What’s An A’s Fan To Do?

Prince Fielder just signed with the Detroit Tigers. What have the A’s done lately?

Oh, nothing much. They traded away several of their most talented players in an attempt to go “younger,” and have added a veteran presence to the clubhouse with the signings of Bartolo Colon and Jonny Gomes.

Talk about building towards the future.

The front office has also been preoccupied with trying to relocate the team southbound in San Jose. While the front office continues to work towards a new venue in San Jose, fans are left wondering what to do in the meantime.

The Athletics have no intention of winning in Oakland, so why would anyone in the city of Oakland come out to the Coliseum still? Fans of the organization have been waiting since the end of the 2006 season for another contending A’s team, but their continued support hasn’t been rewarded by the front office.

Rebuilding since 2007, the A’s have been vering off into the land of irrelevancy while failing to produce a consistent playoff contender. They laid the foundation for a solid pitching staff with the likes of Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, and Gio Gonzalez, but Beane tore apart that foundation in favor of yet another rebuilding phase.

Cahill and Gonzalez are both gone, with Anderson staying behind in Oakland. Now, Beane did score some promising young talent in return for Cahill and Gonzalez, but those names are still years away from becoming household names.

Execution has been the problem for the A’s in recent years, with Beane & Co. struggling to remain committed to their youth movement that dates back to 2007. Beane interrupted the rebuild process during the 2009 season when, to the surprise of many, added All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday in a trade with the Colorado Rockies.

In the deal, the A’s sent a guy named Carlos Gonzalez to the Rockies. Oakland also sent closer Huston Street and pitcher Greg Smith to the Rockies in the deal, but Gonzalez, in my mind, was the one guy Oakland shouldn’t have traded.

The A’s could really use Gonzalez right about now, but instead they’ll have to settle with a mixed-bag of outfielders this year to create their outfield setup. Sure, Coors Field is a much more friendly hitter’s ballpark than Oakalnd’s cavernous O.co Coliseum, but Gonzalez had/has talent.

So there certainly have been flaws in Beane’s approach and execution and fans have every right to express their frustrations with the organization. When other teams like the Tigers are reaching into their pockets signing the Prince Fielders of the world, it is O.K. to get a little upset and jealous.

This story of rebuilding has grown a little stale, so please, by all means, express your frustrations. We’re here to help. Hit the commen box below and tell us how you currently feel about the green-and-gold.