A's Eric Chavez Calls It a Season. Chavez finished the year with one homer and 10 RBIs.

Oakland’s longest tenured-player, Eric Chavez, has said that he’s most likely done for the remainder of the 2010 season. Despite this news however, the A’s Gold-Glove winner, has not announced his retirement just yet. Chavez, who is in his final year of the six-year deal he signed back in 2004, has an option for 2011, but the A’s are figured to just buy it out for $3 million.

Chavez, 32, has played in just 154 games since the start of the 2007 season, and has not been healthy since 2006. In his career, Chavez has hit .267/.343/.478 with 230 home runs and 787 RBIs. This season, however, Chavez played in only 33 games and hit just .234/.276/.333 with one homer and 10 RBIs. While initial reports suggested that the A’s 3B/DH expected to resume baseball activities last month and make a return this month, the team expects Chavez to close things down for the remainder of the season. Chavez was plagued with two bulging disks in his neck, and was never really able to make a full recovery. Despite these injuries, however, Chavez said that he’s got his own “Brett Farve thing,” and won’t announce his retirement until he’s absolutely positive that he cannot play baseball any longer.

Unfortunately, Chavez may not have much of a choice. Chavez is expected to be a free-agent this winter, and I just don’t see many teams giving him a shot to play. Given his injury history, Chavez should just call it quits and become an advisor or some sort of coach for the A’s organization. But for right now, the A’s slugger is expected to shut it down for the year and take things from there.

Disclaimer: The news about Chavez’s future for the 2010 season was first published by the San Francisco Chronicle or SF Gate. You can see the article by clicking here. All information, etc. is and should be credited to the SF Chronicle.

The Oakland A’s were swept away by the Yankees, thus meaning a trip to the postseason for the A’s is now highly unlikely. Entering Friday, the A’s sit 10.0 games back of the Texas Rangers for first-place in the American League West. The A’s will begin a three-game set against the visiting Angels as part of a nine game home-stand.

The A’s pitching staff had been incredible up until the series in New York, where the staff allowed 29 runs to cross home-plate. As a direct result, the A’s staff ERA rose to 3.56—which is still 4th best in the AL. The A’s offense did its best, but despite their efforts, the currently sit three games under the .500 mark.

Dallas Braden, who was Thursday’s starter, lasted five innings, but was removed due to cramping in his legs. The A’s fiery starter allowed just one run, two hits and struck out four before departing. The A’s don’t see this as a serious injury, in fact, it’s suspected that Braden suffered cramps due to the hot weather in NY.

Meanwhile, the A’s received news that outfielder, Connor Jackson, had a sports hernia surgery. The A’s note that the surgery went well, and that Jackson should be able to resume baseball activities in a couple of weeks. On the year, Jackson has played in just 18 games for the A’s. He was hitting .228/.362/.316 with a homer and five RBIs. On the year, Jackson is hitting .236/.336/.327 with two homers and 16 RBIs.

While this may be a little late, the A’s called-up two right-handed pitchers as their September call-ups. Many figured that the A’s would go with Chris Carter, Michael Taylor or one their other talented young hitters. However, with Carter injured and Taylor sent off to the Arizona Fall League, the A’s decided to go with pitching depth rather than offense.

The A’s called up Justin James, and Ross Wolf. For more on these call-up’s, you can click here. Personally, I would have loved to have seen Taylor up in the big-leagues, but the A’s aren’t exactly in any playoff race, so I guess the A’s front office figured it’d be best to give Taylor a little more seasoning in the AFL.

After the conclusion of the 2008 season, in which the A’s failed to reach the .500 mark, Billy Beane and Co. decided to trade away for Colorado’s prized slugger Matt Holliday. In that deal with Colorado, the A’s sent pitchers Huston Street, Greg Smith and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. As most of you already know, the Holliday deal was a total flop.

In 93 games with Oakland, Holliday hit .286/.378/.454 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs before getting shipped to the St. Louis Cardinals. And after being traded, Holliday hit .353/.419/.604 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs. In return, the A’s received a couple of prospects. The most notable one, however, was 3B Brett Wallace. But, Oakland soon realized that Wallace was not third-base material, and shipped him to Toronto in exchange for prospect Michael Taylor.

But let’s get back to when the A’s decided to ship prospect Gonzalez over to Colorado. Initially, I was excited about the idea of having Holliday in the A’s lineup (as was everyone else in Oakland), but in hindsight, I realize this trade was a bad move by A’s GM Billy Beane.

This season, Gonzalez is hitting .326/.360/.596 with 29 home runs and 91 RBIs. So, why would Billy Beane trade away such a fine player as Gonzalez? The only reason I can think of is that the A’s didn’t like what they saw from Gonzalez during his time in Oakland. In 85 games with Oakland in 2008, Gonzalez (or CarGo) hit .242/.273/.361 with four homers and 26 RBIs. Those certainly are not likable numbers, but the A’s are guilty of rushing Gonzalez onto the big-league stage (or at least, in my opinion they are).

But, one look at Gonzalez’s numbers this year, and one can come to the conclusion that CarGo is definitely a young superstar. No player on the A’s current big-league roster has more than 12 homers—Gonzalez has 29 (one shy from 30, with a month left to play). Gonzalez is probably going to finish the season with 30+ homers and 100+ RBIs, which is even more painful for A’s fans looking back on this deal.

The A’s do have some talented young players in the minors (Michael Taylor, Chris Carter, Adrian Cardenas, Jemile Weeks, etc.), but let’s hope that Billy Beane hangs onto them for the long haul. We all make mistakes, and this was Beane’s biggest one in recent years.

With Oakland 8.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West, I thought it would be nice to change the subject and take a quick look at what lies ahead next year for the A’s. Next season, the A’s will be without Ben Sheets ($10 million in ‘10), Eric Chavez ($12.5 million in ‘10) and possibly even Coco Crisp ($5.5 million option for ‘11) and Mark Ellis ($6 million option for ‘11). But, for the sake of this particular article, let’s just say that the A’s will have a little over $20 million to play with next offseason. Yes, that’s $20 million, folks.

Just imagine what the A’s could do with that extra $20 million. A’s GM/VP Billy Beane, and the rest of the A’s front office will likely steer clear of any free agent pitchers, and will probably set their sights on a highly-coveted slugger. Next season, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford could hit the free market, and could become potential targets for Beane & Co. Whether or not Beane will go after either player is still a mystery, but why shouldn’t he?

Pena, who played for Oakland back in 2002, said he wouldn’t rule out a possible return to the green-and-gold next season. This season for Tampa Bay, Pena is hitting a meager .213/.342/.441. However, on the plus side, he has collected 25 home runs and 73 RBIs. While the average is definitely nothing to brag about, the fact of the matter is thats he’s still a relatively strong power hitter. And at 32, he’s still young enough to make a difference on a punchless Oakland lineup.

Crawford, however, would be a tough player to acquire. I’m sure many teams out there would love to have a Carl Crawford on their team. But with $20 million to play with, Oakland could make a serious run at Crawford—if he reaches the free agent market. This season, Crawford is hitting .296/.348/.475 with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs. He’s also got 41 stolen bases, which is what makes Crawford such a talented player. He’s a great hitter, and he’s got some talent running the bases.

Right now, however, the A’s are trying to fight their way back and make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Is Chavez coming back this season? (Photo: Courtesy of Yardbarker.com)

With this year just about over, the A’s are trying to finish the year on a strong note. They won’t be able to do that, however, if they can’t manage to stay healthy. The A’s received another injury scare on Friday, when young ace Brett Anderson literally fell down during his delivery in the A’s-Rangers game. The A’s youngster, who signed a four-year extension earlier this season in April, has been on the disabled-list twice this season. The A’s feel that the youngster will be their ace for many years to come—as long as he manages to stay healthy, that is. This season Anderson has made just 12 starts, and has gone 3-5 with a 3.32 ERA in those starts.

While he seemed to injury his knee on the play, Anderson says that he expects to make his next start on the road in Yankee Stadium. He will, however, have to complete a bullpen session on Monday first before getting the green light.

In other A’s related news, Trevor Cahill improved to 14-5, and has really put together an impressive season—so impressive, it’s almost Cy Young worthy. Unfortunately for Cahill, however, he plays for the A’s. And as most of you know, the A’s aren’t exactly the most popular club out there. It’s definitely a shame that Cahill doesn’t get recognized for his impressive numbers this year.

The A’s are expected to meet with Eric Chavez, who plans to rejoin the team next week once they come back home to Oakland. The A’s Gold Glover hopes to play this season, but does not wish to be a distraction. Chavez, who has been limited over the past four or so seasons, has been out since May with two bulging disks in his neck. In 33 games this season, Chavez hit just .234/.276/.333 with one home run and 10 RBIs. The A’s front office plans to hold a meeting with Chavez, and will most likely discuss the slugger’s future for this season and next year. It’s pretty much certain that the A’s will not pick up Chavez’s $12.5 million option for next year.

A’s manager, Bob Geren, says he plans to stick with Jack Cust in the lineup since the slugger has hit .417 so far on this road-trip (5-for-12).

Other News (after the jump)

The Oakland A’s announced on Saturday that their highly-touted prospect, Chris Carter, has been placed on Sacramento’s 15-day disabled list. Carter did see some big-league action earlier this month, but the slugger went 0-for-19 in the six games he was with Oakland. In 125 games in minors this season, Carter is hitting .258/.365/.529 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs. According to reports, Carter was injured during a home game against Fresno on Friday while trying to field a ball in the outfield. As a result, Carter is out with a thumb injury, and it’s unknown as to how long he could remain inactive.

This of course hinders Carter’s chances in getting another call to Oakland once rosters expand in a few days. The A’s are currently 8.5 games out of first-place, and are in dire need of a slugger. With 31 homers in the minors, Carter obviously could help the A’s team, which ranks last in baseball with just 78 homers, turn their offense around. For more on Carter’s injury, you can click here.

When A’s owner Lew Wolff took over the team in 2005, his main goal was to move the team into a new stadium. As many of you already know, the A’s currently share the Coliseum with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. And while the A’s have a storied franchise in Oakland, the team’s recent drop in attendance is pushing Wolff to the brink of moving his team elsewhere.

The A’s are currently trying to see if the team can relocate to San Jose, which falls under the territorial rights of the San Francisco Giants. The A’s would need approval from all 30 owners in order to make the move to San Jose. The A’s have a young new team, and are on the rise. The young pitching staff has been on an incredible run, as they’ve lowered their ERA to 3.48 (3rd in AL). So, as you would expect, the team wants a new location in which they can showcase their young talent best.

Aside from the prospects of keeping the A’s in Northern California, there are rumors swirling that Las Vegas wants a professional baseball team. The A’s are in search for a new stadium, and if they can’t take San Jose away from the Giants, could Las Vegas be the place to go? Ideally, it’d be best for the team and its fans for the team to stay in Oakland. However, Wolff has already come to the conclusion that there are no suitable locations in Oakland remaining.

And while Wolff has said in the past that his ultimate goal would be to have the A’s stay in Northern California, if Las Vegas is serious about adding a professional baseball team, Wolff would (probably) consider the possibility of moving the A’s to Nevada.

Disclaimer: The possible move to Las Vegas is based solely on rumors. For more information on a possible AL West team relocating to Las Vegas, click here. For more information and baseball rumors, click here.

Let’s face it, this year is just about over for the A’s. At 62-62, the A’s are currently 8.5 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers, who would have to have a total meltdown in order for the A’s to have any shot at the playoffs. But fear not, A’s fans. The young team is starting to show the signs of maturity, and the young A’s rotation is proof of that.

Entering Wednesday, the A’s starters have a 2.01 ERA and have held opponents to a .198 batting average since July 31. In fact, the young hurlers have stretched their streak of at least six innings of work in a game to 22 games in a row.  Even more impressive, the A’s staff has allowed five runs or fewer during in all of those games.

The A’s young rotation, which features a handful of promising stars, has been led mostly by Trevor Cahill, who is having himself a Cy Young-type season. In fact, one could make a strong argument in the notion that Cahill is well deserving of the AL Cy Young.

Not only is he just 22 years old, but the progress he’s made from last season is just incredible. Last season, Cahill went 10-13 with a 4.63 ERA. He had a WHIP of 1.44, and opponents were hitting .270/.339/.471 off him in 2009. This season, however, Cahill is 13-5 with a 2.54 ERA. His WHIP is 0.99 and opponents are hitting just .198/.264/.305 off him.

Cahill has been exceptional this season, and that’s largely due to his improved command. Last season, Cahill often struggled with his fastball command and tended to leave the ball up in the zone. As a result, Cahill endured an inconsistent rookie-campaign, and gave up an Oakland rookie record 27 homers. This season, however, his command has improved. Another reason for his success this season is the fact that his sinker has been exceptionally better than before. Scouts are even comparing Cahill’s sinker to Arizona’s own Brandon Webb.

Whether or not the A’s make the playoffs, their future is definitely bright—especially since they’ll have Trevor Cahill on the mound once every five days.

The A’s enter Monday tied for second-place in the American League West with the Angels, as both clubs trail the Texas Rangers by 8.0 games. In their last series, the A’s split a four-game set at home against the well-balanced Tampa Bay Rays. In fact, Oakland should have taken three games in the series if it hadn’t been for their shaky bullpen in game three.

All of that, however, is in the past. The A’s will embark on a 10 game road trip starting Tuesday, with stops in Cleveland, Texas and New York. This upcoming road trip is possibly the most crucial stretch remaining for Oakland. With August coming to a close relatively soon, the A’s need to make the most out of these next 10 games or so. If the A’s can take the series against the struggling Indians, they could have enough momentum in their favor to make some noise once they arrive in Arlington.

Either way, however, the A’s just need to play smart baseball. The pitching staff has been incredible this season, especially when you look at how much the young hurlers have grown this season. The A’s pitching staff ranks 4th in baseball with a 3.54 ERA. Offensively, however, the A’s aren’t as impressive. They rank 19th in baseball with a .256 batting average, last in home runs with 73, and 26th in runs scored with 494.

Oakland does rank 4th in baseball, however, in stolen bases with 109 total. If the A’s remain aggressive on the base-paths, guys like Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki, Kevin Kouzmanoff and the red-hot Cliff Pennington could potentially drive in their share of runs. The A’s don’t have much power on offense—even Jack Cust isn’t driving the ball deep anymore—so they have to rely on a small-ball approach. Stealing bases has become an integral part of how the A’s offense works. That’s why A’s GM Billy Beane signed Coco Crisp this offseason, so he could compliment Rajai Davis on offense. Crisp has stolen 21, and Davis has swiped 36 of his own this season.

The A’s will embark on a tough road trip, and they know that. This is that crucial stretch of the season, where teams either make it or break it.

The Oakland A’s, who enter today’s finale against the Tampa Bay Ray, are hoping to get Andrew Bailey, their young closer, back from the 15-day disabled list today. Bailey, who has pitched exceptionally well this season—he has a 1.56 ERA and 20 Saves this season—made a rehab appearance on Friday with mixed results. Bailey threw 18 pitches on Friday, and faced five batters. Altogether, however, Bailey allowed two earned runs on three hits and struck out one. The A’s, however, are just happy to see that Bailey is healthy, or at least getting there. This season has been riddled with so many injuries this season for Oakland (Eric Chavez, Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer…the list goes on and on). Getting Bailey back would be huge for the A’s today, as they look to capture the series with a win today. Dallas Braden, who threw his perfect game last time he faced the Rays on May 9, will look to get the A’s back on track today.

For more on Bailey’s possible return, you can visit the A’s official site just by clicking here. Below is an excerpt from what Bailey had to say about his possible return from the disabled-list.

“I think we’re coming down to the end here and it’s just about being able to respond quickly and feel good the next day as well,” Bailey said. “Obviously, not playing in a month, you’re not going to be as sharp as you’d like to be. I think right now, based on how I felt yesterday, it’s more of a baseball thing than a health issue.”