Remember him? The A's traded Gio Gonzalez last winter as the team continued their youth-movement. Image Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

Each month, Swingin’ A’s will revisit three of the biggest trades that the A’s made this past offseason. We’ll continue by reexamining the deal that sent All-Star Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals. The A’s received plenty of young talent in this deal. This deal, in my mind, anyway, makes Billy Beane look very, very smart. We’ll see what you think. 

When the A’s traded Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals this past offseason, I seriously thought about jumping ship. This rebuild only to tear down mentality was not sitting to well with me, but I’m glad I’ve decided to stick around this year. The A’s scored big time in the Gonzalez deal, landing four prospects in the trade. Among those talented prospects are pitchers Brad Peacock, Tom Milone, A.J. Cole, and catcher Derek Norris.

Milone has made his presence felt in Oakland’s clubhouse this season. He’s 3-2 with a 3.69 ERA so far for the Athletics and has demonstrated early on that he’s a guy with solid control and command of his pitches. The A’s have Peacock and Cole down in the minor leagues, but Peacock could find himself in the big leagues at some point this year. Cole, though, is still too early in his development to really make a considerable push for a major league call-up.

The power hitting catcher Norris, though, could find his way up to the big leagues in a hurry. The prospect is tearing things up in Triple-A Sacramento; he’s hitting .329/.344/.565 with 3 HR and 16 RBI in 21 games this year. Should the A’s continue their crazed youth-movement at some point this season and decide to trade away “aging” Kurt Suzuki (who’s just 28), Norris’ name could be on Bob Melvin’s daily lineup card in a hurry.

The A’s gave up a lot in Gonzalez, but in my mind, the team made out considerably well in the trade with Washington. The Nationals have enjoyed Gio Gonzalez’s presence in their starting rotation, as the southpaw has gone 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in five starts. Both sides, then, have done incredibly well. The Nationals finally have the talent to compete in the National League while the A’s have done a nice job restocking on some young talent as they plan for future success.

One month into the season and the A’s have certainly taken advantage of this trade. Milone is a talented young pitcher pitching in the heart of Oakland’s rotation and the team is seeing encouraging signs from catching prospect Norris. So far, this deal has been equally good for both clubs.

What do you think? Who did better in the trade, the A’s or Nationals? 

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Front of the Line: A.J. Cole has the potential to be a front-of-the-line starter for the A's (Photo Credit: gambling911.com)

Every Thursday, Swingin’ A’s will unveil a top Oakland A’s prospect. Starting from number 10 and finishing with number 1, be sure to stop by every Thursday to see who makes the list of the Top 10 Oakland A’s prospects. We turn our attention now to pitcher A.J. Cole, who was acquired in the Gio Gonzalez trade. Cole is figured to have quality stuff and the potential to be a front-line starter in a few years.

After being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fourth-round of the 2010 draft, A.J. Cole entered Washington’s system as a highly regarded prospect with a very high ceiling. Two years later, he’s a member of the Athletics’ organization after being traded to Oakland in the deal that sent All-Star lefty Gio Gonzalez to Washington.

With a 6’4″ lanky frame, Cole has the ideal pitcher’s body with lots of room for growing. Cole, 20, projects to be a front-line starter in the future for the A’s and that projection is based on the type of numbers he’s posted in the minor leagues.

The lean and mean pitching machine Cole currently embodies features a fastball that reaches the mid-90s, a curveball with great breaking action, and a developing changeup. The fastball right now, anyway, is probably Cole’s best pitch with his curveball serving as a nice chase-pitch.

He’ll sweep the curve against both righties and lefties, demonstrating he’s got faith in the pitch. The changeup, meanwhile, still could use a little more work. He’s shown a good feel for the pitch, but issues with the command of the pitch will need to be resolved before he uses that circle-change as an effective weapon.

Right now, then, Cole is more of a fastball-curveball type of pitcher. Improving his changeup, then, should be a point of focus for the right-hander. At just 20 years old, though, he’s got plenty of time to develop and mature into an effective, well-rounded starter.

The former fourth-rounder compiled a 4-7 record with a 4.04 ERA in 18 starts with Single-A Hagerstown last year. He also posted a 10.9 SO/9 rate as the lanky right-hander struck out an impressive 108 batters over 89.0 innings. In addition, the promising young Cole posted an encouraging 2.53 FIP last year.

He also displayed solid control, posting a 2.4 BB/9 rate last year with Hagerstown. Compared to other guys his age, Cole’s command is pretty good. Give him a few more years in the minors and he’ll really get a feel for the game.

Overall, Cole has big league potential. He’s definitely got a shot at becoming a No.1 or No.2 guy in Oakland’s rotation in a few years if his development goes smoothly. The A’s, a team not expected to contend for at least another few years, would be smart not to rush the kid.

For more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.

Newest National: Gio Gonzalez has been traded by the A's to the Washington Nationals (Photo Credit: AP)

It finally happened.

The Oakland A’s finally dealt their All-Star lefty Gio Gonzalez on Thursday to the Washington Nationals. The A’s sent Gonzalez, 26, to a Nationals team that now looks poised to contend for a playoff spot next year.

With Gonzalez, the Nationals beef up their already formidable rotation with a proven starter who has won 31 games over the past two years. He went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA with 197 strikeouts this season for the Athletics.

Oakland, mired in a tough stadium situation, gets four young prospects in return for Gonzalez. Those four prospects include right-handed pitchers Brad Peacock, A.J. Cole, lefty Tom Milone, and catcher Derek Norris.

Peacock is considered major league ready. He should compete for a spot in Oakland’s starting rotation this spring.

The 23-year old righty went a combined 15-3 with a 2.39 ERA between Washington’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this year. He received a call-up from the Nationals, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA over 12.0 big-league innings of work.  (more…)