Athletics Nation

Don't the Red Sox need him for at least the next 5 days?

I endorse this statement

Signed,
DFA

Question for you, DFA

Let’s say in the off-season the Brewers are looking to move JJ Hardy, he isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season, and the A’s want to try to trade for him. What do you think the Brewers would ask for / be able to get in return as an equitable trade? Especially if he has the extra year on his contract, I could really see Beane going after him this off-season as a 2-year solution.

Ill work something out and get back to you but I think you have to deal with a phat union grievance first

I think that that would make it hard to trade for Hardy for a while if you do keep him in the minors to get that extra year of control

I also have to figure out if Hardy can be traded as a PTBNL now because if we can get them Duke for the run now that would be ideal probably for both sides.

To be honest, at 2 games under (and 6.5 out) in mid-August,

I’m not sure the Brewers’ ship hasn’t sailed for 2009. If I were them, I’d focus on a guy like Mazzaro more than on a guy like Duchscherer. That doesn’t mean they’re thinking that way, but that’s the way I’d be looking at it.

If that's the case

Then I would hang up the phone

Helloooo 1st - August 12, 2009 reply

might as well

they hung up when the opening offer was a couple months of Duscherer.

If GMs actually "hung up the phone"

when they didn’t want to do a deal they’d be very unpopular, both with other GMs and with Miss Manners.

of course I was speaking metaphorically

I’d say GMs could also decrease their popularity by trying to rape other GMs.

"Hey Bill, can I buy you a drink?"

iglew - August 13, 2009 reply

you mean

Hey Doug,

Can I buy you a drink?

I was being faithful to

the original script.

iglew - August 13, 2009 reply

An off season deal doesn't seem like an easy fit to me.

The Brewers need established SP addressed with this move, if they are reloading, and the A’s don’t really have the chips to match up. The A’s rotation is a combination of too green for the Brewers to expect immediate results and probably of too much value to give up for two seasons of Hardy from a contract standpoint.

I could see Mazzaro for Hardy being the basis for a win-win deal

Especially if the A’s were to sign Hudson, or re-sign Duke, for 2010.

Expecting Duke to contribute in the future is just about like expecting Chavez to contribute in the future.

Well, at least Duke could theoretically always pitch out of the bullpen.

He might not like it, but it would probably lessen the chance of him getting injured again. Chavvy, on the other hand…eh, nothing.

He got injured when he was in the bullpen, too.

Yeah, but Chavez got injured even when he was on the DL.

Or more injured. Kidding, but I think that Duke is a better bet to play baseball again than Chavvy. I concede the point that I don’t know if either is ever going to be an impact player though.

The good news is that if Duke can't pitch in the rotation, fine, we bump everyone up a spot.

If he can pitch in the bullpen, then he likely replaces whoever had become the #5. If he can’t pitch at all, or is traded, it’s not the end of the world.

The whole penciling in Chavvy at 3B but not having a good replacement really hit us hard the past few years. I’m glad that it’s finally over.

Even if Chavvy is penciled in for next year (please Billy, don’t do this) at least we can move Brett Wallace up when it’s clear Chavvy can’t play. I feel much, much better about 3B now than I did a month ago.

You want Billy to do that.

Because it would give the A’s an year of Wallace if Chavez can fake it for three weeks. We are paying him anyway, might as well use it to acquire something valuable. Its a great excuse to keep him down for a while and Im not convinced hes ML ready anyway.

That does make sense, but does it have to be Chavvy?

Though, now that I think about it, a three week farewell tour might be nice for the fans.

Well if you want to just give him $11m for nothing

and it has HUGE upside in that if he returns to form he will be significantly better than Wallace while giving Wallace enough time to actually master AAA which he is certainly not doing now.

I definitely want Billy to do that

I even look at the 1% chance that Chavez will ever be a productive starting player again and hope it’s 2010.

Maybe, but I think it stinks in terms of value.

And the A’s, operating with a small payroll, need to be very careful about ‘spending’ talent that way.

Hardy, if he rebounds, would be worth around 9 wins over the 2 seasons (if the Brewers keep him in AAA). It’s possible he doesn’t, so let’s say he’ll be worth somewhere in the range of 3–5 wins per season.

Odds are good that Mazzaro is one of the A’s starting 5 if he’s here for the duration of his contract. He’s already contributed nearly 1 WAR in his partial season, so his range might be 1–3 wins per season. And while we should account for Mazzaro’s risk as a young pitcher, we also need to factor in his contract.

I probably wouldn’t trade Mazzaro for a likely net gain of 4 wins over two seasons, but I definitely wouldn’t trade him for one year of Hardy.

Has Mazzaro really been worth 1 WAR so far?

Wow. That is really surprising to me.

Believe it or not, he actually has.

Dallas Braden: 3.0 WAR
Brett Anderson: 2.4 WAR
Andrew Bailey: 1.8 WAR
Mike Wuertz: 1.5 WAR
Josh Outman: 1.0 WAR
Brad Ziegler: 1.0 WAR
Vin Mazzaro: 0.9 WAR

Really hard to believe he's been equally as valuable as Outman.

So does StatCorner use a different method to calculate WAR?

I see they have Mazzaro as 0.6 wins so far this season. Still, I don’t feel like I’m going out on a limb by projecting him to be worth ~2 wins next season despite his tRA lagging behind Anderson, Braden, Gio, and Outman.

I think so.

I used Fangraphs, who uses FIP. I’d imagine Statcorner uses tRA. Hmm, I’d probably take Statcorner’s over Fangraphs because of that.

WAR? (huh, yeah)

What is it good for?

And this quick look doesn't take into account the salary difference over the two seasons.

Mazzaro will still be making league minimum, so the excess might be in the realm of 10M overall. Not really much, but another thing to think about.

To me, the question is whether the A's would be better,

short term and long term, with Mazzaro or Hardy. Certainly in 2012 they’re better with Mazzaro, and that has to be considered. On the flip side, I’m factoring in that Mazzaro has never been projected to be a front end starter, so he’s likely going to settle somewhere between a #3 and a bust (because young pitchers often fail or get hurt), good, cheap, but tradeable if you can fill one of your biggest needs.

If the A’s signed a good middle of the rotation pitcher (I’d love to see Huddy back, personally, if he’s interested, but there will be other options through trade or FA) to supplement the core of Braden, Anderson, Cahill, Gio, and soon Simmons, Outman, and hopefully DLS, I could see where the A’s would be in better shape going forward with Hardy for 2 years even if it meant parting with Mazzaro.

Hardy isn't top knotch either.

Mazzaro is a more valuable commodity than Hardy is. That’s why Hardy is on his way back to the minors.

Hardy was worth more this year.

and is likely to be worth more in the future contract aside.

Well, we'll see.

The idea that just because someone was sent to the minors means that they aren't good is bunk

Cliff Lee and his Cy Young say HI

Of course it doesn't mean that they aren't good.

Plenty of quality players have been back and forth in the minors.

Well then saying that Hardy isn't top notch because hes being sent down isn't logical.

It wasn' the best thought out comment.

No worries happens to everybody...

I like Hardy and he has a lot of value even if hes sent down.

Even considering the lengths of their respective deals?

I like Hardy, but the length of the deal leaves me wanting… but I suppose Hardy could be spun for a Holliday-esque package if the team fails to compete. I’d just prefer to deal a player like Mazzaro (who I’m probably higher on than others) for a long term solution.

rebus - August 13, 2009 reply

No, Hardy could not be spun for a Holliday-esque package.

If he rebounds and the A's suck yes he could be

Hardy's sucked all year

Unless he’s had some kind of injury which has hurt his production, he may never be the same guy he was in 2008 and 2007. Sometimes guys simply have two year careers and then fall apart.

I might give up Simmons for Hardy, but not Mazzaro. And at this point, I might take the chance next year and start Pennington. Maybe…just maybe…the A’s did see something in Pennington that simply didn’t show up in the minors, but is coming alive this year in the majors. Maybe.

The thing is, the current rotation is pretty much the entire pipeline for a while. I don’t see the AAA starters doing anything in the majors - I mean, Simmons, Eveland and the two jokers who started in place of Braden - and I don’t see anyone coming up and being major league ready for the spring. I don’t project Outman to return at full strength til 2011.

richwol1 - August 12, 2009 reply

Hardy has been slightly better than a league average player this year so really he hasn't sucked.

His bat has been terrible, this is true. But his defense and position more than make up for it.

He hasn't appeared to take his hitting woes into the field with him

6 errors in 101 games, exceptional for a SS. Is his range same as usual, or has it been better or worse?

Well his UZR has him at +8.7 FRAA already and has a UZR/150 of over 10

so hes contributing a “win” or 10 runs to the team defensively even if his bat is atrocious, it has to be more than 15-17 runs below average for him to be less than an average MLer.

To me, he'd be a "holy grail" type buy-low pickup

Talk about fitting the A’s needs. If he’s available for 2 years, he’s worth a lot.

Hardy might be worth it

but I hope you all factor in that he plays in the AAAA (NL) as far as his hitting goes.

Good defense though.

Trainman - August 13, 2009 reply

But presumably the defensive plays in Quad-A are just as tough as in the AL.

So, as pointed out, he’d have to be really, really craptastic with his bat to be replacement level in the AL next year, assuming he will play D as well next year as he is this year.

speckops - August 13, 2009 reply

some AL teams

seem like they’re kind of quad A.

Ryan Sweeney, James Simmons, Dana Eveland

Thats my offer, I don’t think it is half bad and it assumes only one year of control for Hardy. Otherwise Eveland might be upgraded for Tyson Ross.

I'd certainly do that from the A's POV, if offered

But I’m known not to be too bullish on the Sweenmeister.

The Brewers need a starting CFer next year and pitching.

Hairston for Hardy + might work out too.

That might actually suit the A's better,

in that they’re thinking a lot about 2012-14 and Sweeney could be a part of that while Hairston likely won’t.

seems fair to me.

Can Dana Eveland be traded for anything of significant value?

Simmons? Is he different than the guys pitching in AAA now? I could see Sweeney being part of a package, but yeah, that’s pretty bad. The Eveland thing mystifies me given that Melvin probably knows him as well as anyone. I’ve heard the theory that the reason he could cut it with the Athletics was the better pitcher development. Maybe its true, but I sure wouldn’t assume it.

Is there a Nomar bobblehead day coming up?

If so the A’s will probably cut him about a week before it happens.

sirbed - August 12, 2009 reply

Only two bobbles this year.

Duke was earlier this year and coming up is Giambi.

I hope they go back to four next year. Davis, Ziegler and two of our young starters would be great.

It should be Braden and the MAC if they do four

put the face of your franchise on your bobbleheads not some guy with a month long hot streak after sucking the rest of the year.

That would also be good.

well, they could throw a throwback bobblehead in there (or 2)

For a bobblehead lineup, I’d like:

Anderson
Rickey
Eck or Stew
Braden

2 HOFers and 2 up and comers. Me likey

Kallus - August 13, 2009 reply

They've done an Eck bobble, back in '04.

I don’t think they’ve done a Stew bobble, or a Rickey bobble. One or both of those would be great.

BTW, here’s my sources: Bobblebums.com

LoneStranger - August 14, 2009 reply

+1

Belinelli's the savior - August 12, 2009 reply

Hey what about Mt. Davis

The should open up those seats for the Rajai fanatics

Or at the very least rename it Mt. Raj

Jackson23 - August 13, 2009 reply

Wow...

Cub fan just chucked a beer at Victorino as he caught a ball.

Douche.

That's a shane.

Hilariously bad.

For shane Nico, for shane.

that's brutal

and I’m ashamed I didn’t think of it first.

sirbed - August 12, 2009 reply

Did it hit him?

Yes

Right as he caught the ball it hit him.

Wait, they still sell beer by the bottle?

Or was it a cup?

Cup

Was it a warning track flyball?

How does one get a cup to fly that far?

Steroids.

Pfft. Did you see Bonds' arm after he bulked up?

It was really weak.

On the other hand, his head completely obscures the photograph of me getting my high school diploma. My mom couldn’t maneuver her camera in a way to make it happen—his head was/is just that big. True story.

Warning track + first row in bleachers = ??? profit?

He was understandably pissed when it happened.

So was Raul Ibanez, who saw it happen. But ten minutes later, the camera cut to Victorino in the dugout, letting another player smell the beer on his arm.

“Yup, it’s a Coors.”

Does Manuel allow alcohol in the clubhouse?

I don’t think so.

Sing along:I was out in the bleachers, sippin' on my draft beer....

I saw Victorino
And I had to spill my draft beer….

Jackson23 - August 13, 2009 reply

LOL

Rajai Davis is Rob Van Dam.

Is that Jean Claude's brother?

sirbed - August 12, 2009 reply

Maybe.

So does that mean that

Rajai is now The Whole Damn Show? :)

Only if he can perform a five-star frogsplash.

Rated-R Superstar - August 13, 2009 reply

He can do that while making the catch.

And still not spill his beer.

He'd have to do the 5*FS

Where’s he goign to find a trash can lid or steel chair to do the Van Daminator?

Sorry.

It was supposed to read:

“He’d have to do the 5*FS

Where’s he going to find a trash can lid or a steel chair to do the Van Daminator?"

Frankie Francisco?

I'd like to see Powell DH on a regular basis against righties...

but I know Geren will never do it.

TerrySteinbach - August 12, 2009 reply

I don't think that Powell is in shape to do that

travdog6 - August 12, 2009 reply

I think Powell is being handled

just about the way he should be at this point in his career. Let him get a little playing time, give him some PH opportunities, and most of all, handle him in a manner that will net the highest probability that he will be our secondary catcher next season.

alox - August 12, 2009 reply

Agreed

travdog6 - August 12, 2009 reply

I know he has bad hamstrings

but he’s not Eric Chavez, he won’t get hurt sitting in the dugout.

TerrySteinbach - August 12, 2009 reply

But he will get hurt running the bases

And possibly swinging.

Helloooo 1st - August 12, 2009 reply

Ya he's not in good shape other than that too though.

He doesn’t quite have Chavez’s talent of injurying himself in the dugout however.

travdog6 - August 13, 2009 reply

Said it once, I'll say it again:

Trade fodder. Especially with Donaldson below.

Donaldson's hardly knocking the door down.

He’s an option of course, but I’d take Powell right now and next year.

I would, too

But trade fodder.

We lose the DH when he has to move to catcher right?

I say when of course because it’s the A’s so sods law Suzuki would be taken out on a play at the plate in the first inning.

Does anyone miss Furcal?

I’m sure glad Beane wasn’t able to sign him and his .692 OPS. He wouldn’t have helped us this year. Pennington is fun to watch, and a reasonable “bargain.”

Flamethrower - August 12, 2009 reply

What if...

Furcal was signed to a one year contract, played for the A’s until the trade deadline and was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Tyler Landendorf?

idunno723 - August 12, 2009 reply

I love his name

robbo650 - August 12, 2009 reply

Don't you mean what if he'd signed for the A's, been craptastic for the majority of his

time here, but won everyone back over with a ridiculously hot month of baseball…..and then been traded for Tyler Laderhosen?

http://www.athleticsnation.com/2008/11/3/652358/monday-s-minor-league-repo#9796734

ah yes, the Locus of Control thread

< fast forward to bob geren’s interview after the last game of the season>

“And I’d like to thank a very special guy…..you know who you are” ’Bob, bob, who is that, tell us!" (suslu raises her divine eyebrows and slinks out of the office to speed dial a number in Berkeley)

ak_A - August 12, 2009 reply

Nobody would listen to me a year ago

glad to see it happened eventually

oakinboston - August 12, 2009 reply

Nicely done.

I bow down to you.

wow, oracleinboston

rebus - August 13, 2009 reply

I like the fact that the DVD includes alternate endings. In ending one, the A’s win the rest of their games and Rajai Davis wins MVP. In ending two, the A’s win the rest of their games and Kurt Suzuki wins MVP. In ending three, the A’s win the rest of their games and Bob Geren gets fired.

I hope I didn’t spoil it.

Uh

I’m pretty sure that in 2 out of those 3 endings, Dallas Braden bites it and Adam Kennedy and Brett Anderson are left to fend for themselves. Luckily, they are able to construct a 10 foot high “Help” sign out of 1 Tommy Everidge jersey.

maybe there's nothing wrong with Nomah's calves. Let the zombies decide!!!

Kallus - August 12, 2009 reply

I can't think of the last player I've been as wrong about as I was about Rajai

Who knows whether he’ll be able to keep this up, or even whether he’ll ever have another stretch like this. But at the beginning of the season, I honestly thought that the guy was entirely useless, a zero-tool guy (with even his speed canceled out by an inability to run the bases sensibly). And he’s proven to me that he isn’t that.

I honestly still believe that's basically still the case.

He has been so much fun to watch, and he’s grown as a ballplayer, no doubt.

But if I had to put money on it, I’d say he’s relegated to a bench/pinch runner/defensive replacement role before the end of next season due to lack of offensive production.

I really, really hope I’m wrong, because the “Good Rajai” has been truly awesome to witness.

vegAN ryAN - August 12, 2009 reply

We just can't have him, Sweeney, AND Hairston (if he doesn't produce)

being in the lineup at the same time. I think Rajai can be a poor man’s Figgins, but without the defensive utility. I think he can fill the “disruptor” role well, as long as he remembers to catch the ball

cuppingmaster - August 12, 2009 reply

Well...

…

Yeah.

I just can't believe that Rajai can keep up this level of

playing quality. We’ll blink and the old Rajai will return.

There's a huge gap between this level of play and the old Rajai

I guess I now expect him to eventually return to a replacement role. But seeing as I thought at the beginning of the season that he entirely didn’t belong on the twenty-five man roster, that’s actually still a pleasant surprise.

Yes a surprise and ...

a SHOCK.

There's a lot in between old Raj and new Raj that could happen

He could come back to earth as a .250/.330/.380 hitter with excellent CF defense and “Rickeyraj” speed, and in that scenario he’d be at least a good platoon starter and arguably the A’s best option to start in CF every day.

Or he could come back to being a guy who can't hit ...

and his only value is as a pinch runner and a good fielder. I hope neither of us have it right. I hope he keeps hitting just like he is now. But I fear that’s just a dream.

The sign should say ...

Mr. Rajai’s neighborhood. People would still get it.

Especially if I hold a "Lady Elaine Sweeney" sign in RF.

how about just "swooney"?

cuppingmaster - August 12, 2009 reply

You're bringing back some nice memories.

With 3 daughters (now ages 30,28 and 25) I logged in a lot of hours watching that program. I enjoyed it too.

Awesome! Let's go a little further...

We could have Rajai jog in from the outfied singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”; he then sits down and changes his cleats and puts a sweater on over his uniform. He strides to the plate, turns to the umpire and says, “Hi, neighbor.” Then he promptly gets the heave ho because the ump doesn’t like PBS… :)

Bet ol’ Fred couldn’t swipe a bag like Rajai. But Mr. McFeeley may have led the league in SBs a time or two. He didn’t say “Speedy Delivery!” for nothing, you know… :)

Not being snarky, either. Watched that show a lot as a kid. Good stuff. Someone get on that sign…

True fact: Mr. Rogers was my first hero

When I was 3-4, I used to change from my dad’s casual clothes and shoes into my his good clothes and good shoes, and back, so I could “be Mr. Rogers.”

My parents liked it better than my next obsession, which was being the “Birthday Cake Man” on Sesame Street. For that I would go up to the 4th stair on the stairway with a certain number of empty paper plates and would trip and fall down the 4 stairs.

You tell me whether or not I suffered permanent head injuries.

The fact that you remember is impressive...

maybe the falls didn’t effect your hippocampus.

I saw Nico walking earlier in the year. I think his hip is fine.

So that was you staring at my ass?

I wasn't staring.

It was more of a non-disrupted peek.

And what you thought was a pick was actually a scratch

You had a bad angle.

Either way, you still smelled your finger afterward.

no that was Geren

I'm in Pismo Beach sir,

there’s no possible way I could’ve stared at your ass.

HAHAHAHA!!!

I remember that baker guy taking a header down the stairs. That would make me laugh out loud (I absolutely REFUSE to use that acronym grin) as a little kid. At least you had the presence of mind not to carry actual baking and make a giant mess all over the place, not to mention ruining perfectly good snacks.

re-reads Nico’s post

Oh, yeah – I suppose they were worried about the whole “head injury” thing… :)

Derwood13 - August 14, 2009 reply

I seriously toppled down the stairs 30-40 times / day

I was kind of an obsessive sort. The only time I ever got injured, though, was once my mom or dad came home and opened the front door just as I landed in the hallway and my forehead got a big owie.

Nico - August 14, 2009 reply

Hospital trip?

LoneStranger - August 14, 2009 reply

No, kisses and a bandaid.

Who was that priest, anyway, and why didn’t mom or dad do anything?

Nico - August 14, 2009 reply

LOL

Good thinking. Cute post.

And a little red caboose circles the diamond during the 7th inning stretch

and takes us to the Land of Make Believe where we get to see the A’s sweep the World Series this year. Now that’s some children’s entertainment I can get behind.

Jackson23 - August 13, 2009 reply

And if it's Ryan Sweeney wearing red shorts,

attendance might be up as well.

Little Red Caboose, Little Red Caboose,

Little Red Caboose behind the train.
Smoke stack on his back-back-back-back.
Looking down the track-track-track-track.
Little Red Caboose behind the train!

There's baseball tomorrow

Just not our 100% A’s brand of “special” baseball!

streetfan - August 12, 2009 reply

Yeah...true.

I watched two games today. The Giants and then Pedro’s return game. Both games were highly entertaining too.

OT mlb.tv news:

You can now watch mlb.tv on your television via your Roku/Netflix box.

This is supercool (as is the Roku box in general…pretty much the best $99 I’ve ever spent on an electronic device).

I wish I was more techno capable.

I finally got a new computer and I am even finding it challenging to be sans mouse. And the Webroot spy program is giving me trouble. I’d never get the Roku thing figured out.

Actually one of the nice things about the Roku...

…is that it’s super simple. It’s 100% menu driven. Literally no buttons on it and an incredibly simple remote. The only tricky part is hooking it up to your wireless network (you can also plug it in directly which would be simpler), but that’s just the generic difficulty of hooking anything to a network. And you only have to do that once.

And the one time I had to call technical support they were prompt and helpful.

It doesn't sound too hard.

But then it didn’t sound hard to me when the Best Buy helper told me how to install the modum either. If my oldest daughter hadn’t come over and helped…I would still be unable to connect.

My mother just asked me the other day

“How do people live without a computer person in the family to help them when things go wrong?”

Tell your Mom that...

those of us without a comp helper boost the economy by using the Geek squad. :-(

mikedaviswhereareyou - August 12, 2009 reply

Rajai's banner should be in shallow left

If he has a neighborhood, its about there, where his power dies out.

He doesn't need power...

he has speed.

Couple of thoughts

I’ll start with JJ Hardy since that seems to be a pretty popular and pertinent topic around these parts today. Nico brought up trading Mazzaro for him and I do not think this is a good idea. I’m not trying to pick on Nico’s suggestion because that’s what you could reasonably expect to give up for Hardy.

Hardy’s struggles this season are frightening on their own, but once you factor in a league switch (going from easy to not easy) and the graveyard that is our home park and I believe it’s safe to assume that Hardy will fail miserably in Oakland. Trading a good, young starting pitcher for a miserable fail does not sound like a good idea if you ask me. Many of you may feel that Hardy will perform fine in Oakland and you’re welcome to your opinion, as I am to mine. I just feel the signs point to him not being a good hitter if/when he gets to Oakland.

As for Rajai, I have to agree with those who think he’s about to fall back to earth. It could easily happen on this homestand when we’ll be facing three good teams with good pitchers, not the slop that’s been opposing us lately (and I’m not cherrypicking KC and Baltimore, I’m thinking back to Texas and Toronto and beyond). I’m glad he’s doing well right now, and it’s definitely exciting, but I’m also thinking that it probably won’t even last until the end of the season.

With that in mind I wouldn’t really be opposed to him sitting 3-4 games per week in favor of Cunningham and Buck getting some playing time. I don’t think Rajai has much of a future on this team and it’s a good idea to get a look at two guys who could be fairly big parts of next year’s team. Oh and to be clear I think Sweeney should sit as well.

Helloooo 1st - August 12, 2009 reply

You state it very well.

Hardy is almost 27 now and his numbers are not that impressive and you’re right. It’s harder to hit in Oakland than in most parks. Switching leagues might not be the best move for the guy.

according to these park factors.

Not to pick on you but Miller Park is harder to hit in than Oakland

The only stat "better" is runs

HR, H, 2B, 3B, and BB are all higher at Miller Park. How is that even possible? Am I reading it wrong? How can a stadium have more hits and walks but less runs?

Thats weird? more HBP? I really don't know?

Good point. What about errors, steals, sacrifices (flies & bunts), and productive outs?

I guess that could contribute (along with HBP) to more runs but you would think hits would have more weight than these. strange.

I don't mind being corrected.

It isn’t the first time I needed it and it won’t be the last either hehe.

A career .750 OPS and 25 homer power with above average defense at SS

That’s pretty impressive.

Good points, Helloooo1st. My rebuttal:

I don’t care about Hardy’s pure numbers as everyone has to hit in Oakland at the same time. I think what we all have to agree is that Hardy is like a prospect in that we don’t know what to expect going forward. But given the two excellent full seasons he’s had one and two years ago, the odds of him being good in the near future are better than Mazzaro’s — also a prospect but with less track record or projected success.

That doesn’t mean the A’s should trade Mazzaro for Hardy if they have the chance — that depends on the A’s opinion of Hardy going forward and their opinion of Mazzaro going forward. But Hardy is by far the better bet.

Thing about Hardy is that at worst, he’ll be a solid defensive SS and one of the A’s better RH hitters for power and RBIs ~~- right there that’s a lot to get. And at best he’s your best RH hitter, a legitimate #3~~#5 hitter who has solved SS for you until Green or another young player is ready.

It's really too bad that Simmons has been having such a down year.

If he would have been able to make himself look ready for the bigs by next season, I would think a Simmons for Hardy offseason trade would make a lot of sense for both sides.

Of course, for all we know Simmons will be better than Mazzaro going forward

and it will be a blessing if it “costs” Mazzaro to get Hardy. Baseball funny game is!

syntax funny is a creature.

speckops - August 13, 2009 reply

If Rajai sits 3 or 4 games a week...

Geren should be arrested and jailed. Does anyone believe that this guy is incredibly talented and has figured this whole thing out?

No.

I’m just sayin… he did this same thing last year. He was pretty terrible all season and then got pretty hot toward the end of the year.

i like Cust

but i have to admit that i’m starting to lose hope. is there any?

danh - August 13, 2009 reply

Either the league has figured him out

Or he’s hurting himself by doing stuff he hasn’t done his first two years in the bigs (a.k.a. not wanting to strikeout). I’m inclined to go with the latter because he’s swinging at pitches or in counts that he normally would’ve taken. Hopefully he reverts back to his old form because he was incredibly valuable then.

Helloooo 1st - August 13, 2009 reply

I hate Cust.

I hate him THIS year too.

But I liked him last year and I hope that this was just one of those really down years and that he goes back to last years form for next season.

Players have down years sometimes

Perhaps an off-season dedicated to returning to his old approach will remedy the issue.

Joey C. - August 13, 2009 reply

Excellent observations...

and while Kurt Suzuki is obviously the A’s most valuable player this season, Rajai should receive a lot of credit for bringing this team back from life support. Speed puts so much pressure on the other pitcher/defense, I believe that it is greatly undervalued. Also agree that it should have been Powell in the PH role, oh well, 3 series wins in a row, good stuff.

Wow! I can't believe I'm going to say this but

Time for Landon to get a lot more playing time

Until his hamstrings give out we should be playing him a lot more to preserve King Kurt somewhat. It’s ludicrous that a team with no chance of finishing anywhere other than last in the division is playing their young catcher every day as if our playoff chances rested on it.

itsgemme - August 13, 2009 reply

They're not abusing Suzuki at all.

They’re giving him experience that may pay off at a critical point some time in the future. More than likely, sitting Suzuki when he wants to be out there playing would offend him. It would me if I were him. He’s young, athletic, strong, and in great shape. Why wouldn’t they A’s have him out there doing his job? There’s absolutely no reason not to.

alox - August 13, 2009 reply

RIP Les Paul

No DLD, but oh well.

Wow, 94, not bad..

Yea. He's had Leo beat for over a decade.

Season Ending Tommy John Surgery - August 13, 2009 reply

He had a good innings, as they say

Englishmajor - August 13, 2009 reply

I know it's 3 or 4 months away, but

does anyone know who the A’s will want/need to protect in this year’s Rule V draft? And how likely is it that someone who is not currently on the 40 man, but will have to be added by November, is more likely to be called up when the rosters expand next month? As far as I’m concerned, there are several guys on the current 40 man who don’t have to be ( Blevins, Cameron, Reineke, Schroder, Crosby, Nomar and Denorfia come to mind).

You cant really project that until the offseason when the final protection decisions are made