A's placed the winning bid for Hisashi Iwakuma

It seems that the Oakland A’s are the team with the winning bid for Hisashi Iwakuma. According to reports, including Ken Rosenthal‘s over on FOXSports.com, the Athletics have won the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. The A’s have 30 days (from Nov.8) to come to terms with Iwakuma, and draw out a contract with Iwakuma.

Iwakuma, 29, is seen throughout baseball as a good MLB pitching prospect, and that bodes well for Oakland. In 209 innings of work this year for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Iwakuma posted a 2.82 ERA while also putting up a 6.9 K/9 rate.

At 29, Iwakuma posses the make-up of good fastball/slider/forkball right-handed pitcher, and according to Patrick Newman of FanGraphs.com, Iwakuma is certainly a player most wouldn’t mind having on their team. Newman calls Iwakuma, “the second best MLB pitching prospect currently active in the NPB.” According to Newman, Iwakuma posses a good fastball in the 95 mph range, but will often work around the 90-91 mph range. While Newman also points out that Iwakuma’s repertoire of pitches are nothing outstanding or extraordinary, he does note that Iwakuma posses great command of all his pitches.

If the A’s do in fact reach a deal with Iwakuma, it would mean added depth to their already strong rotation. The A’s led the American League in ERA (3.56) and also led baseball in quality starts (103) this season. Adding Iwakuma to a rotation that includes starters Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden would put Oakland in a very, very good place for next year.

It’s also thought that the A’s are adding Iwakuma for the sole purpose of using him as trade bait as they try to address their offensive needs this winter. The A’s ranked28th in home runs this season, and while the team did improve to a .500 record this season, the team really needs to address their issues on offense if they are to gain ground next season in the AL West.

The A’s have plenty of arms that they could deal, and adding Iwakuma could make the team even more flexible with trades. Among the leading candidates that the A’s could deal is Vin Mazzaro, who started 18 games this year for Oakland, and compiled a 6-8 record while posting a 4.27 ERA in 122.1 innings. Mazzaro, 24, is still a very bright young player, with some upside, but with Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez emerging as future stars, Oakland would probably be more willing to part with Mazzaro in their search for some offense.

Free agency has not been kind to Oakland in their attempts to persuade players to play in Oakland’s ghostly Coliseum, but with Iwakuma, some of the stress of searching the free agent market for some much needed offense is relieved in a way. The A’s—if they add Iwakuma—will have plenty of depth in pitching, and could pull off a trade to acquire an impact hitter.

Either way you look at this, the A’s are starting off the winter in a very aggressive manner. This is just the beginning, but what a way to start the offseason, don’t you think?

SUPER! The A's learned that Travis Buck and Brad Ziegler have earned "Super Two" status. (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

With the World Series finally over, expect the MLB Hot Stove to quickly heat up. The Oakland A’s, who are expected to have a little more financial flexibility this offseason, could make some noise this winter by adding a bat or two. The A’s will have at least $20 million to play with this winter, and have plenty of minor league talent to put together a package deal for a proven slugger. While it’s a stretch to say that the A’s will have a chance to sign multi-talented OF Carl Crawford, baseball is a funny thing, so anything can happen. Just don’t count on Crawford joining the A’s anytime soon. One thing is for certain, however, and that’s that the A’s are in dire need of power in their lineup.

As reported by Jane Lee of MLB.com, the A’s recently learned that OF Travis Buck and RP Brad Zielger have been named as “Super Two’s.” Essentially, this means that both Buck and Ziegler are now qualified for salary arbitration this offseason. The status of “Super Two” will likely mean a big jump in salary for both players, but the A’s will probably non-tender Buck for sure now after hearing this news. Buck, who was a big part of an A’s team back in 2008, simply has not been able to stay healthy in his career. The A’s and Buck are likely to go their separate ways this offseason, after Buck hit just .167/.255/.286 with a homer and two RBIs in just 14 games this year.

Ziegler, however, will likely see a considerable jump in pay this winter. Ziegler made $410,000 this season, but given his “Super Two” status, he’ll probably be rewarded with a higher salary. In 64 appearances this season for Oakland, Ziegler logged 60.2 innings of work while maintaining a 3.26 ERA. Ziegler is a big part of the A’s strong bullpen, so it’s expected that the A’s will keep Ziegler around for next season. Just don’t expect Buck to be back. (More after the jump…)

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Chavez's playing days in Oakland are over. The A's announced that they will not be picking up his option for 2011. The A's will, however, pick up options on Crisp and Ellis. (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

The Oakland A’s announced on Wednesday that they are picking up the options on OF Coco Crisp and 2B Mark Ellis for the 2011 season. Meanwhile, the A’s declined DH Eric Chavez‘s $12.5 option, and instead bought him out for $3 million. The A’s were expected to pick up Crisp’s option, but Ellis’ future with the club was ‘iffy’ leading up to today’s announcement.

Ellis, 33, is the oldest member on the A’s team, but he did have a solid season this year, hitting .291/.358/.381 with 5 homers and 49 RBIs in 124 games. Ellis had an amazing run down the stretch, which included a month of September where he hit a scorching .413/.465/.519 with a homer and 11 RBIs in 104 at-bats. The A’s picked up Ellis’ option, which was worth $6 million. Ellis now becomes Oakland’s current longest-tenured player, now that Chavez is a free agent.

Crisp, while injured for a large chunk of the season, still provided some offensive production when he was healthy. In 75 games this year with Oakland, Crisp, 31, hit .279/.342/.438 with 8 home runs and 38 RBIs. The 8 home runs were the most Crisp has hit since 2006, where he also tallied 8 homers for Boston in 105 games. The A’s picked up the veteran’s $5.75 million option with the hope that he’ll return this upcoming season healthy and ready to contribute on offense. Crisp is currently recovering from a finger injury that sidelined him for most of September.

Ellis and Crisp, while both seasoned veterans, are expected to provide veteran leadership and expertise in their respective positions. Ellis’ defense has always been solid, as has Crisp’s over his career. The A’s are going to win with their strong pitching and defense, and both Ellis and Crisp can certainly contribute on defense.

The A’s, as expected, declined to pick up Chavez’s $12.5 million option for 2011. Chavez, 33, ranks in the top-10 in nearly every offensive category in A’s history, and while he was limited these past few seasons, Chavez did everything he could for the organization. Chavez won six-consecutive Gold Glove awards at third base from 2001-2006, and played extremely well when he was healthy. A neck injury, however, ultimately put an end to his final season with the A’s, and the A’s decision to decline Chavez’s option means that Chavy is now a free agent. While Chavez has yet to announce his retirement from baseball, it is expected that his playing days are over. He’s played in a total of just 64 games since the start of the 2008 season. In his career, Chavez has hit a respectable .267/.343/.478 with 230 homers and 787 RBIs.