Well, it’s almost here. Opening Day is fast approaching, and I’m taking one more look at the Oakland Athletics and their chances at making some noise in the American League West in 2010. Included in the team preview are some responses from some of the most respected A’s writers/bloggers that I’ve had the chance to work with. Hopefully, you’ll find the team preview to be extremely insightful and enjoyable!
A’s Offense:
We all know about Chris Carter and Michael Taylor. And we definitely know what kind of impact they could potentially make on offense. However, what we don’t know is when [...]

The A’s will most likely open the season with Ben Sheets on the mound. Sheets would then be followed by Dallas Braden, Justin Duchscherer and Brett Anderson. That’s a pretty solid front-four, but the A’s are still deciding on who will get the final spot in the rotation. Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez are the two contenders vying for the fifth and final spot. While Cahill would probably be the favorite, fans should not overlook Gonzalez’s fantastic spring.
In his latest outing, Gonzalez allowed one run, walked three and struck out four in 6 1/3 innings. As a result, Gonzalez lowered [...]

My good buddy over on Bleacher Report, Lewie Pollis, recently wrote an article that I thought was extremely interesting. In the article, Lewie examines a player from each major league team and dubs them as his “sleeper picks” for 2010. He thinks that Jake Fox, the A’s IF, is poised for a solid season. However, his spring numbers might not do him justice. So far, Fox is hitting just .122/.200/.341. Fox does, however, have a lot of power potential. He’s hit 3 HR and driven in 9 runs this spring. Fox should hit around the .250 mark over the course [...]

It looks like the A’s bullpen just got a little stronger. The A’s have reached an agreement with Chad Gaudin, who was recently released by the New York Yankees. Gaudin was in position to compete for a spot in the Yankees rotation, but after compiling an ERA of 8.68, he was let go. Gaudin adds more depth to the A’s bullpen, especially since RP Michael Wuertz and CL Andrew Bailey are out dealing with various injuries. Bailey, the AL’s Rookie-of-the-Year, has been dealing with some elbow problems, but is expected to be ready come Opening Day in Oakland.
Gaudin, an ex-Atheltic, [...]

I was in the ninth grade when I first read Michael Lewis’ best-selling book, Moneyball. Ironically, it was my math teacher, who was an Angels fan, that lent me the book. At the time, I was a probably the only A’s fan at my high school, which was located in the heart of “Angel Nation.” Regardless of my surroundings, I enjoyed the book and I really learned a lot about my favorite team, the Oakland Athletics.
But so much has changed since then. The A’s no longer have Nick Swisher, Joe Blanton, Chad Bradford and other players that were mentioned in [...]

If the A’s are going to have any success in 2010, it’s going to come from strong starting pitching and a lights-out bullpen. The A’s have arguably the best bullpen in the American League, and possibly in all of the baseball. The A’s bullpen should be the A’s biggest strength heading into this season.
Earlier this month, I examined the A’s starting rotation and offered my opinions on each starter. In this post, however, the attention is turned on the A’s stellar cast of relievers. Along with their 2009 stats, I’ve included my own projected numbers for each member of the [...]

With the Joe Mauer deal behind us now, let’s take a look at another talented catcher who is deserving  of a long-term contract. In just his second full season with the A’s, Kurt Suzuki hit .274 with 15 HR and 88 RBIs. Along with his impressive offensive showing, Suzuki also helped a group of young pitchers make the transition to the MLB. As a result, youngsters like 2009 ROY Andrew Bailey, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill made some impressive strides towards becoming strong major league players. Suzuki, 26, is definitely deserving of a long-term deal for all his efforts.
Aside from [...]

Remember the A’s “Big Three” that consisted of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito? Do you remember how effective the three aces were for the A’s in early part of the 2000’s?
If you do remember, you probably remember how A’s GM, Billy Beane, dismantled the trio as well. After Hudson and Mulder were dealt (Hudson deal=bust for the A’s), Zito was left alone to man a staff that many seen as incapable of leading the A’s to the playoffs in 2005.
For the most part, the analysts were right when assuming Oakland would miss the playoffs in 2005. However, the [...]

I recently took a trip to Arizona to see the A’s in some Spring Training action. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw.
When I went to Phoenix last weekend, I seen Eric Chavez in person, for the first time in a long time. He went 0-for-3 in the game against the Reds, but the fact that he’s healthy and taking trips to the batter’s box is good enough for me. Chavez is hitting .192/.192/.500 this spring, with 2 HR and 5 RBIs. If Chavez can rebound from numerous surgeries that have taken place over the last [...]

Oakland A’s GM, Billy Beane may be the smartest GM out there, but he is not without his mistakes. Earlier this offseason, the A’s GM signed free agent OF, Coco Crisp, to a one-year, $5 million contract. Crisp, who is coming off an injury plagued 2009 season (shoulders), was among Beane’sfavorite players this offseason.
Now, Beane has made some ludicrous deals before in the past, but he really screwed up this one. Dishing out $5 million to a guy like Crisp, who has little to no significant trade value, is a really bad investment.
However, in his defense, Beane did have a [...]