“They traded all those guys for me?” Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Brewers also announced that they had acquired minor league third baseman Stephen Parker from the Athletics in exchange for a minor league pitcher Darren Byrd.  Parker is 25 years old, and Byrd is 26 so this qualifies as the ultimate minor league organizational player swap.

Once upon a time though the trade of these two players would have been a much bigger deal.  Krol and Parker were once thought to be a significant part of the Athletics future.  Parker was supposed to be the third baseman of the future after hitting .296/.392/.508 with 21 home runs and 98 RBI in 139 games for the Stockton Ports in 2010.  The consistency and power that Parker showed in the hitter friendly California League was never duplicated as he ascended to the higher minor league levels.  Now time has simply run out for him.

Krol has had an interesting run through the A’s minor league system as well, but not just for reasons on the field.  In July of 2011 Krol was suspended indefinitely by the Athletics for an offensive tweet that included a gay slur.  From that moment on, I was not a fan of Ian Krol, and I no longer would root for his success.  It’s one thing for a player to maybe have a bad attitude, be extremely arrogant, or maybe not even be cordial with the fans, but stuff like that is inexcusable.  I like to support the players on the team I support, but he crossed the line and would never be seen in the same light again.

It’s a shame because it did appear at one point that Krol had some talent that could translate to the major leagues, but his questionable character and injuries may have permanently derailed this train.  Krol does have time on his side, considering the fact that he’s still just 21 years old (Turns 22 in May).  If he does make a productive career for himself at some point, hopefully he will use his notoriety to help some equal rights causes, or else his career will always have the dark cloud of intolerance hovering above.

For Stephen Parker, it’s a questions of what could have been.  For Ian Krol, it doesn’t matter, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Apr 17, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

With the A’s returning home fresh off a triumphant series win in Anaheim against the Angels, The issues of Josh Donaldson‘s offensive and defensive struggles have stood out like a sore thumb throughout the early season. While the A’s have had luck in the past converting former catchers to a corner position (Scott Hatteberg, anyone?), Donaldson has thus far struggled to establish himself as a consistent player on either front. The question is obvious, if Donaldson can’t handle third do the A’s need to bring in major league ready depth from outside the organization at the position to replace him?

The left side of the A’s infield was very much thrown for a loop early in Spring Training when Scott Sizemore suffered a season ending knee injury. Choosing to fill the gap internally, the A’s anointed Donaldson their starter over Eric Sogard whom they prefer to keep as utility player, and Wes Timmons who finds himself back in the familiar confines of Sacramento. Fast forward two weeks into the season and Donaldson has defensively shown flashes of promise, but too often the obvious growing pains of learning on the fly have revealed themselves through routine throwing errors and difficulty charging bunts. With the A’s being amongst the lowest scoring teams in the league, it is absolutely paramount that they play competent defense to compete and so far Donaldson is very much a work in progress. Offensively, he has shown a tendency to be over matched and a propensity to strike out. While he may possess the power and hitting ability to last in the Majors, he has not made the necessary adjustments and has put up horribly redundant slash line of .094/.094/.094  failing to draw a single walk or record an extra base hit.  While it may be too early to deem Donaldson a failure, a “Plan B” may be needed if his troubles continue. With minor league prospect Steven Parker entrenched in his first extended look at AAA, and Timmons struggling in his own right, perhaps Billy Beane will look elsewhere for help. Let’s take a gander at a couple of players recently exposed to the waiver wire and see if they are worth taking a chance on.

Josh Bell is a 25 year old third basemen who was designated for assignment this week by the Baltimore Orioles and now finds his career at the crossroads. A former hot prospect in the Dodgers organization, Bell was acquired by Baltimore at the trade deadline in 2009 for George Sherrill. Making his debut for the Orioles a year later, the switch hitter has failed to impress in two stints in the big leagues.

Mar 5, 2012; Port Charlotte, FL, . Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Hitting a flat .200 with minimal walks and power in 79 big league games, Bell has failed to develop as a major leaguer. While his 6’3”, 235 pound frame is impressive, his defensive range has suffered since knee surgery to repair cartilage damage in 2008. Flashing power from the left side he hit 19 homers in AAA last year, but struggled mightily from the right side in the majors. Combine this with alleged makeup issues stemming from him being amongst the last to check in for Spring Training this past February quickly put him in the doghouse and leading to his eventual dismissal from the organization. Is he worth taking a flyer on? Will a change of scenery revive his once projected potent hitting ability?  That remains to be seen, but when a former heralded prospect is put on the open market it never hurts to take a look.

Luke Hughes is a 27 year old Australian native who has spent much of the last season filling in at various infield positions for Ron Gardenhire’s Twins. While bouncing back and forth between Rochester and Minnesota , The Twins exhausted his number of player options and designated him for assignment this week to make room for pitcher Jason Marquis. While injuries have derailed many of his minor league seasons, he did put up his best numbers in 2008 hitting 18 homers between AA and AAA with a decent slash line of .309/ .389/ .524.

Apr 13, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

Very much a free swinger. Hughes has the distinction of homering in his first Major League at bat in 2010 for the Twins. Hitting a paltry .223 last season, his value at this point basically lies in his versatility. Using his athleticism to fill in for extended periods at first, second, and third base he made only 5 errors combined in 96 games. While he may more comparable to Pete Orr then Pete Rose, he appears to be the type of player that won’t hurt you when you pencil his name into the lineup.

While neither player is anything to get overly excited about, they may still be an upgrade over Donaldson at this point due to their experience at the hot corner.  With the third base position in flux, help may be needed sooner or later.

Where have you gone Eric Chavez? The Athletics Nation turns their lonely eyes to you…

Devin Pangaro can be found ranting and raving about all things green and gold on twitter @devinpangaro, and please follow my fellow Swingin’ A’s scribes @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook

September 5, 2011; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore (29) hits a three-run home run during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The injury bug did not waste anytime this year getting to the Athletics. Just into the beginning of the first full team workout these tweet from Sussan Slusser, and eventually others, started to flow;

Sizemore apparently might have hurt his knee. #Athletics

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) February 25, 2012

An onlooker says that there was an audible pop when Scott Sizemore hurt knee during fielding drill. #Athletics

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) February 25, 2012

 That certainly is not the news any teams wants to hear about their starting third basemen and one of their biggest offensive producers. Certainly not something the Athletics want to hear, seeing as their situation at third base is about as stable as a house of cards in a hurricane. Personally, I hope and pray that it is nothing serious, but do keep in mind that even a minor sprain is still a tear to some extent. So, where do the A’s go from here? What possible stop gaps are there if it is indeed a very serious injury?

There are a few options. Some good. Some bad. Some so atrocious I wouldn’t wish it upon the Astros. The possible fill-ins at third are Sogard, Stephen Parker, Rosales, Donaldson, Barton, Timmons, and…..Chris Carter.

Two of those, Barton and Carter, we can toss out of the mix instantly. Carter, mainly because his role for the organization is either first base or designated hitter. He has played 80+ games at third in the minors, but his defense there was so bad it made Brooks Conrad look like Brooks Robinson.  With question about Barton and his ability to throw the ball right now, there is no way he would be available at the start of the season to play third, a position he as well had time at in the minors. And there is still the whole question about his bat, which on a team that is already offensively depressed, does not help his case.

Now we have the be-speckled wünderboy , Eric Sogard. Sogard did see 70.0 innings of play at third and put up .8 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR). As for his bat, it is not the greatest. Although he showed a relatively decent approach at the plate in the minors, drawing walks no less than 10 percent of the time, he had holes in his swing and that was exploited in his 27 games with the big club, and certainly something that can cause him problems the more time he sees in the big-leagues. He did have an unsustainable, in a good way, .218 batting average on balls in play (BABIP). For reference, the average MLB BABIP (so many letters!) is close to .300. That is something that will certainly see an  uptick with more at-bats and should raise his anemic .200 batting average.

Then there is career utility man, Adam Rosales. As far as the defense, Rosales offers us the most information as to his ability. In 2009, his last season with the Reds, he amassed 419 innings and put up his second best UZR, a paltry -1.0. For his career he is a -3.9 UZR in just under 540 innings. Not really the greatest, but in the short-term could easily hold down the position without causing too many, if any, problems. Unlike Sogard, who for all the strikeouts will walk some, Rosales just strikes out. For his career he has never struck out less than 12% and has gone as high as 21.9%. And that is pretty much all he brings to the table. He had his best batting average in 2010, but that was also accompanied by his best BABIP (.271/.335) in 80 games.

The newest member of this whole merry-go-round is Josh Donaldson. Donaldson was apparently told to “put away the catching equipment.” Donaldson, once considered one of the heir apparents to the catching throne, started playing some third base during winter ball. How convenient. We have no real defensive numbers on him, but he offers probably the most interesting offensive option. He, like those that came before him, strikes out a ton, to the tune of 14-20% of the time. But it is his 35 AAA home runs the last two years is what has people thinking he could be the most major league ready. For what it is worth, his BABIP’s have never been extremely inflated compared to his batting average.

Stephen Parker is also an option, but having not seen significant time above AAA, I think he can be crossed off as well.

This brings us to probably the most contested, interesting, and possible option; Wes Timmons. A career minor-leaguer, Timmons has been all over the place. When it comes to his offensive numbers, I want to take a look at his time spent in Richmond, a stadium that is going to play much like the Coliseum in Oakland. He spent his aged 27-, 28-, and 29-year old seasons in Richmond, blocked by Chipper Jones and already on the wrong side of the age curve. Of those three years he only played 100+ games once. That leaves questions as to his ability to stay healthy. Not a guy known for power, just 12 total those three years, his best batting average was .280. Not something I would personally like to see from a light-hitting third basemen. But he offers something the other options do not, great plate discipline and the ability to draw walks. He will walk between 13-15% of the time while striking out less than6% of the time. And the last two seasons have seen him put up back-to-back batting averages of .365 and .316. His defense leaves something to be desired though. For his career at third,where he has seen a majority of this playing time, he has committed 70 errors.

There has been some question/uproar in reference to the A’s letting Adrian Cardenas go. My answer to that is this; if the A’s really wanted to keep Cardenas around, they would have given him the chance. Again, as I mentioned earlier about a team that is already offensively depressed, they just can not let bats walk. It comes down to the fact that Cardenas, although a decent bat, had no defensive home and therefore, was simply not of any help to the team. Also, a trade would be foolish to make at this time. I understand the Athletics have a large number of expendable outfielders and first basemen. However, on a team that is already not going anywhere, trading to fill a gap that could adequately be filled from the inside is not sound.

So, now what? What should the A’s do? If the injury is severe enough that causes Sizemore to be placed on the 60-day DL, that will open a roster spot that I think should be filled with Timmons. This gives you the opportunity to keep Rosales available for utility work in the outfield, where I feel it is best for him to be. This also allows you the flexibility to platoon Timmons and Sogard, allowing each to get plenty of plate appearances. The wonderful thing about this whole situation, if there can be a silver lining, is that is happened on the first day of Spring Training. Assuming again that it is not a season ending injury, Sizemore conceivably be back near- or post-All-Star break. That allows you ample time to evaluate all options and still get Sizemore ~300 at-bats.

What are you thoughts? Feel free to add them in the comments section below, I would love to hear what others think.

David can be found on Twitter espousing his love for all things baseball at @oakfaninva. Follow @FS_SwinginAs for more Athletics news, information, and rumors. You can also find The Swingin’ A’s on Facebook! If you like podcasts, consider checking out the Athletics podcast that David hosts, Tarp Talk.

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