Feb 24, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Adrian Cardenas (6) poses for a picture during photo day at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Say goodbye to Adrian Cardenas, A’s fans. The Chicago Cubs reportedly claimed infielder Adrian Cardenas on Monday and designated Blake DeWitt for assignment to make room for Cardenas on the 40-man roster. Cardenas, 24, appeared in 124 games last year with the Sacramento River Cats, putting together a .314/.374/.418 with five home runs and 51 RBIs.

The former Oakland infielder prospect was acquired in the trade that sent pitcher Joe Blanton to the Philadelphia Phillies, but Cardenas never found himself at “home” with the A’s. Cardenas didn’t fit in at third base, a position of weakness for Oakland, and didn’t have much of a future anywhere else in the rest of the infield.

He split his playing time last year between left field, third, short stop, and second base. The A’s definitely kept Cardenas moving around last year, but never quite found a spot for him where he truly excelled in. Billy Beane’s brain-trust wanted to keep Cardenas, but even if they had kept him, where would the A’s have put Cardenas in 2012?

He certainly wouldn’t have fit in the crowded outfield and he certainly would have found himself playing second fiddle to breakout star Jemile Weeks. Somebody had to go, after all, in order to make room for Jonny Gomes. (more…)

Entering the season, the A’s had hoped that Wuertz would be able to play a large role in their bullpen. Oakland added veteran relievers like Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes prior to the season as a way of beefing up their bullpen. Having a healthy Wuertz in the mix of that ‘pen definitely would have helped, too.

Wuertz was considered one of the league’s top relievers back in 2009, after compiling 6-1 record with a 2.63 ERA during that season. In addition to his sparkling record and ERA, Wuertz racked up 102 strikeouts in just 78.2 innings that year as well.

As a reward for his stellar ’09 campaign, the A’s awarded Wuertz a two-year deal. The two seasons that followed, however, were far from Oakland’s expectations.

After making 74 appearances in ’09, Wuertz managed to make just 48 appearances in 2010 and 39 this year. After putting in a tremendous amount of work during the ’09 season, Wuertz’s final two years in Oakland are marked with various injuries and disappointments. (more…)