Tear It Down: Billy Beane is willing, apparently, to tear apart his team this offseason (Photo Credit: AP).

This offseason, the Oakland A’s are remaining open to the idea of dealing some of their best players. Oakland’s biggest asset, without question, is its strong pitching foundation. Many teams, including the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, and the Seattle Mariners are interested in acquiring some of Oakland’s young pitching talent, with most teams currently targeting Gio Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, 26, is Oakland’s biggest trade chip and many teams are showing a strong interest in the All-Star pitcher. Oakland’s southpaw has gone 31-21 over the past two seasons while compiling a 3.17 ERA during that time span. And at just 26 years of age, Gonzalez figures to get better with more major league experience.

Oakland is not actively shopping its players, but they are open to potential trades. Oakland is said to be looking for two top prospects as well as a few lower-level minor leaguers in exchange for Gonzalez, but whether or not Oakland will actually get what they’re looking for in exchange for Gonzalez has yet to be seen.

If the team does, in fact, ship Gonzalez out of the bay area, the A’s will have a pretty shaky pitching foundation. The team has already parted ways with Trevor Cahill, who was sent to Arizona in exchange for top-prospect Jarrod Parker. Given the team’s recent struggles with staying healthy, Oakland will look to add depth to a rotation that struggled during the second-half of last season. (more…)

He’s come a long way from being that pitcher with a “handful of wins,” and has emerged as a vocal leader of the A’s clubhouse. The southpaw enjoyed a solid outing during the 2010 season, going 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA over 30 starts.

Oakland entered this year with the hopes for another strong performance from their vocal southpaw, but instead Braden fell victim to an injury that cut his 2011 season short. The A’s lefty made just three starts this year, going 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA over 18.0 innings. (more…)

Trevor Cahill started the season 6-0, but the A's have gone 0-7 in his last seven appearances. (Photo Credit: AP)

After starting the season 6-0, A’s right-hander Trevor Cahill has struggled a bit over his last seven starts. Cahill, now 6-5 with a 3.42 ERA, has been struggling recently with his command, and has issued a total of 28 walks over his last seven starts.

In his last start against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, the A’s young righty allowed a staggering seven walks, while failing to strike out an opposing hitter. He lasted just 4.2 innings on Tuesday, and it’s become quite apparent that the A’s young ace is in a bit of a funk.

For Oakland, pitching is the team’s biggest strength, but the team’s recent injuries have taken a toll on the starting rotation. The team cannot afford to have Cahill, who signed an extension earlier this season, to continue to struggle for the rest of the season. This month, Cahill’s stats read like this: 0-2, 14.0 IP, 20 hits allowed, 15 earned runs, 11 BB, 9 K, 2.21 WHIP, 9.64 ERA. Those numbers are definitely a far cry from his early season performance in April and May.  (more…)