Show Me The Money: The A's are putting their spending on hold until a stadium decision is made (Photo Credit: www.jimvesting.com)

The title above shouldn’t surprise anyone. The A’s head into the offseason with some serious, and I mean serious, questions regarding the team’s spending on free agents this winter. A’s fans shouldn’t expect a repeat of last winter, where the A’s went all crazy and made several attempts at landing 3B Adrian Beltre. Spending money, so it seems, is not on Oakland’s agenda this winter.

General manager Billy Beane and team co-owner Lew Wolff will be busy waiting around for a decision from MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig regarding the team’s request to build a stadium in San Jose. No one is holding their breath, though. Beane and Wolff have been waiting nearly three years for a decision that, in mind, won’t benefit the A’s organization. I just don’t see MLB or Selig being gutsy enough to allow the A’s into San Jose, which falls within San Francisco’s “territorial” rights.

All of this waiting, as most of you can probably imagine, is not doing Beane or the rest of the A’s front office any good. The longer the A’s sit around and wait for a decision that’s never going to come, the more and more they fall behind the rest of the teams actually taking part in this year’s free agent market. Oakland have not made any offers to its five free agents, and now guys like Josh Willingham and Coco Crisp are free to chat with other teams.

The A’s simply took a “pass” on their five free agents, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle so eloquently puts it in a recent article about team’s failure to offer contract extensions. In the article, Slusser notes that the A’s missed out on their window of exclusivity with their five free agents and that it now appears highly unlikely that Willingham and Crisp will return to the team next year. (more…)

Selling Point: A's GM Billy Beane will have to decide whether to sell at the deadline or not...(Photo Credit: BayAreaSportsGuy.com)

After dropping their ninth straight game, the Oakland Athletics sit in last-place in the American League West at 27-36. Injuries have been hitting the team like bombshells this season, and things are not looking too good for the green-and-gold. Hope surrounded the team in spring training, but with the recent struggles, only frustration seems to fill the clubhouse.

But even at this low point for the team, SF Chronicle writer Susan Slusser doesn’t believe that GM Billy Beane will necessarily turn the team into immediate sellers. While she does say that OF Josh Willingham‘s name is likely swirling around as a possible trade target, she doesn’t think that Beane will give up on the team this early in the season.

Injuries have derailed an A’s team that entered the season with higher expectation than in previous years, and the team has already used the disabled-list nine times this year. Oakland’s rotation has taken the biggest hit this year, as the team recently lost starter Brett Anderson to the 15-day DL. Anderson, 23, battled injury problems last season, but entered this year seemingly healthy.

He joins a DL that already includes fellow starters Dallas Braden, Tyson Ross, Brandon McCarthy, and Rich Harden. Braden, who threw a perfect game last year on Mother’s Day, is out for the season. Ross and McCarthy are still at least a month or so away from joining the team. Harden, meanwhile, is making some progress towards returning to the team. He’s been sidelined all year due to a muscle strain under his right arm. The flame-thrower has had his share with injury problems, but when he’s healthy, he’s got electric stuff.  (more…)

A’s fans should be stoked about seeing Hideki Matsui in green-and-gold, and about the added pitching depth that really puts the rotation and bullpen over the top.

Another name A’s fans should be excited about is Rich Harden, who returns to Oakland since being traded in 2008 to Chicago Cubs. Harden has had his share of injuries, but at 29, he’s still young enough to make a serious impact in either the A’s rotation or the bullpen.

Offensively, the A’s are still do not possess a very intimidating lineup, but they are improved. Adding Matsui helps, but adding guys like David DeJesus and Josh Willingham makes the A’s lineup a little more formidable.

That in itself should be exciting enough. (more…)