(Photo Credit: David Fung, http://FUNGraphs.tumblr.com)

With the A’s set to lose a few players to free agency, GM Billy Beane and the rest of his front office brain trust have their work cut out for them this winter. Oakland is currently waiting for a decision regarding their push for a new stadium in San Jose, so the team is likely to stay away from spending tons of money in free agency to replace their loses.

It’s expected the A’s will lose outfielders Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, and Coco Crisp. Furthermore, while it seemed like a possibility given the fact that the A’s open the 2012 season in Japan, the idea of bringing DH Hideki Matsui back next year has cooled off a bit.

The A’s didn’t get much production from DeJesus or Matsui this year, but losing a guy like Willingham, who posted career highs in home runs and RBIs, is going to be a tough loss for Oakland.

According to the most recent rumors, Oakland will not pursue Willingham this offseason after offering him arbitration last week. The A’s might try to retain Crisp, though, according to a recent article by Ken Rosenthal. (more…)

Bob Geren's A's committed 7 errors during their opening series against the Mariners. (Photo Credit: Mahalo.com)

With a revamped offense and a solidified bullpen, the Oakland A’s are hoping that they can unseat the Texas Rangers in the American League West as division champs this year.

Losing their opening series against a Mariners club that is coming off 101 losses in 2010, however, is not a great way to begin the season.

Oakland committed 7 errors in the first three games of the season, and that will undoubtedly cause problems for the A’s if their poor defense ensues. Remember, this is a team that is supposed to be built around its strong starting pitching and solid defense.

The A’s did get solid performances out of starters Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez, however. Starting pitching figures to be the A’s biggest strength this year, and guys like Anderson and Gonzalez are a big reason why the team is confident about their chances this season. (more…)

How many wins will Brett Anderson get in 2011? (Photo Credit: The Recliner GM Blog)

The A’s feature some very young and talented arms in their starting rotation, and southpaw Brett Anderson is one of them.

Anderson, 23, is the future of the A’s rotation, so long as he manages to stay healthy. Last season, the lefty went 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA in just 19 starts. Two elbow injuries limited the southpaw to just 112 innings in 2010, but Oakland is confident that Anderson will enter camp fully healthy and ready to go.

Oakland awarded Anderson with a four-year extension in April last year, and the A’s are hoping that Anderson can continue to grow and develop as the staff’s ace.

Last year, fellow youngster Trevor Cahill assumed the role of ace for Oakland’s staff. Cahill went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA last year, en route to a Cy Young-worthy season.

But it’s been long known that Oakland’s best young pitcher is Anderson. Anderson possesses it all. He’s got great control of all his pitches, and he’s capable of becoming a dominant pitcher in the league.

Health, however, has been the only thing setting Anderson back. (more…)