Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a shame really. Whenever the A’s acquire a new player, the 12 year old inside me gets all giddy at the concept of a fresh addition to my beloved team. This of course contrasts with the skeptical, bitter, over analytical adult who travels to the far reaches of internet in search of any and all pertinent information regarding said neophyte. So when a player such as Sandy Rosario is acquired and designated for assignment before they play a game, I can’t help but feel a little empty. It’s as if the player is nothing more than a ghost; a specter whom made their presence felt only to be gone in a flash.

Nevertheless, here are a few of the more memorable players who were here one day, and gone the next.

Michael Barrett: Acquired 12/19/03 from Montreal, Traded 12/23/03 to Chicago (NL)

An Oakland A for mere days, Michael Barrett was acquired from the Montreal Expos for minor leaguer Brett Price in December of 2003. At the time of his acquisition, the 26 year old was coming off a down season which saw him fall to a .208/.280/.398 batting line in his last year in Montreal. Once regarded as a top prospect, Barrett was regarded for his excellent athleticism behind the plate and cannon of an arm. As a converted shortstop, Barrett had seen time at third base periodically during the early portion of his career adding a level of versatility to his resume. With the A’s in search of replacement for the recently traded Ramon Hernandez, Barrett was merely a stand-in as he would be shipped to Chicago less than a week later for veteran catcher Damian Miller. While Miller would go on to provide a steady but unspectacular 2004 season in Oakland, Barrett would develop his talents into becoming a Silver Slugger catcher with the Cubs. He also had the pleasure of punching A.J. Pierzinski in the face during a scuffle in 2006, endearing himself to A’s fans everywhere.

Aaron Miles, Acquired 12/03/09 from Chicago (NL), Traded 2/1/10 to Cincinnati

East Bay native Aaron Miles thought he was coming home when he was acquired in the off season following the 2009 season. Unfortunately, the lifetime National Leaguer was shipped to the Reds just weeks before the start of spring training for Adam Rosales and Willy Tavares who was immediately released. With his best seasons behind him, Miles had the unfortunate distinction of failing to appear in a game with the Reds and was unceremoniously released in mid-April. Sadly after stints in St. Louis and Los Angeles, Miles would announce his retirement after 2011, never having the opportunity to play for his boyhood team.

Edwin Encarnacion, Claimed off waivers from Toronto 11/12/10, non-tendered 12/2/10

This one hurt. When the A’s claimed Edwin Encarnacion off waivers, they were taking a chance that the former top prospect would bring a source of power to a team that finished near the bottom of the league in home runs in 2010. With the incumbent third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff deemed expendable in his right, the A’s management was simple doing their due diligence to combat an obvious weakness. Encanacion, however had weaknesses of his own. Nicknamed “E-5″ in Toronto for his propensity to muff ball after ball at the hot corner, he had developed a reputation around the league as a liability on defense. Faced with a decision, the A’s decided to tender a contract to Kouz instead of Encarnacion, and the rest is history. After failing to hit in Oakland, Kouzmanoff found himself languishing in Sacramento the following season before a trade brought him to Colorado in August. Encarnacion was reborn in Toronto as a designated hitter/first baseman and now free from the shackles of defense, emerged as middle of the order threat over the past two seasons. In 2012 Encarnacion finished eleventh in the MVP voting after clubbing 42 home runs, driving in 110 RBI’s and posting a 4.6 WAR. Win some…you lose some.

Tyson Ross wasn't great, but relatively effective based on recent starts. Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

TURNING POINT: The top of the 6th inning was the first instance of failing to deliver a shutdown inning, Tyson Ross started the inning, but gave up a 2 out double to Brett Lawrie.  Colby Rasmus found a hole and got that run right back for Brandon Morrow and the Jays.  That seemed to take the wind out of the Athletics’ sails, and foreshadowed how this game would ultimately play out.

ON THE HILL:  Tyson Ross had simply gotten shelled in his previous two outings, giving up a combined 16 ER, so 3 in 5.2 innings doesn’t seem too bad.  It wasn’t a quality start, but we have to take it as an encouraging sign especially considering he has been tweaking his delivery recently.  Pedro Figueroa allowed the first run of his career in the form of a no doubt solo homer to J.P. Arencibia in the 7th inning, which made the game 4-1 at the time.  His fastball was consistently at 95-96 MPH, so the A’s have to be encouraged with the life in his fastball after Tommy John surgery.  Jerry Blevins, well he’s been known to be long ball prone, and Edwin Encarnacion reminded him of that in the 8th inning to account for the second failed shutdown inning after Reddick’s RBI single.  Jim Miller closed out the Athletics side of things on the mound with what amounted to mop up duty the way they were hitting today.

AT THE PLATE:  The A’s hitters fanned a combined 14 times against Blue Jays pitching today, safe to say they weren’t seeing the ball well.  The lone bright spot for this writer was the continued production from Jonny Gomes, and the fact that he won a crucial battle of the players from the 707 area code against Brandon Morrow.  It’s been well documented that Gomes graduated from the same high school I attended (Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, CA), so I am admittedly biased.  Jemile Weeks continued to inch toward the Mendoza line, going 2-5 and raising his AVG to .197.  The much discussed Baric Da… I mean Daric Barton also inched toward the Mendoza line, but not in a positive way, his AVG is down to .203.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  The A’s win streak stalls at 3, but they must be satisfied with a 2 game split with the Jays.  The potential powerhouse Detroit Tigers come to town for a 4 game series (I will be in attendance on Friday, will report impressions from the Coliseum that night), this will be a big test for this young A’s team. The series kicks off tomorrow night with the enigmatic, multi eye colored Max Scherzer (1-3, 6.32 ERA) taking on Bartolo Colon (3-2, 2.83 ERA) in a game that could be either an intriguing pitcher’s duel, or a total slugfest.  Hopefully it’s the former because I doubt the A’s would have a chance in the latter.  Hopefully Yoenis Cespedes will be available after taking some swings Thursday, perhaps in time for Friday’s game.  Brandon McCarthy is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow as well, the results of which will dictate whether he can possibly start Saturday, if it doesn’t go well one can assume he’ll see some time on the DL.  Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that the dreaded injury bug isn’t about to bite the A’s too hard, and we can have a good showing against one of the AL’s best teams.

Check me out on Twitter @SeanD25, see my take on everything else baseball at Baseball Obsessed, and follow everything Swingin’ A’s @FS_SwinginAs.

Taking his time. 3B Adrian Beltre is being pursued by the A's, but still wants to stay in Boston. (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

Okay, the A’s missed out on Adam Dunn’s services, but the team has enough time left to really address their offensive woes. The team non-tendered DH Jack Cust, OF Travis Buck, and 3B Edwin Encarnacion yesterday according to multiple reports, including the A’s official team site.

With Cust out of the picture, the A’s must feel very confident that they’ll be able to sign free agent Lance Berkman. Berkman is definitely no Adam Dunn, but the team is definitely interested in his services. I’m still a bit skeptical of how much Berkman has left in the tank, and how much he can contribute to the A’s, especially after hitting just .248 this year in 122 games.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the A’s are very serious contenders to land Berkman and are “targeting him enthusiastically,” but have yet to discuss salary with the slugger.

The latest on free agent 3B Adrian Beltre might be a little discouraging for some A’s fans. According to the Boston Globe (also reported by ESPN), the third-baseman is interested in returning to Boston. Beltre, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, had a fantastic season this year hitting .321/.365/.553 with 28 HR and 102 RBIs with the Red Sox.

Beltre was quoted as saying that he “liked the atmosphere” in Boston, and liked the fact that the stadium was packed most nights. The A’s attendance, however, was the second-lowest in baseball this year. Despite reports that the A’s were close to signing Beltre, the slugger may be taking his time before deciding to agree to a contract. (more…)