This explains why he gets so worked up in his notes. (Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)

NICE: Bob Melvin

“The A’s really seemed to strike gold when they hire Bob Melvin in 2011.  He gave the team just enough structure to keep them focused on their goals, but was relaxed enough to allow them to have fun while they did it.  He won the AL Manager of the Year, and deservedly so.  I expect bigger and better things from Melvin going forward, and I’ll leave a little extra strategic expertise under his tree.”

NICE: Tommy Milone

“Tommy Milone was one of my personal favorites this year because he didn’t flash the nasty stuff, the blazing fastball, the high strikeout numbers, but he was effective anyway.  He set an Oakland rookie record for wins with his 13 this season, and for the first half he truly dominated in Oakland.  He may have been one of many pieces the A’s got in return for Gio Gonzalez, but he’s the one who’s already had the biggest impact in Oakland.  With a little more experience and some fine tuning he can continue to develop as a solid middle of the rotation starter.  He deserves a lot more credit than he received, maybe a 15 win 3.25 ERA type season in 2013 might do the trick, he’ll find that sitting under his tree.”

NICE: Travis Blackley

“What more can you say about a guy’s grit and determination?  He travelled all across the world, pitching in Korea in an effort to make his way back to the Major Leagues and he did it with the Athletics better than he ever had before.  He hadn’t won a single game in almost 8 years before collecting the first of his 6 wins in 2012, talk about perseverance!  He proved that he can pitch at this level, and for that he shall stay.  I hope he gets comfortable playing in Oakland, because that’s where he belongs, and I’ll leave another magical season with the Athletics under his tree.  Our bad indeed.”

NAUGHTY: Ryan Cook

“This is not to say Ryan Cook did not perform very well at times, but there was some rather frustrating moments to say the least.  His tendency to walk hitters and get himself into sticky situations was not pleasant to watch and he needs to cut that out if he wants to have sustained success in Oakland.  There’s no doubt he has nasty stuff, but he needs to be able to harness it.  I expect big things from him in the future, so I’ll leave him a drastically decreased walk rate in 2013 under the tree, or else we might have a problem.”

NAUGHTY: Cliff Pennington

“This year was supposed to be his breakout season, when he established himself as a legitimate shortstop in the Major Leagues.  But instead he struggled so horribly that the A’s had to go out and trade for a replacement to keep him from dragging the team down.  I’m not saying he’s a bad teammate, because he most certainly is not, but his bat left much to be desired.  Now he’s been dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who already have acquired a shortstop to play ahead of him and he hasn’t even suited up for the Snakes.  He’ll have to make an impact in a very limited sample to increase his time on the field, but at least he’s playing with a ton of former Athletics.    Something as simple as a batting average over .250 for him next year will seem like a huge boost, so I’ll leave that for him under the tree.”

NAUGHTY: Daric Barton/Billy Beane

“You may wonder why did Daric Barton make my naughty list?  It’s simple, he just won’t go away.  I understand he had one solid season in 2010 where he showed exceptional on base skills, but he’s never shown on any consistent basis that he can be a productive Major Leaguer.  Yet GM Billy Beane continues to have some kind of fascination with him that keeps him around.  I don’t get it honestly, and I don’t think he’ll ever be a productive Athletic.  If Billy Beane doesn’t get over his fascination with Barton and his walks, we may never see him leave the Athletics and that’s bad for everyone involved.  I’m going to0 leave something under both of their trees that should have been there a long time ago, Barton’s walking papers.  It may be harsh, but it’s the truth.”

So there you have it, the best of the best from Santa Claus himself.  The man sure has a strong opinion on just about everything Athletics.  It’s quite nice to see to be quite honest.  Be sure to stay tuned to Swingin’ A’s in the Spring when I bring to you the Easter Bunny’s Spring Training roster cut opinions, that’ll sure to be a good read.  Till then, Happy Holidays everyone!

Apr. 6, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Chris Young hits a two run home run in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants during opening day at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Billy Beane held a conference call this afternoon to address the deal and a few other things as well.  Initially he noted that there were no plans to move any of the incumbent A’s outfielders to clear playing time for Young.  The thought would’ve been that Coco Crisp’s days in Oakland might be over as he and Young share the same position.  But Billy made sure to mention Crisp’s importance to the team.

So where does Chris Young fit in then?

It looks as if he might find himself in a very similar role to what Seth Smith did in 2012, serving as a fill in outfielder and finding time at the DH spot as well.  This of course assumes Billy Beane sticks to his statement that he will not be moving any of the current OF crop.  Anyone who’s followed this team over the years should know to always expect the unexpected from Billy Beane, and this very deal is indicative of that fact.

For me personally the toughest aspect of this deal is the fact that Jonny Gomes’ return to Oakland now looks rather unlikely.  If Young platoons with Smith as the 4th OF/DH for the A’s, there really won’t be a spot for Gomes in the lineup.  Not only did Gomes put up solid numbers in his limited role with the A’s, he served as a great veteran presence with the team.  It has appeared that Beane and Bob Melvin were aware of that and sought to bring Gomes back because of that, but now that is very much in doubt.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m a fellow native Petaluman and I would really hate to see Jonny go elsewhere.  But if he does, I know he’ll contribute like he did with the A’s.

Beane also mentioned the impact on the infield situation for the A’s, he said that Scott Sizemore will shift back to second base in 2013 from the third base position he occupied in 2011 for the A’s.  At this point, barring the acquisition of another second baseman I would expect Sizemore and Jemile Weeks to be the frontrunners for the starting job.  It also seems to open the door a little wider for the return of Stephen Drew to the A’s next year and perhaps beyond.  The $10 Million mutual option looms large, and it seems unlikely that the A’s would pick that option up considering their frugal ways.  The possibility of working out a more long term deal remains, and the departure of Pennington creates a wide open spot for Drew to settle in to.  If Drew does indeed depart, expect another trade of some sort to acquire a more controllable shortstop.

It does seem that Lew Wolff and co. are more willing to open up the checkbook to continue this team’s success, which is quite a refreshing bit of news.  Chris Young will make $8 Million in 2013, which is about $7 Million more than Jonny Gomes made in 2012, whom Young will essentially replace.  Either way it’s good to see that the Athletics front office is not content to just sit back on their accomplishments and hope to ride them for another year.

Chris Young is a dynamic player, he has good power, speed, solid defense and a pretty good arm as well.  If he’s an expensive 4th OF then he’ll at least be as good as you can find.  If he’s more than that he’ll hopefully enable the A’s to address one of their other needs during the offseason.

Quite the exciting start to the offseason for the A’s, and it really hasn’t even begun yet.

Sep 10, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Jarrod Parker (11) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE

Coco Crisp started things off immediately as he hammered the first pitch of the game off the big wall in right field just beyond the reach of Torii Hunter. The ball bounced off the wall and rolled back towards the infield and before anyone knew it Coco was standing at 3rd base. Seth Smith would get Coco in with a grounder to first to put the A’s on the board almost immediately.

After the game opening fireworks Angels starter Dan Haren really settled down. He was too comfortable for anyone’s liking, getting through the first 4 innings in under 40 pitches. But Brandon Moss decided he’d seen enough. Leading off the 5th inning Moss deposited a Haren pitch into the right field bleachers. That run would give the A’s all they would need to hold this one down. Cliff Pennington would give the A’s a slight amount of breathing room with a lead off homer of his own in the 6th inning. Neither team would score after that.

The A’s though had a chance to add on and perhaps end the drama in the 7th inning when a single and 2 walks loaded the bases with 1 out for Stephen Drew, but Drew would fail to make contact, making a base hit necessary for the A’s to score. Cliff Pennington would not be able to deliver though, grounding out to end the threat.

Overall Jarrod Parker was on his game tonight. He did walk 2, allowed 3 hits, and seemed to find himself in a number of 3 ball counts but he managed to wiggle out of any tough situations with minimal damage. Ryan Cook would work around a Mike Trout single in the 8th inning to do his part in preserving the lead. Grant Balfour would emphatically shut the door in the 9th with 2 K’s to get his 17th save of the year.

With the win the A’s move to an incredible 20 games over .500 at 80-60. I had them going 79-83 this season, so this really is astounding. The Rangers and Orioles were idle today so the A’s now sit an even 3 games behind Texas in the AL West, and hold a 2 game lead over Baltimore for the top wild card spot. The Tampa Bay Rays are a game behind the Orioles so the A’s have a 3 game cushion at the moment.

Dan Straily (1-0, 3.18 ERA) will make his first start back in green and gold in place of Brandon McCarthy (who continues to make progress), he’ll be opposed by Jerome Williams (6-7, 4.59 ERA). The A’s can guarantee themselves a series split with a win tomorrow, and also continue to put distance between themselves and the Angels.