The Oakland A’s: A Clash Atop the AL West Standings?

When trade rumors swirled around Matt Holliday, then with the Rockies, at the conclusion of the 2008 season, there was little doubt he would be traded. There was speculation that mentioned the Cardinals or the Rays, but the baseball world was surprised when Oakland was where he ended up. It shouldn’t have been -true baseball fans should know to expect the unexpected from Beane. This was typical brilliance from Beane because even if the A’s are out of contention by the trading deadline, he will be able to get a king’s ransom for Holliday from a playoff team -certainly far more than what he gave up to acquire him. 

The A’s have also added Jason Giambi, still a power threat at 38, and Orlando Cabrera, who seems to win everywhere he goes. His infectious personality seems to loosen up the clubhouses that he is a part of, and his teammates always appear to enjoy playing with him as a teammate and a person. Nomar Garciaparra, their most recent addition, adds to the mix a steady veteran presence who still provides a bit of pop. He’ll be able to fill in more than adequately at any infield position. 

Travis Buck has shown every sign of improvement over Spring Training, and Ryan Sweeney is already a proven solid young outfielder; the two of them and Holliday should form an outfield that most Major League teams would love to have. Kurt Suzuki seems to improve behind the plate each year, and the pitching staff seems to feel comfortable throwing to him. Mark Ellis continues to be one of the most underrated second basemen in the league, providing consistent production at the plate and defensively year in and year out. Daric Barton is still young with plenty of upside, so it wouldn’t be astonishing to see him put it together this year. And Jack Cust is nothing if not a power threat. 

Of course, the real strength of successful A’s teams has been in their pitching. Justin Duchscherer, one of the Majors’ most pleasant surprises last year, will again anchor the rotation. However, during the seasons that the A’s have been one of the league’s most surprisingly elite teams is when their young, inexperienced pitching emerges from under the radar to achieve Major League success. 

Four A’s pitching prospects were listed on Baseball America’s 100 Top Prospects list this year, including left-handers Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez at numbers 7 and 97 out of 100 respectively, and right-hander Trevor Cahill at number 11. The publication estimates that all three will be in the Major Leagues in 2009. (Right-hander Michael Inoa, the 17-year-old Dominican sensation who signed a record $4.25 million contract last spring, was listed at number 54, though according to Baseball America, he is not expected to make an impact at the Major League level until 2011.) Could this be a new Big Three? That would be a lot to expect of three prospects with limited to no Major League experience, but certainly stranger things have happened in Oakland. 

Surely the team will be satisfied if they can be as successful as Dan Haren, Rich Harden and Joe Blanton. Dana Eveland had a solid rookie season, and should only improve with experience. The firepower of closer Brad Ziegler made former Rookie of the Year Huston Street expendable. Joey Devine was a consistent contributor out of the bullpen last season, being entrusted with the occasional save opportunity. He is also a young player who should only get better with experience. The team also seems to be high on Josh Outman and Sean Gallagher, the latter who was acquired from the Cubs in the Harden trade last season; the team has enough faith in them to be on the team’s 40-man roster. Both will be 23 on Opening Day. 

If this team can remain injury-free, which is a tall order for any Major League team, there is no reason why they couldn’t continuously challenge the Angels for the top spot in the AL West this season. And if they do have some injuries, this team has depth. Even more so than in recent years past, there is a lot to be optimistic about in Oakland.