Beane There, Done That

It's December again, baseball's Winter Meetings are in full swing (har, har) and once again, Oakland A's fans (like me) are lamenting the A's...well...being the A's.

Last year it was the Tejada trade, three years ago, Giambi -- this year, the Big Three moniker goes back to being a reference to American car manufacturers.

For weeks, rumors had been circulating about the A's shopping Tim Hudson, possibly to the Dodgers, or to the Braves for second baseman Marcus Giles. Sports journalists began salivating after hearing A's GM Billy Beane say he was 'feeling creative'. But few expected to hear that the A's would deal two of their Big Three pitchers, the backbone of their impressive 5-year string of playoff appearances (which unfortunately ended this past year).

So with Hudson headed to the Braves for a couple of young pitchers and a promising young outfielder; and Mark Mulder bound for St. Louis in exchange for two young pitchers and a much-heralded backstop; A's fans are once again left wondering if their team is indeed a major league franchise or just a farm team for the large-market outfits.

This is not a lonely plight for the A's -- just ask a team like the Kansas City Royals who have been forced to trade away Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran in the last few years. Or the Pittsburgh Pirates, who, even before dealing Jason Kendall to the A's last month, had to part with Kris Benson, Brian Giles and Aramis Ramirez.

But Oakland's Billy Beane has a track record of making what seem like rebuilding years look like championship runs -- witness 2002, when the loss of the 2000 AL MVP (and 2001 runner-up) Giambi led to a 103-59 season, punctuated by an AL record 20-game win streak.

Add to that the fact that the A's are one of few teams that can afford to lose two Cy Young contenders, with very impressive young talent in the wings like Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, and now Danny Haren and Dan Meyer.

What Beane has managed to do with his latest string of moves is bolster what has been a shaky bullpen with enviable young talent like Kiko Calero and Juan Cruz, who will bridge the gap to minor league phenoms Huston Street and Jairo Garcia. He's also added a 30-year-old three-time All-Star catcher with considerable upside, Jason Kendall. Kendall has had a couple of injury problems, including an ankle dislocation in 1999 and a thumb injury in 2001 that bothered him for the next two seasons. But he hits well over .300 when healthy, though not for power.

Kendall is known as a scrappy, hardworking player and will likely benefit from being traded from a perennial cellar-dweller to a perennial contender. In short, the A's have finally found a more-than-worthy replacement for Ramon Hernandez. And behind Kendall and current backup Adam Melhuse, the A's have Moneyball prospect Jeremy Brown and a potential star-in-the-making in 19-year-old Daric Barton.

Beane has also added a solid young glove in the outfield in Charles Thomas, a speedy baserunner and talented defensive player who hit .288 with 7 HR and an .813 OPS in 83 games as a rookie last year. So despite parting ways with Jermaine Dye, the A's outfield is still looking pretty good for the coming years with Mark Kotsay, Eric Byrnes, Nick Swisher, Bobby Kielty and Thomas fighting for everyday roles.

Lastly, Beane acquired 28-year-old second baseman Keith Ginter from Milwaukee (see discussion of trade on Brewer fan blog, here) -- quite an upgrade from 40-year-old workhorse Mark McLemore. Ginter has been steadily improving since his first significant big league season in 2002. Last season he hit .262 with 19 HR, 60 RBI and an .812 OPS in 113 games. With Ginter and Ellis vying for the second base position, the A's have firmed up what has been a problem spot for them for several years. (remember Frank Menechino?)

While Beane is rolling the dice banking on so many young players fulfilling their potential, he has already succeeded in cutting what was left of the fat from the A's already lean payroll. The departure of Hudson and Mulder frees up $9.5 million next year, which will pay for Kendall's 2005 contract and the $1 million the A's promised to the Pirates. The rest of Beane's pickups should not impact the A's pocketbook noticeably.

Meanwhile, by jettisoning boondoggles like Jermaine Dye ($11.7 million), Jim Mecir ($3 million) and Chris Hammond ($2.4 million) and trimming more reasonable contracts like Damian Miller ($3 million), Mark Redman ($2 million) and Arthur Rhodes ($1.8 million), the A's have quite a bit of money to make any acquisitions from now until the trade deadline.

Sure the team won't be the same without Hudson and Mulder, but that's the grim reality of being a fan of a team with one of the oldest, ugliest and least profitable stadiums in baseball, plunked just across the bay from one of the best and most lucrative in San Francisco's SBC Park. A's fans will give the two pitchers standing ovations whenever they return to Oakland with their respective teams and move on, like they have every year, to finding the next hidden gem in Billy Beane's magical jeweler's pouch. A's fans can also take comfort in the fact that Hudson and Mulder were traded to National League teams, and, in the regular season anyway, the A's should only face Hudson, during a three-game road series against the Braves in June.

Zito v. Hudson? One can only hope.