Headed To Arizona: The A's sent Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks on Friday (Photo Credit: AP)

The stage has been set, A’s fans. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the A’s are building for the future, with the team paving the way for yet another massive overhaul as seen with Friday’s trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Oakland sent their 2010 All-Star Trevor Cahill along with reliever Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks in exchange for prized pitching prospect Jarrod Parker, righty Ryan Cook, and outfield Colin Cowgill on Friday. Oakland GM Billy Beane, who started a massive overhaul back in 2007, is seemingly interested in making his team younger than it already is.

Cahill, mind you, is only 23 years old. He was supposed to be one the future faces of this Oakland rotation, but that is no longer the case. With Cahill, who went 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA this year, now gone, it’s probably safe to assume that Beane will only continue to tear apart his pitching foundation as he seeks to replenish his farm-system via trade.

Oakland, with what I will call the Cahill-deal, gets a few solid players from Arizona. The biggest piece to the puzzle, though, remains pitching prospect Jarrod Parker.

Parker, the same age as Cahill, was regarded as being one of Arizona’s top prospects. He’s also considered to be on the cusp of major-league ready status. Parker, in addition to Cook and Cowgill, figures to help the A’s reach playoff contention status in the next few years. (more…)

Is Lance Berkman on the A's radar? (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

It’s holiday season! The Oakland A’s, who finished behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West with an 81-81 record, should be relatively busy this holiday season as they try to upgrade their offense.

This season, the A’s ranked 23rd in runs (663), 17th in average (.256), 16th in OBP (.324), 26th in SLG (.378), and 21st in OPS (.702). The team hit 109 home runs (28th), and had just one player with more than 15 home runs. 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff had 16 for the year. The A’s offensively, did not pack much of a punch.

It goes without saying then, that the A’s have a lot of shopping to do this winter. Now, the A’s could address their offensive woes through trade as well, but remember they’ve got a little money to spend this winter. It would be a shame to let money go to waste.

The A’s made headlines when they won the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher, Hisashi Iwakuma for a hefty price of about $18-19 million. Pitching should be a strength for the A’s next season, but adding a pitcher like Iwakuma could really solidify an already solid starting rotation.

Unfortunately, however, the A’s and Iwakuma are currently at odds with each other. The A’s reportedly offered Iwakuma a deal worth about $15 million over four years, but Iwakuma’s agent is (reportedly) pushing for a Barry Zito-type deal, but without all those years attached to it. Zito signed with the Giants for a $126 million contract over seven years.

So for now, it seems unlikely that the A’s will be able to land Iwakuma. If so, the A’s would get their $18-19 posting fee returned, and they could use the money to address their offensive situation.

The A’s have had a relatively busy offseason thus far, but guys like OF David DeJesus and 3B Edwin Encarnacion hardly seem like impact additions that can take the team to next level. An ‘A’ for effort, Billy Beane, but there’s still much more to do.

The A’s need power. That’s obvious. How they’ll obtain it, however, is less obvious. The A’s are not on most free agents’ preferred destinations list, so it makes it a little difficult to sway a player to come to Oakland, and the almost ghostly Coliseum.

The A’s have reportedly made an attempt to try and sign free agent 3B Adrian Beltre, who was on the A’s radar last offseason. The offer of $64 million over five years have been neither confirmed nor denied. If it is true, Beltre’s agent, Scott Boras, will probably not accept it. According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, Boras claims that he’s never had this much interest in a player (talking about Beltre).

Aside from Belte, here are a few other players who could help the A’s out next season, if they should find their way to Oakland (not in any particular order):  (more…)

Are the A's trying to sign 3B Adrian Beltre? (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

According to several reports (Including ESPN&Yahoo!), the Oakland Athletics are interested in 3B Adrian Beltre. As you probably remember, the A’s lost out on Beltre last offseason despite offering him a three-year deal worth $24 million. Beltre opted to go to Boston with the Red Sox, and ended having himself a very fine season. In 154 games this season, Beltre hit .321/.365/.553 with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs.

It goes without saying that the A’s could definitely benefit from Beltre’s services. The A’s hit just 109 total home runs this year, which ranked 28th in baseball. In fact, 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff was the only member on the team that had more than 15 home runs this year (he hit 16). Catcher Kurt Suzuki ranked second on the team with 13 home runs of his own, while DH Jack Cust followed right behind him with 13 home runs as well.

The A’s have been very aggressive this offseason, and are trying to address their offensive problems. The A’s recently picked up Edwin Encarnacion, who also happens to play third. The A’s have also won the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, and also acquired OF David DeJesus via trade with the Royals. Obviously, the A’s are trying to put themselves in a position where they can contend with the Rangers next year in the AL West.

Persuading Beltre, though, could be somewhat of a challenge for GM Billy Beane. While Beltre declined his option for 2011 with Boston, I can’t picture him leaving Boston to come play in the ghostly Coliseum in Oakland. And if Beltre did opt to come to Oakland, I wonder how much that would cost Beane & Co.