This blog is a little late on the news, but only because this group just started up.
Usually, a GM starts thinking about the next year around the trade deadline, when the team he has put together shows that it will not make a playoff run. For A's fans this year, our July came about 8 months early, as Beane shipped off Dan Haren to the D-Backs for a group of prospects. Effectively, this ends the A's 2008 season and puts the emphasis on rebuilding for 2009 or even beyond. This was not a "Moneyball" move. Indeed, this was merely a sandbagging of an entire season before it starts.
This is what the Diamondbacks got -
Dan Haren, SP - Just 27 years old and at the beginning of what promises to be a solid career. Started the 2007 All-Star game for the AL. He has averaged 14 wins plus 221 innings a season the past 3 seasons. Since he just finished his third year of service, he won't be eligible for free agency until 2010. He's owed $9.5 million over the next 2 years and has a $6.75 million option for 2010. His contract therefore, is a huge bargain for a pitcher of his caliber and age. Last year, he went 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA and had 192 strikeouts. Compare that to the D-Backs #1 guy, Brandon Webb, who was 18-10, with a 3.01 ERA and 194 SO's. This gives the D-Backs a solid 1-2 punch in their rotation for next year and a great future outlook until at least 2010.
Connor Robertson - RP - Mostly a middle reliever, Robertson has only been in the majors for one brief call-up. He was OK at AAA Sacramento, but hasn't yet lived up to the promise he showed in AA Midland in 2006, where he went 6-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 55 appearances.
What the A's got in return -
Carlos Gonzalez, OF - At 22 years old, this Venezuelan is the best of the 6 prospects Beane got in the trade. He can play right or center and definitely has potential. But he was only in AA ball last year and will probably end up a Sacramento River Cat for 2008.
Brett Anderson, SP - This lefty will turn 20 in February. Again the word "potential" comes up. He will try his hand at AA ball this year. Very, very raw prospect.
Chris Carter, 1B - Flipped to the A's after 11 days as a D-Back (coming over in the Carlos Quentin trade with Chicago) this 21 year old is a power hitter who strikes out a lot and seems to be defensively challenged. He's originally from the Bay Area, but he won't see Oakland for awhile. He'll start out in single-A Stockton.
Aaron Cunningham, OF - 22 years old and has never played above AA. His minor league stats don't jump out at you as anything spectacular.
Dana Eveland, LHP - He's proven himself well in AAA, but is coming off a tendon injury in his hand. Not much major league experience, and he might be damaged goods.
Greg Smith, SP - Another left-handed starter who has never been above AAA. They say he has a good curveball and not much else.
When you break it down its clear the A's gave a star pitcher away for what could amount to be a couple of bit players and nothing much special. So many times recently one does not hear the words A's Farm System without hearing the word "depleted". So I suppose that's what Beane has in mind here, getting six players for two. In 2007, the A's were a team that could have contended but ended up being ravaged by injuries, with no help from AAA to rescue them. Beane cited health concerns of Starting pitchers Chad Gaudin and Rich Harden as well as the oft-injured and underperforming Eric Chavez as contributing factors to this deal. Pitcher Joe Blanton could be the next one moved. Beane has said closer Huston Street fits into his youth movement (I don't see why Haren at 27 doesn't also) and will stay, but I expect Beane to hold onto Street only until some contender needs midseason help.
Strangely, Beane seems intent on crippling the A's for this season and maybe for the next few years. Cisco Field will not open until 2011. Does that mean A's fans need to get ready for 4 years of losing? What on Earth is Billy Beane doing? It seems for sure he could've gotten a deal from someone else that at least netted some major league help.
Great deal for Arizona. They gave up no one they were going to need for 2008 or even 2009 and landed a big time pitcher.
Melissa Baker
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Comments (11) Add A Comment
i understand your frustration but think about what you said when they traded hudson,and all their other stars or let them walk via free agency, i think you should let him build the system back up so then when they get their new stadium they will have money to spend and they could use the prospects to get high priced stars, bean always seems to make good decisions, you being a fan good probably find more flaws than me, but i love baseball and could talk 24-7 baseball, enjoy your passion
azcardsfan
Wilmington, M
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I have Sacto Rivercats tickets!
Cassidy's House:…
Whatsittoya, NO
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i endured the cardinals doing that for years, man it is painful to watch. it makes the next baseball season eternaly neverending too. i actually still like the A's myself . My grandfather was a diehard A's fan. i hate it when they start clearing out the locker room without paying attention to whose lockers they are moving. its all about something, and every year it is something else.
smoke
Memphis , TN
Total Comments (97)
what were they thinking. Haren has a legit shot at the cy young next year, and they already got rid of him. man, terrible for A's fans.
jeevs BS
Schenectady , NY
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thugmeister. you can't do this to me. when you blog, i expect nearly naked chicks...
thehemogoblin is…
The University Of, OR
Total Comments (29679)
This could be a great move for the A's in the long run. The other 3 big pitchers that have gotten traded from Oakland (Mulder,Hudson,and Zito) have all dropped up in production. Maybe this has to do with the conditioning of the A's pitchers. I'm not sure but it's a little note. And the A's got some promising guys. I think it was a good trade for both sides.
Coletrain
Total Comments (10938)
Good blog.
Dyhard is Jimmie…
Germantown, WI
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Nice Pickup for the D-Backs
Daveita
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Where are the girls? I keep scrolling down and there's nothing there.
Hllywd: Old…
Columbus , OH
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I thought that Gonzalez was at least ML ready, but since only Eveland has had any major league experience (with the Brewers, and not a good one), I will have to think Beane is shooting for 2011 and forsaking the years in between.
I don't want to sound speculative, but I do wonder if this trade isn't a "Moneyball move" as you put it, a tiny bit at least. After the "Health Summit" (health being a word not in the A's medical staff lexicon - they have been horrible at keeping their players healthy for years), there was nothing more to do but concede that the team had little chance of contending next season, so why not cash in on Haren, the biggest chip they had, to set up for the following years? He's a big commodity, but you've got to wonder if he is truly the kind of pitcher he was last season. There was a bit too much pointing at luck in his stats from last year...maybe Beane saw that and considered the possibility of a significant dropoff, so he decided to sell high, even when the return does not seem to meet that definition?
This blog was well-written and informative. I very much enjoyed reading it. :-)
insidecorner
Total Comments (76)
thug you are up setting a lot of people with this blog. although it is a vary good one. we the people expect the babes from you LOL!!! I do think that the d-backs got a steal! You know that the A's are like the Broncos in that way. they give up good talent cuz they have a stable of backs.
Dre Dilla
Queen Creek, AZ
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