No Coming Back: The A's will likely pass up on the opportunity to bring back David DeJesus next year (Photo Credit: Jose Sanchez/AP)

The A’s made a conscious effort last winter to upgrade their offense and adding veteran outfielder David DeJesus seemed like a nice way to upgrade the lineup. While GM Billy Beane’s moves looked great on paper, what Beane and the A’s got in return for all of their efforts was a mixed bag of inconsistencies.

Oakland sent over pitchers Vin Mazzaro and Justin Marks for Kansas City’s DeJesus this last winter with the hopes of improving their lineup. He was never going to add much power—Oakland’s biggest need entering the 2011 season—but the team did expect DeJesus to play exceptional defense and contribute as much as he could for the lineup.

Entering this season, DeJesus was a lifetime .289 hitter but had an injury shortened season the year before. He enjoyed success in his time with the Royals, though, and Oakland was hopeful that the veteran outfielder would add depth not only defensively but offensively.

The A’s invested two pitchers for DeJesus, but as most you probably already know, Oakland didn’t get much of a return for their investment. Beane and pretty much everyone else in Oakland was taken aback this year from DeJesus’s epic shortcomings.  … [visit site to read more]

A’s 2011 In Review: David DeJesus - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Will We Ever Get a Cisco Field? (Photo Credit: Oaklandathletics.com)

At this point, any news regarding the A’s attempt to build a new stadium is considered good news. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s took a step in the right direction by acquiring a land-purchase option in San Jose. The San Jose Council voted 10-1 to approve the purchasing option for the A’s.

With the vote, the A’s have been granted a two-year option to buy the five acres of land located near HP Pavilion, home of the San Jose Sharks. The option comes with a $50,000 price tag, with the possibility of an additional $25,000 for a third-year.

This option give the A’s the exclusive rights to buy the five acres of land for $6.9 million if the team is granted the approval of MLB to relocate to San Jose. The land itself must be used to build a new stadium. Also, the team will need San Jose voters to approve any final sale of land before actually building a stadium. That’s assuming the team gets approval from MLB, though. … [visit site to read more]

San Jose Land Deal A Sign Of Progress - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Happy Halloween! (Photo Credit: Oaklandathletics.com)

In the spirit of Halloween, let’s explore some of the most “scary” details and facts about your 2011 Oakland Athletics, shall we? You’ll notice that I’ve taken the liberty to italicize all Halloween-themed words throughout this post. Enjoy.

Did you know that the A’s ranked 28th in runs with just 315 prior to the All-Star break? Oh, now that’s scary. After spending a few million on Hideki Matsui, all the A’s got in return was one-half of a productive season. Does the team get any sort of discount for Matsui’s bloodcurdling first-half numbers?

The grim news that Oakland’s 1B Daric Barton suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder this year only enhances Oakland’s glaring problem at first-base. Oakland’s Daric Barton, before getting sent down to Oakland’s minor league system, the 26-year old hit a ghastly .212/.325/.267 with no home runs and 21 RBIs in 67 games with the A’s.

Oakland’s offense, in general, did not perform particularly well this year. It’s frightening to think that with all the additions that GM Billy Beane made during the offseason had no positive impact in the win column this year. The A’s actually lost more games with the additions of Matsui, Josh Willingham, and David DeJesus than they did without them.

At least in 2010 the A’s had ended the season with some hope for the future. This year’s finish definitely didn’t satisfy anyone’s cravings for a championship.  … [visit site to read more]

Scary Facts About Oakland’s 2011 Season - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More