Most will point out that, Chavez, 33, has not been a productive player for some time now, but the A’s former Gold Glove winner will certainly be missed.

The A’s cut ties with the third-baseman when the team decided not to pick up Chavez’s option for the 2011 season. The A’s signed Chavez to a six-year deal worth $66 million in 2004, and got just two productive years out of Chavez in return.

Injuries derailed what could have been a very solid career. Last season, the A’s used Chavez as a DH as a way to limit the load on his shoulders and back, but Chavez still succumbed to an injury. This time, however, the injury was in the form of two bulging disks in his neck.

As a result, Chavez appeared in just 33 games in 2010, and hit just .234/.276/.333 with one homer and 10 RBIs.

2010 concluded Chavez’s career in Oakland, and in 13 years with the organization, the former six-time Gold Glover winner hit .267/.343/.478 with 230 home runs and 787 RBIs. From the years 2000-2005, Chavez averaged 30 home runs per season, but from 2006-2010, he averaged just 8. (more…)

Among the stars: A's pitcher Trevor Cahill won 18 games this year, and made the AL All-Star Team. (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

The Oakland A’s surprised many people this year, as the team finished with a .500 record and a second-place finish in the American League West. The team, anchored by a stellar cast of young arms, stayed in the division race for much of the year before losing out to the eventual AL Pennant winners Texas Rangers.

While the A’s missed out on the playoffs for a fourth straight year, the team did show a ton of promise and upside in 2010. Heading into 2011, the A’s will be led by their young rotation that led baseball in quality starts (109). The additions of DH Hideki Matsui, OF Josh Willingham, and OF David DeJesus on offense all figure to help the A’s in their quest for a playoff birth next season.

Before we start talking 2011, however, here’s a look at three of the best A’s moments in 2010: (more…)

Gross, who joined the A’s this past off-season, batted just .239 with a home run and 25 RBIs. You could say that Gross’ performance was hindered by the fact that the A’s used him in the lineup in a very sporadic fashion. The 31-year old out-fielder appeared in 105 games this year for Oakland, but made only 54 starts.

Larish, like Gross, had trouble finding playing time this year as well. Oakland claimed the 28-year old off waivers from Detroit in August, but never really got much out of him. Larish hit .179 with two homers and 9 RBIs. Other than that, however, Larish proved highly inconsistent for the A’s, and really never found much of a groove during his stint in Oakland.

Here’s a few words from the article found on the A’s official site about Meloan and Souza:

Meloan, meanwhile, missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on March 30. Fellow hurler Souza split his season between Double-A Midland and Sacramento, but was sidelined the final month with a stress fracture in his right elbow.

Souza went 2-2 with six saves and a 3.38 ERA in 28 relief appearances for Midland and proceeded to tally an 8.00 ERA in five outings with the River Cats. —Jane Lee, MLB.com

For more on these roster moves, you can visit the A’s official site by click here.