Myself included.

Weeks earlier esteemed A’s beat writer Susan Slusser hinted in the San Francisco Chronicle that the machinations of a proposed Lowrie deal had fizzled due to Oakland’s reluctance to part with Carter. The subsequent signing of Hiroyuki Najakima to plug the hole at shortstop, seemed to signify that any deal involving the former Red Sox was now dead.

Or so everyone thought.

Which brings us back to Vernon Christopher Carter, former platoon first basemen/future designated hitter. Rewinding the clocks back a year ago, and Carter was approaching a pivotal part of a career that had been dimmed by a distinct lack of success in the major leagues. Despite impressive minor league power numbers, he had failed to solidify any type of permanent place in Oakland thanks to two extremely lackluster stints.

In 2010, Carter would start his fledgeling career in ominous fashion by going 0-33 with 13 strikeouts before his first hit. Even more disturbing than his offense, was the A’s misguided attempt to masquerade him as a left fielder. Out of position, and out of luck at the plate it was evident that he was simply overwhelmed at the Major League Level. Completely written across his face was an obvious sign of a severe lack of confidence.

Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

The 2011 season would bring nothing more than a September cameo in Oakland, and a paltry batting line of .136/ .176/ .136 in 44 at bats to go along with it. As the off-season approached Carter was soon becoming an afterthought in Oakland’s plans, and the roster construction began to reflect this reality heading into 2012. Now buried in the depth chart at first base by the likes of Brandon Allen, Daric Barton, and Kila Ka’aihue , the idea of Carter manning first base for the A’s began to look more doubtful at the best.

With Ka’aihue and Allen jettisoned from the organization by mid season, and Barton failing to preform. Carter was given another chance, and joined his former Sacramento cohort Brandon Moss at first base to form another effective pair of Oakland’s plethora of platoons. Jumping off  to a hot start, he homered in 3 of his first 4 games played, and won the hearts of the hometown crowd with a massive 3-run walk off blast against Seattle on July 6th in extra innings at the Coliseum.

In his first extended look, Carter responded by finishing with an respectable batting line of .239/.350/.514 and totaling 16 home runs and 39 RBI’s in 260 plate appearances. The propensity to strikeout remained, as he fanned 31% of the time but when he did connect he was finally able to showcase his power while averaging a home run every 13.6 at bats.

Power being a valuable commodity such as it is, I suppose we can’t be surprised Carter was an object of attention this winter. For a team such as the Astros, willing to look past his obvious defensive inadequacies in exchange for an affordable source of offensive production, the deal makes sense. For the A’s who are intently going full bore in attempt to protect their divisional title and continue contending, acquiring a solid “win now” piece such as Lowrie while simultaneously freeing up at bats at Designated Hitter is also coherent.

That doesn’t mean we won’t miss the big guy. Good luck Chris Carter, and remember to smile every now and then.

July 6, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie (4) throws a runner out at first against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The logic behind the deal appears to be a safety net of sorts, similar I think to the logic behind the deal that brought in Chris Young back in October.  The team appears to be set in pencil around the infield, save for the first base spot which seems all but locked up by Brandon Moss now with Carter out of the way.  I did like the two headed monster last year, so I’m a little sad that we won’t get to see if that can succeed again, but then again I do have an irrational love for Brandon Moss.

Lowrie has been a lot about potential, if he can put it all together, if he can stay healthy (ankle problems), etc… but there’s no doubt he is a talented player and should be an asset to the Athletics in whatever role he’s cast in.  In 2012 he played a career high 97 games and hit .244/.331/.438 with a career high 16 home runs.  He plays primarily shortstop, where Hiroyuki Nakajima seems to be the man for the job at this point, so expect Lowrie to log some serious time at second and third base.  That might be bad news for the many fans of Josh Donaldson in the 510 as his spot is far from guaranteed.

This trade is a sign of two things, the fact that Billy Beane and the A’s brass are really serious about winning in 2013, and that they don’t have as much faith in the existing infielders as one might think.  Jemile Weeks and Scott Sizemore were expected to battle it out in Spring Training for playing time at 2nd base, as Bob Melvin told us just last weekend, but there really didn’t seem to be a challenger for Josh Donaldson at 3rd.  Donaldson was horrifically inept early in the season, and after taking over for the injured Brandon Inge in August he seemed to figure it all out and was a major contributor to the A’s playoff run.  The reality is though that Donaldson isn’t a 23 year old prospect just experiencing some growing pains in the Show, he is a 27 year old who had barely gotten a taste of major league ball prior to 2012.  So the possibility that his hot month or so was a flash in the pan versus a sign of him finally figuring it all out is rather strong.  Lowrie protects against that.

If Donaldson struggles, and Sizemore excels we may also see Lowrie move to 2nd and Sizemore take over the hot corner.  The possibilities right now are very nearly endless.

In losing Chris Carter, the A’s finally gave up on him reaching his once lofty potential.  He had hot streaks, and the ball truly does jump off his bat when he connects, but he would always revert to bad habits at the plate and chase bad pitches he would previously spit on.  I think Houston will be a great place for him to hit, and he’ll get an opportunity without a doubt in Houston.  The A’s had clearly soured on him down the stretch as he barely saw the field, and this trade verifies that notion.

Brad Peacock was thought to be one of the prizes of the Gio Gonzalez trade last year, but struggled mightily with his control and never got going in 2012, surely he’ll compete for a rotation spot with the Astros.  Max Stassi was once thought to be the eventual successor to Kurt Suzuki behind the plate, but his bat never developed and injuries derailed his progress since he was drafted.  He may have new life in the Astros organization now.

The A’s also received Fernando Rodriguez, a 28 year old right handed reliever who hasn’t exactly impressed at the big league level with an extremely high walk rate (4.8/9 innings for his career of 123.1 innings) and an ERA of 4.89.  He’ll likely slide in right next to the likes of Jesse Chavez and Mike Ekstrom on the organizational depth chart.

Billy Beane told Susan Slusser that Nakajima will be the SS, an Lowrie will play all over the infield.  That means exactly what I said earlier, Josh Donaldson, Scott Sizemore, and Jemile Weeks ought not get comfortable.  The price they paid for Lowrie was a bit steep for my taste, but I fully understand the deal so I give it my stamp of approval.  The A’s mean business in 2013 and baseball can’t come soon enough.

Sep 12, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics designated hitter Yoenis Cespedes (52) follows through on a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. The Athletics defeated the Angels 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

For this piece, I’ll limit the “heart of the order” to the guys projected to bat in the 3-4-5 slots in the everyday lineup.  Those guys are the meat and potatoes of any well balance lineup, and without them well… you’d lose a whole heck of a lot of games.

1. Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Mark Trumbo – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels failed to retain starter Zack Greinke, so they poured the money set aside for him into more offense.  This type of strategy was perennially used by the Texas Rangers in the early 2000′s and it was rather unsuccessful.  If both Pujols and Hamilton are at the top of their game, they’ll have a one-two punch perhaps only rivaled by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers.  Both of them are in their early 30′s now, presumably on the backside of their prime, but until they show true signs of regression they still make for the best power trio in the division along with Mark Trumbo.  Make no mistake about it though, this is all about Pujols and Hamilton.

2. Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss/Chris Carter, Josh Reddick – Oakland Athletics

This 3 headed monster is more like a 4 headed monster with the platoon of Moss and Carter expected at first base, and it should be very potent in 2013.  Yoenis Cespedes has all the potential in the world, and he showed signs of that in 2012, with a year of experience under his belt now we can expect to see big improvements in his game.  It’s hard to say for sure what to expect from Brandon Moss after his breakout 2012, but the power he showed cannot be faked, it is undoubtedly legitimate.  Chris Carter needs to recapture the discipline he showed shortly after his call up from Sacramento last year, he reverted to many of his old habits and now needs to prove to the A’s that it was just a slump and that he can continue to adjust.  I’ve been pretty rough on Josh Reddick for his lack of production in high leverage situations, but that said he proved that he’s got some real good pop in his bat and I expect that to continue.

3. Kyle Seager, Kendrys Morales, Jesus Montero – Seattle Mariners

I’d be lying if I said I thought this was a spectacular heart of the order for the M’s, but Kyle Seager proved that he can be a solid Major League third baseman, and Jesus Montero has shown flashes of the power that made him so appealing to many teams while with the New York Yankees.  Kendrys Morales is a nice pickup and should provide a significant upgrade over Justin Smoak at first base.  The Mariners aren’t likely to be contenders in the AL West, but with these three they should be able to score a few more runs.

4. David Murphy, Adrian Beltre, Lance Berkman – Texas Rangers

It’s amazing how different this lineup looks without Josh Hamilton parked in the 3 spot.  Adrian Beltre is no slouch, but there’s a question as to whether he can be the big offensive threat in the lineup with a lot less help than he had before.  David Murphy is a nice outfielder, a complementary player that just about any team would like to have, but he is not a number 3 hitter on a team that expects to contend.  The Lance Berkman signing was a bonafide head scratcher in my mind, more because of the $10 million he received.  He should be able to hit fairly well in Arlington, but at his age his body is breaking down and I have doubts that he’ll be able to hold up for the season.

5. Brett Wallace, Carlos Pena, Justin Maxwell – Houston Astros

This trio includes a former Athletic, a former Athletics prospect, and Justin Maxwell.  Brett Wallace has not shown the ability to hit at the Major League level that enticed the A’s to send Matt Holliday to St. Louis in 2009, but he’s been entrusted with holding down the 3 spot in the Astros lineup.  Carlos Pena pretty much either swings and misses, or hits a home run.  He’s the poor man’s Adam Dunn.  Justin Maxwell has a career slash line of .217/.310/.427, and he’s projected to hit in the 5 spot, I think that says it all.

The AL West will in all likelihood be a total slugfest in 2013, it’ll take some fantastic pitching along with some serious offensive firepower to win the division.  I think it will come down to the A’s and the Angels, which makes sense then considering they have the two top sets of 3-4-5 hitters in the division.  Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the foundation of the bullpen, the ones who don’t get all the glory but play a very important role, the middle relievers.