he’s on the ‘verge of something special’ here?

Seems like he’s ‘in between’ here…

I think that Carlos Gonzalez has been increasingly more likely to be a bust lately. I wonder if they didn’t just decide the same thing, since the other two are really pretty marginal assets. He’ll probably look better in Coors though.

I think you are right. He’s taking a gamble on this year and worst case he flips Matt for prospects or just takes the draft picks. Anything that dips into their farm system is a good thin if you ask me.

…that I can remember Beane trading away young guys for established talent…hitting, at that. Seems like a break from his MO, especially the last few years. Interesting.

You think he’ll light up Arlington the way an Athletic never has before?

This is kind of the anti-Beane move. But it does make sense. The A’s desperately needed someone like Holliday on their team. And I think that it makes sense in the big picture – at minimum he gets two #1 picks for him – and its very realistic to think that he gets 90% of that value back at the trade deadline.

That said, I don’t see how the A’s will be competitive next season unless they make some other splash elsewhere. Their rotation is pretty decimated at the moment, past Duchscherer they’ll have to rely on their young (admittedly promising) arms. There is little reason why you won’t just pitch around Holliday in that lineup (Ooooh… Jack Cust… oh no…)

Also, you have to think that he’s trading low on Huston Street. I think 2008 was a mistake for Beane – he should have looked as his team and traded guys like Street and Blanton before the season started.

any 40-man-trumps-all pressure? Did they create some roster room they needed?

the A’s acquire Holliday

or

Lisa loses 12 lbs in 2 weeks and goes from “flab to fab”?

Reminds me a lot of the CoCo and crap for Carlos Lee and Cruz deal JD swung a while back.

Makes sense for both clubs.

This division is gonna be no joke the next 3 or 4 years.

Well, except for Seattle ;)

~.850 OPS on the road from 2006-2008.

I’m just sayin’ is all…

The Rockies couldn’t get a better package? Even though I think the A’s got a pretty good deal, I’m surprised to see them make it. It’s not their kind of move, and especially when they’re not “one piece away.”

That said. . .

Well, it could be that Billy Beane looks at the Angels and sees a team who well out-performed their expected won/loss record based on run differential, and could well be losing their closer and their starting first baseman. Beane could see the division as more winnable this year.

This is exactly why I want the Rangers to look in to how cheaply they can fix the bullpen and defense.

notes.

* General manager Jon Daniels said that infielder Joaquin Arias was put through a workout Monday in Arlington, and his arm strength has improved. He will return to the Dominican Republic and play shortstop later in the week under the watchful eyes of Scott Servais and A.J. Preller.

or at least the current results of his approach, is that he has failed to actually develop a legitimate young core under team control for a long period of time since the big three were broken up. The Rangers have three guys (Kinsler, Hamilton, and Davis) on their 40 who I would take over any player on the A’s 40 when considering salaries and team control, and the talent coming through our system matches (at the very least) what is coming through their system.

As long as his MO is to trade guys like Haren and Swisher for more kids, and then trade those kids for a guy who nets draft picks the next winter, they will continue to be a second tier team with a first rate farm. Everyone loves to champion his approach, but this winter he looks like any other GM. Give him a little money, and he goes for quick fixes like Holliday and Giambi, instead of locking young guys in to long term deals.

a very unexpected move. I don’t think anyone could have sen this coming.

I agree with AJM here. Beane is just rolling the dice to see if the A’s can contend. If not, they take the picks or deal him at the deadline for a similar type package or maybe even better prospects.

The talk of he A’s going after Furcal or trying to get Giambi back are also interesting to me. Perhaps this makes the Angels think harder about spending more $ now thinking that they just won’t be handed the division in ’09.

I like seeing Gonzalez leave the AL West, I think Smith will fail miserably in the NL – especially at Coors, and who knows if Street will stay healthy. I have a bad feeling that Beane will find a way to make this look like another great deal for the A’s.

Greg Smith’s value is never gonna be higher. He really isn’t that great (5.34 tRA, 4.87 DIPS, 4.84 FIP, 5.36 xFIP) and I can’t imagine he will improve at Coors.

Street is pretty good, but getting expensive. Oakland has plenty of in-house replacement options for Street.

I guess this hinges on what you think of Carlos Gonzalez. All in all, I think Oakland made a good deal and even if they don’t contend and take draft picks, it’s a fair deal. Even from Colorado’s perspective, it isn’t a terrible deal. They can contend next year, and they have filled a couple holes on their roster.

Fox Sports headline-

Apparently, the Bay Area is a lovely place for a Holliday … Matt Holliday. The Rockies are close to sending their star OF to the A’s.

Just a thought – the A’s attendance was down about 13% last year at 1.66 million. Only KC was behind them in the AL. Beane is not immune to the necessity of having to get fans to come to the games. Last year’s A’s team wasn’t very good and their woeful offense was painfully boring to watch. Not sure how many tickets Holliday will sell, but it’s a sign to the fans that they’re committing to put a better team on the field in 2009.

But I’m not sure if Holliday alone will revitalize their offense. This obviously solves their OF production problem, but that’s about it – their infield still looks like crap offensively.