Cespedes and Spiderman have brought the bash back to Oakland. (Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE)

Over the last 3 1/2 weeks everything has been going fantasically for the Oakland Athletics.  The team is hitting, pitching, fielding and doing every little thing it takes to win games.  Certainly luck plays its part, the little bloop falls in for a single, the line drive down the line catches chalk for a double, the umpire gets some dirt in his eye and misses a critical tag out at home to give your team the lead.  So while the A’s have caught fire and taken the baseball world by storm, we all knew it couldn’t last forever.

The A’s were trying to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays this morning/afternoon and many of those things that went the A’s way simply didn’t do so today.  But the Jays simply outplayed the A’s today, and that’s really okay.  Sure Tommy Milone wasn’t at his best, and did make a critical error on a squeeze play that cost the A’s the lead for good, but the A’s have played such a terrific brand of baseball during the month of July its hard to get upset about that.  The Jays got a little bit of revenge for last night’s rout with their 10-4 win that salvaged the final game of the series, but the A’s still find themselves riding a huge wave of momentum that has taken them into contention.

The 15-3 month of July has turned the A’s from almost certain sellers to actively persuing the trade market for the right pieces to add for a potential playoff push.  With the big fish off the market with the Hanley Ramirez trade a couple days ago, many assumed the A’s would turn their attention to either Yunel Escobar of the Blue Jays or Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies for some shortstop help.  At this point both of those acquisitions seem like extreme longshots, for two very different reasons.  According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Yunel Escobar simply doesn’t want to be traded from Toronto and Jerry Crasnick of ESPN stated that it appeared the A’s interest in Escobar was lukewarm as questions about his character have come up.  Jimmy Rollins, a longshot to begin with considering the financial situation doesn’t appear to be interested in taking his talents home to Oakland according to Slusser, and they don’t really know why.

So perhaps lesser names like former Athletic Marco Scutaro might pop up in trade rumors in the coming days.  That would probably be a welcome sight for most of the Athletics faithful.  At this point it’s hard to imagine Billy Beane completely standing pat at this deadline.

The A’s continue their road trip in Baltimore where they were swept earlier this season.  Jarrod Parker (7-4, 3.00 ERA) will start for the A’s coming off perhaps his most impressive start of the season last Saturday against the Yankees, he’ll face off against Zach Britton (1-0, 3.60 ERA).  The A’s will face their 4th lefty in a row, and hopefully they can recapture the offense they displayed on Wednesday to get back on a winning track in Baltimore.

Jul. 8, 2008; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane before the game against the Seattle Mariners at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The season is young, but A’s general manager Billy Beane could be sitting in his office thinking of ways to continue his latest rebuild. The A’s are not in a position to compete for a playoff spot this season and the team could opt to continue with their plans to go “young” at some point during the year. Trading some of their more established players like veteran pitchers Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour could, once the team hits bottom, be an option for Beane and the A’s.

At 9-10, the A’s are trailing behind the power-house Texas Rangers by 5.5 games and are expected to fall completely out of the division picture sooner or later. Oakland has gotten plenty of pitching so far this year, but the offense has yet to impress. In fact, it has been a recurring theme in Oakland; the A’s often boast strong pitching talent only to find themselves done in by their own offensive deficiencies.

In his latest post, our very own Staff Writer Jason Leary ponders who the A’s will eventually ship off to another city this season. Jason makes the case for several players including guys like Brandon McCarthy, Colon, and Coco Crisp. His strongest case, though, remains Grant Balfour. The question of who Beane will trade isn’t important, but rather when he’ll decide to start trading his more valuable players.

Balfour, who recorded his 5th save of the season in Tuesday’s win over the visiting White Sox, remains the most likely trade candidate for Beane and the A’s. He’s about the best reliever who you could potentially trade for right now. While the A’s have not openly suggested their shopping any of their players, it would be hard to believe the A’s would not listen in on deals involving a guy like Balfour.

We all know how much Beane loves a good deal, right? If the price is right, then anything is possible. The only person safe from the trade market, or so I would believe, is 2B Jemile Weeks. Balfour, though? Nope. He’ll definitely become a hot commodity if he continues his strong performance.

In 10 appearances so far for Balfour, he’s recorded 5 saves along with a nifty 0.82 ERA over 11.0 innings of work. He’s also recorded 7 strikeouts to two walks. Last year, Balfour made 62 appearances and recorded a 2.47 ERA. At this point, the Aussie reliever could find himself in new colors by the trade deadline this year.

The A’s in return, then, would find themselves getting even younger. For a team like the A’s, parting ways with established veterans in order to get younger, inexpensive prospects is just the way of life.

The A’s are not in a position to hold onto guys like Balfour and Colon, who are both performing at exceedingly high rates. They are inclined, at some point or another, to ship them off elsewhere in order to continue the rebuilding efforts. Holding onto guys beyond their highest value, in my mind anyway, would be a crucial mistake for Beane and the A’s.

Timing, Mr. Beane, is everything.

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Jul. 8, 2008; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane before the game against the Seattle Mariners at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The A’s will certainly not enter spring as contenders for the American League West crown, but rather as a young team looking to surprise a few people. Oakland’s front office, beginning with Lew Wolff and the ownership partners, has signaled to the team’s shrinking fan base that the team has no intentions capturing the division’s top spot. Still, the team, as I’ve already suggested, is aiming to remain at least somewhat competitive and watchable.

The team dismantled their starting rotation this offseason, beginning with the trade that sent Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for a slew of prospects. Billy Beane and the rest of his brain-trust followed up the Cahill deal by sending their 2011 All-Star, Gio Gonzalez, to the Washington Nationals for even more prospects.

The two trades serve as a painful reminder that the Athletics are far from being a playoff ready franchise. It also reminds the fans of Oakland that the team has no future in Oakland. These deals, along with the decision to trade young closer Andrew Bailey to the Boston Red Sox, while discouraging to the average fan at first glance, may prove to be extremely rewarding in a few years from now.

These deals are also figured to help ensure the A’s watchability this year, too. The A’s made out pretty well in a few of the deals mentioned above and the prospects acquired in the Cahill, Gonzalez, and Bailey trades have helped replenish what was considered a very thin and dried-up Oakland farm-system.

Oakland also dealt Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman to the Colorado Rockies in an attempt to upgrade their feeble offensive attack. The A’s acquired outfielder Seth Smith in the deal, who will get his shot at everyday playing time in Oakland’s crowded, yet wide open outfield this year.

The A’s also acquired veteran pitcher and former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon this offseason. Colon, who is coming off a 8-10 season with the New York Yankees, will likely serve as a solid veteran presence in Oakland’s young rotation this year.

Oakland also made a recent splash with the signing of Cuban star outfielder, Yoenis Cespedes. The A’s signed the power-hitting outfielder to a four-year, $36 million deal. The deal took many people by surprise, but the A’s fans that are still looking forward to the 2012 season have even more incentive to make it out to the Coliseum this year. (more…)