Joe Borowski	Hmm. Due to get a hefty raise if he continues as a closer. As a set-up guy, could be a cheap option and push Justin Duchscherer back to his best used role as a two inning plus pitcher.
Vicente Padilla	I like Padilla as he is gutty. But the numbers just aren't there for this market.
Jeff Weaver	See: Suppan, Jeff.