(Photo Credit: David Fung, http://FUNGraphs.tumblr.com)

With the A’s set to lose a few players to free agency, GM Billy Beane and the rest of his front office brain trust have their work cut out for them this winter. Oakland is currently waiting for a decision regarding their push for a new stadium in San Jose, so the team is likely to stay away from spending tons of money in free agency to replace their loses.

It’s expected the A’s will lose outfielders Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, and Coco Crisp. Furthermore, while it seemed like a possibility given the fact that the A’s open the 2012 season in Japan, the idea of bringing DH Hideki Matsui back next year has cooled off a bit.

The A’s didn’t get much production from DeJesus or Matsui this year, but losing a guy like Willingham, who posted career highs in home runs and RBIs, is going to be a tough loss for Oakland.

According to the most recent rumors, Oakland will not pursue Willingham this offseason after offering him arbitration last week. The A’s might try to retain Crisp, though, according to a recent article by Ken Rosenthal. (more…)