The Athletics have agreed to terms with Brian Fuentes on a two-year contract that includes a club option for 2013, the team announced. Terms of the deal are unknown but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) reported that the deal would be for two years with an option for a third at more than $5MM per season. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) reported that the two sides were working on a two-year deal worth roughly $10.5MM.
Fuentes, 35, registered a 2.81 ERA last season with 8.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 for the Angels and Twins. The 6'4" left-hander is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
The A's have remade their team quite a bit this offseason, facilitating trades for David DeJesus and Josh Willingham while signing Grant Balfour and Hideki Matsui as free agents. Fuentes would join Balfour in an already strong bullpen that features Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Brad Ziegler, and All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.
ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out that geography could work in Oakland's favor since Fuentes is from nearby Merced. The Blue Jays were also considered a serious suitor to sign the lefty reliever, and both the Yankees and Rays were connected to him earlier this month. Fuentes was said to be seeking Scott Downs money a few weeks ago, though it's likely that his asking price has since come down.
Steve Phillips of AOL Fanhouse first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were close to finalizing an agreement.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
one more hitter and I’m happy
Perhaps they will trade from their pool of excess relievers for one. Who that will be, I have no idea.
Im already happy, A’s fans have no right to be greedy when it comes to offseason FA signings.
The A’s are looking like contenders, especially since the Angels did nothing this offseason. Rangers still look good though
Good knowledge.
Good knowledge.
Now who is going from the bullpen or do they all stay??
They’ll have to DFA a couple guys to make room (probably Mortensen and Figueroa, I’m guessing), but there will be plenty of room on the main roster on Opening Day. I’m sure a few pitchers will be on the DL, unfortunately. That’s one of the main reasons they’re doing this.
Good for the A’s! Glad to see them look good again! Want Beltran for Braden? 0:)
ME, whats your deal man?…you are the classic self hating Mets fan!…I would take Beltran over “my mound” Braden any day…I have to say, I’m glad the A’s can offer some more competition in a terrible division, but I am willing to bet (even though this post absolutely nothing to do with him), we will be sad to see Beltran go after this year, as nothing in history shows that when he is fully healthy he is nothing short of elite.
Agreed. He has the resume of a Hall of Famer. Carlos Beltran is criminally underrated.
Uh, what? Beltran has been a good player but he’s by no means one of the best of this age. There’s no way he’s a HOFer.
Oh wow. You seriously need to look at his career numbers on bb-ref. Factor in his offense with his defense, and consider that he’s arguably the best base-running in history (88% stolen base success rate, which is near if not the best of all-time), and you’ve got a Hall of Famer.
I did say that he’s criminally underrated, so you would be forgiven for not fully appreciating what the man has done in his career.
BB-Ref gives a HoF statistic too and he’s no where near it.
Well, yeah, because he’s 33 and hasn’t accumulated the counting stats. I’m talking about his prime, which was absolutely sick. That’s a HoF prime, dude. Maybe he’s finished as an elite player but he is/was one of the best players of his generation.
I took the liberty of comparing Beltran’s prime to that of another outfielder who probably won’t make the HOF.
Beltran 162 game average from 2001 to 2008: .282/.363/.513 124 OPS+, 37 2B 7 3B 32HR 111RBI 116R 32 SB
Bernie Williams 162 game average from 1995 to 2002:
.321/.406/.531 142 OPS+, 37 2B 6 3B 28HR 116RBI 119R 14 SB
Beltran won 3 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers, and appeared in 5 AS games during his prime.
Bernie won 4 Gold Gloves, 1 Silver Slugger, and appeared in 5 AS games during his prime.
Before I read this, I didn’t really see beltran as a HOF’er either, but I didnt really have any facts to substantiate that. Well done. It’s not often you find a post as well thought out as this one. Kudos on doing the research.
I took the liberty of comparing Beltran’s prime to that of another outfielder who probably won’t make the HOF.
Beltran 162 game average from 2001 to 2008: .282/.363/.513 124 OPS+, 37 2B 7 3B 32HR 111RBI 116R 32 SB
Bernie Williams 162 game average from 1995 to 2002:
.321/.406/.531 142 OPS+, 37 2B 6 3B 28HR 116RBI 119R 14 SB
Beltran won 3 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers, and appeared in 5 AS games during his prime.
Bernie won 4 Gold Gloves, 1 Silver Slugger, and appeared in 5 AS games during his prime.
Oh wow. You seriously need to look at his career numbers on bb-ref. Factor in his offense with his defense, and consider that he’s arguably the best base-running in history (88% stolen base success rate, which is near if not the best of all-time), and you’ve got a Hall of Famer.
I did say that he’s criminally underrated, so you would be forgiven for not fully appreciating what the man has done in his career.
If your part of the new wave-sabermetric is the end all in everything sort of movement, than yes, he is a HOFer even though he probably doesn’t deserve it. Surface value, no, he probably isn’t.
If your part of the new wave-sabermetric is the end all in everything sort of movement, than yes, he is a HOFer even though he probably doesn’t deserve it. Surface value, no, he probably isn’t.
Hard to call anyone with that kind of salary “underrated”… Though I expect him to get the comeback player of the year award.
If Beltran has the resume of a Hall of Famer, he is probably proofreading it for former teammate Tom Glavine!
Not smart. Beltran is a broken down OF’r with one year left on his contract while Braden is a solid mid-rotation starter with multiple years of club control left. If that trade was on the table I can pretty much guarantee you the Mets would jump on it. Carlos Beltran used to be a damn good player, and while I think he can still be productive, don’t fool yourself into thinking he’s the same player or that he holds more value then Dallas Braden right now. That’s just not the way it is.
Only if Minaya was the GM still.
Only if Minaya was the GM still.
“not smart” are you kidding me? save it pal, obviously MetsEventually was suggesting that as a joke and my point was that mano e mano Beltran is a better baseball player and when people are talking about him years from now, people will say Dallas who? oh yeah that guy who “TRIED” to “SORT OF” pick a fight with A-Roid and then milked it for as long as he could to try and stay relevant. all things considered, a year of 50% Beltran is better than a year of 100% of…. what was his name again?
Right, nobody will remember him as that guy who just happened to throw that perfect game against tampa bay, just as the guy who yelled at a-rod
Classic Mets fan. Toss him in with the Yankees fans and Red Sox fans, who all assume that their players are the best because, in the echo chamber that is the NY and Boston sports media, all you hear about, all day long, is your own players.
Dallas “Who?”, as he is so affectionately known by so many ignorant East Coast sports fans, would easily be the #3 SP on the Mets (behind Johan and, maybe, Takahashi, and ahead of Mike “Opening Day Starter?” Pelfrey and R.A. Knuckleball).
That is not to say Dallas for Carlos is a fair trade (although given the contracts and the years of team control, it’s not so clear-cut that swapping Braden for Beltran is a no-brainer for the A’s), only that East Coast fans need to expand their horizons and look outward, rather than spending all day listening to Met-Yankee-Sox feedback.
Dude, seriously? That was a joke. I wouldn’t want Braden for Ollie. Get real, man.
And, you officially expose yourself as a complete homer. Guess what, the A’s wouldn’t want O-Perez for Braden. So, lucky for you, this isn’t one you’ll have to worry about.
Have fun watching Ollie try to recapture that control he had back in 2007. It was only three years ago. I’m sure he can find it.
You seriously wouldn’t take 3 inexpensive years of Dallas Braden for 1 expensive year of Carlos Beltran? That’s crazy. Sandy Alderson would pull the trigger on that deal in a second.
By the way, “what’s his name” kind of extended his “15 minutes of fame” when he threw a perfect game against the Rays (who had the hottest offense in baseball at the time).
isn’t there some other site dedicated to fantasy baseball…I see no reason why every post on this site is an oppurtunity to take a crap on the Mets…this was a good move for the A’s, let’s just leave it at that.
Uhhh. What? Who’s taking a crap on who here?? I didn’t say one disparaging thing about the Mets organization, any of their players, or any of their fans. You were the one who decided to start running down Braden for no good reason. Not me.
The “worst” thing I said is that it would be crazy to turn down three years of Braden for one year of Beltran. And it would be. The Mets aren’t likely to compete this year, unfortunately (them and the Marlins are my favorite NL East teams). And this is Beltran’s last year under contract.
easy bro, if you were following the thread you’d see I wasn’t speaking of you I never used the term “you” when I said crapping on the Mets. Yeah, I was knocking Braden a little, seems appropriate for a A’s post where someone brings up Beltrans name negitively in a total non-sequitur comparison. I just don’t understand why when I go on this site no matter what the news is someone finds a way to squeeze a Met bash in…please tell me I’m not the only one who’s observed this phenomenon! When did they become the Jets of baseball?
People crap on the A’s all over this site too…
I don’t know if I’d use the word “appropriate”, but fair enough.
But then why did you say it in a reply *to me*? You should have replied to the person who was “crapping on the Mets.”
easy bro, if you were following the thread you’d see I wasn’t speaking of you I never used the term “you” when I said crapping on the Mets. Yeah, I was knocking Braden a little, seems appropriate for a A’s post where someone brings up Beltrans name negitively in a total non-sequitur comparison. I just don’t understand why when I go on this site no matter what the news is someone finds a way to squeeze a Met bash in…please tell me I’m not the only one who’s observed this phenomenon! When did they become the Jets of baseball?
who had the hottest offense in baseball at the time? ..hardly…
the rays always seem to be on the other end of no hitters, perfect games or near no hitters.
Couldn’t be more true. In the eight games prior to the Braden perfecto, the Rays put up a .601 OPS.
That’s fair. But they did arguably have the *best* offense in baseball at that point in time. No reasonable person would dispute that.
No reasonable person wouldn’t read that the comment above you about their previous 8 games . Tampas driving force is their pitching and defense, not their offense.
Tampa led baseball in runs scored when Braden pitched that perfect game, and they had just put up 8 runs in back-to-back games only three days prior (including a game vs. Cliff Lee).
They also finished the season with the third most runs in all of baseball (only behind the Yankees and Red Sox).
And pitching and defense was their only driving force???
If Beltre comes back healthy and if Crisp or DeJesus get hurt I can definitely see the A’s trying to acquire Beltran. Probably not for Braden though, I assume the amount of money the Mets throw in will determine what kind of player they get for him. I’m pretty sure he could be given away right now to any team that wants to pay him $20MM for his age 34 season. If the Mets pay $10MM, then they can start talking players. Beltran’s value is in the toilet right now.
All the A’s need is a good 3rd baseman, probably Cantu.
Kouzmanhoff plays good defense at 3rd.
i think kouz will be fine, when he’s not the cleanup hitter. we shall see.
Cantu is a great complimentary peice if you have a few star position players.
Only David Wright or Jose Bautista are potentially available 3B who represent an upgrade over Kouzmanoff. Cantu makes the A’s much, much worse.
“good 3rd baseman” and “Cantu” should not be used in the same sentence.
Cantu is not a good 3rd baseman.
I agree. He had a few good years with the Marlins with the stick, thats about it.
Do you realize you’re just reiterating his same point?
As much as people been ripping me all of this off season about the A’s. I’ll say it again. The A’s are good contenders this year! They will be a big surprise this season. I just have a feeling..
Not sure why people have been ripping the A’s, I’ve mostly heard quiet optimism. Their rotation is very likely the best in the AL and add that to a stacked pen and overall they could have the best pitching staff in baseball. They don’t exactly have a huge hitter but they have a lot of low key quality names and some good defense. I think the Rangers are still the favorite, but I think Oakland could very easily give them a run for their money. I certainly wouldn’t be shocked to see the A’s take the division.
Could not have said it better. I’m optimistic the A’s will be right in the running to the very end. I’ve also heard some head-in-cloud people saying “rangers lost cliff lee so they won’t have the pitching to compete”, yeah cliff lee hurts, but they still have the offense to keep the division as theirs to lose
Edit: said “will be”, too early to say that, “should be” is probably more appropriate
Yeah. I don’t think the loss of Cliff Lee will hurt them nearly as bad as people seem to think it will. I believe he started 15 games for them last year, and they only won 6 of them.
I hate to say it, but the race will likely boil down to who can just stay healthy. And if the A’s and Rangers are both forced to use the DL a lot, the Halos could very easily win it.
They don’t have the best rotation in the AL, sorry to say. Most overrated rotation, sure. Red Sox have a better rotation, and i’d take a few more over the A’s, including the Rays and probably the Jays. Anderson is good, Cahill is massively overrated, Gonzo still has control issues, and Braden is a mid rotation starter at best. If Toronto still had Marcum they’d easily have a better rotation than the A’s, but without him it’s pretty close…Drabek should come in and be pretty good though, but probably on an innings limit which will hurt his value
You obviously didn’t watch many A’s games last year if you think that Anderson is just “good”, that Cahill is “massively overrated”, that Gio still has control issues, and that Braden “is a mid rotation starter at best” (as if that’s even a bad thing for a probable #4 starter).
I would never be so bold as to call them the best rotation in the AL. But to call them overrated, and state that the “Red Sox, Rays and probably Jays” all have better rotations like it’s an out-and-out fact???? That’s bordering on absurdity, bro.
Cahill’s success was due to park factors and defense. His Xfip was 4.11, and only put up a 2.2WAR for the season(Cecil put a 2.5WAR in comparison), let’s also mention that his BABIP was an absurd .238 which will certainly go up next year. Bottom line, if the A’s D isn’t as good as next year, you should expect Cahill’s numbers to inflate by a wide margin. Next, Gio Gonzalez who certainly has strikeout ability, but he also had the 4th highest walk total in the entire Majors last year, while his K rate dropped to 7.67k/9 …to say he doesn’t still have control issues is absurd. Lets compare him to Morrow who walked less, while striking out way more (10.95k/9) and had a better Fip and Xfip (3.16 compared to 3.78 and 3.63 compared to 4.18). Anderson is better than Romero, i’ll concede that, as I believe Anderson can be a legit #1, but health is his main concern, and Romero isn’t bad at all, and the main reason i’d take Anderson over Romero is control, which Anderson has shown he can put great control numbers while Romero is still working on it, overall if Anderson has another injury, Romero could likely be more valuable this upcoming season, as in a tougher division and a worse defense Romero still put a 4.0WAR last season, all in his 2nd full season in the big leagues. Dallas Braden is another guy who’s ERA was almost a full point lower than his Xfup (3.50ERA/4.40XIP), depending on how many innings Drabek gets next year, it’s not inconceivable that a combo of Rep/Drabek will out-perform Braden, who like I said at the end of the day is a mid to back of the end rotation type of guy, while Drabek will be a top 3 guy within a few years, and Rep has better stuff than Braden, but obviously has control issues. Maybe now you A’s fans can stop yelling and see that your park and defense made that rotation look a lot better than it actually was last year. My overrated statement comes from ESPN ranking the A’s rotation as the 4th best in the majors, which I found laughable. If Marcum was still on this Jays team, there would be no doubt in my mind that the Jays rotation would be better than the A’s, given the fact that Marcum is gone and Drabek is a question mark, i’d give the slight advantage to Oakland, but not by much at all.
I suggest you put down the calculator this year, and just watch a few more games.
Yeah true, A’s fans can use ERA+ against the Jays, but when I bring out the actual stats to show that the A’s rotation for the most part was lucky last year, you have to come back with the usual “OMG NERD WATCH BASEBALL” argument…I watch plenty of baseball, and I know the A’s defense was very good last year, and made their rotation look better than it was…that’s not just numbers, that’s fact. The Jays rotation as a whole misses more bats than the A’s rotation, which is the biggest indicator of actual pitching talent, not ERA or some other Espn stat you want to throw at me. I’ve said that I think overall the A’s rotation might be a bit better this year than the Jays, but it’s a lot closer than you A’s fans are making it seem like.
How many words are you going to put in my mouth? I haven’t used one single statistic!
And I haven’t tried to make the A’s rotation “seem” like anything. I’m simply telling you they’re not overrated. And I’m telling you that suggesting the Red Sox, Rays or Blue Jays to have better rotations — as if it’s a fact — is foolish.
Having a really good defense did help the A’s pitchers a lot in 2010. That’s true. It especially helped their confidence, and they matured a lot quicker as a result. But that defense hasn’t gone anywhere. And all four of the pitchers in question are now a year more experienced. Do you really think they’re more likely to regress than improve?
Its extremely stupid to write off what a player did in their age 22 season like that is how theyre going to be forever. You are doing that. Please stop.
You obviously didn’t watch many A’s games last year if you think that Anderson is just “good”, that Cahill is “massively overrated”, that Gio still has control issues, and that Braden “is a mid rotation starter at best” (as if that’s even a bad thing for a probable #4 starter).
I would never be so bold as to call them the best rotation in the AL. But to call them overrated, and state that the “Red Sox, Rays and probably Jays” all have better rotations like it’s an out-and-out fact???? That’s bordering on absurdity, bro.
If you wanna talk about overrated look at the Red Sox rotation now. They are all just names at this point. Beckett had an ERA over 5 and Lackey had an ERA over 4 and so did Matsuzaka. You should do your research dude. Anderson and Cahill are a legit 1, 2 punch and Gio would be a #2 starter on any other team. Yeah Gio has control problems when he strikes out 171 batters. Yeah you could look at his walks total but his WHIP is still a very respectable 1.31. Braden is a mid rotation starter but that’s a really good thing when the guy is just going to be a #4 starter. I don’t understand how you came to the conclusion that the Jays have a better rotation when their staff ace had an ERA over 3.7 and none of the A’s top 4 starters had an ERA above 3.5. According to the stats, Braden would have been your staff ace this year. The Rays have a very comparable rotation, I would not doubt that and they probably have the edge. I don’t get how you come to the conclusion that the A”s have an overrated rotation when none of the top 4 starters posted an ERA in 2010 above 3.5. That would actually be a #2 starter on several teams and a #3 starter on a lot of teams and this is the A’s #4 starter we are talking about. Back up your statements with facts and stats that prove your point instead of just saying stuff like they are fact will not help your argument a lot more.
while I agree with some of your statement.. and even as a Jay fan I realize that our rotation is far too many question marks to considered anywhere near the best in the league…
Its just as absurd to start listing era numbers to compare staffs. . Park factor, defense are things that pitchers cant control put do affect their numbers, using just ERA takes too many factors out of the equation.
Ok if you want to do that then let’s look at ERA+ since it’s adjusted to the ballpark factor and takes out at least one of those factors. Defense you can’t really blame since it depends on how the team is built. Oh look at that it’s the same results.
Anderson: 148
Cahill: 139
Gonzalez: 128
Braden: 118
Romero: 111
Morrow: 92
Cecil: 98
Drabek: 89
Litsch: 72
Either way you look at it, the A’s rotation was significantly better than the Jays rotation in 2010. Braden was significantly better than Romero as well. Majority of the Jays starters last year weren’t even average according to ERA+.
This is hilarious. These two are clearly bitter about the Blue Jays missing out on Fuentes.
Seeing them try to deny it should make for an entertaining read…
Huh? didn’t want Fuentes at all…look at some of my previous posts in the Fuentes threads. I wanted Rauch the whole time, and Toronto got him for less money and on a 1 year deal.
I’m not about to go look anything up. I’ll just take your word for it.
But something has to be bothering you about all this. Why else would you spend one single second on an A’s/Fuentes board, trying to make a case that the A’s starting pitchers are merely average?
Are you embarrassed that the Blue Jays are the first known team to lose a bidding war with the A’s this winter? Could that be it?
When did I call the A’s staff average? I called them overrated, and that was based off of ESPN ranking them as the 4th best rotation in the Majors. Let me say this again, I didn’t want Fuentes, he’s a Left Handed specialist at this point, also didn’t want AA giving him a multi-year deal. I’m happy we got Rauch. lol @ Bidding war though, that’s funny.
Wait. So just because ESPN rated them the 4th best in the majors, that means they’re overrated? That’s the *opinion* of one website. It doesn’t mean anyone else has to share it. If you were basing your original point off that, you probably should have said so. You can’t expect to go into an A’s message board, say their pitchers are overrated, and not get heat for it. Blue Jay fans wouldn’t turn a blind eye, either, if A’s fans did a similar thing on a Rauch or Jays board.
And Mcmurphy is right. According to several different reports, the Blue Jays were in on Fuentes until the very end. It’s fair to say that they lost a bidding war. Toronto wanted him and couldn’t get him.
I’m glad you’re happy with Jon Rauch. Truly. But don’t pretend like he was their first choice.
Great they were in on him…doesn’t mean I wanted him, or that 2 years at 10mil is a good deal for Fuentes. In the end AA did the right thing and didn’t give in to those demands, which I though IN MY OPINION was too much anyways. I’m far from a troll actually, I was simply stating my opinion and you A’s fans took offense to it and started crying and whining about how the A’s rotation is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Here ya go : The A’s rotation is the best in the AL, Anderson will win the Cy Young, Cahill will put up an ERA under 2.50 and the rest of the rotation has no flaws. Happy now? Here I thought Red Sox and Yankee fans were bad, wow.
Wow. You’re resorting to bashing A’s fans in general now, and being condescending to boot!
And you think you’re not being a TROLL?????
Sorry if that word offends you. But feel free to call me that also, if I ever get on a Blue Jays thread and start running my mouth about their players.
You don’t know what a troll is, i’m sure of it. I’m stating my opinion with facts, not coming in here bashing A’s fans or their team without basis. Anyways, I do like the A’s off-season so far, they’ve done a good job, but I still don’t think it will be enough to overtake the Rangers for the division. I think they’ll take 2nd though, with an outside shot at beating the Rangers (depends on a lot of factors, obviously). Good luck this season!
So this is all based on the rankings of ESPN? O…K.
Yeah and, you know…actual stats. Anways i’m done with this argument.
Thank God you were able to give me “actual stats.” I had no idea how to look them up for myself.
If you crunch numbers long enough you can make almost any player look better or worse than they really are. But why would you bother?
“Why would you spend one second on an A’s/Fuentes board, trying to make a case that the A’s starting pitchers are merely average?”
Because they’re trolls.
I clearly stated that I said the Jays rotation was inferior yet you still resort to homerism and try to drum out a point. I just merely told you that using ERA’s to argue between rotations is foolish. . People who argue for the sake of arguing are usually intellectually insecure..just saying.
Yeah but you stating that ERA is a bad indicator made me believe that you wanted me to state it in a different way. Those who resort to talking about people’s lives usually have something that they want to get out but can’t because they are having too many issues. Just saying.
I didn’t talk about your life at all, so I’m not sure what you are referring too. You sound really really defensive..
And yes I told you ERA is a poor tool to compare rotations, but I didn’t suggest that your conclusion was incorrect. Again, defensive.
If you wanna talk about overrated look at the Red Sox rotation now. They are all just names at this point. Beckett had an ERA over 5 and Lackey had an ERA over 4 and so did Matsuzaka. You should do your research dude. Anderson and Cahill are a legit 1, 2 punch and Gio would be a #2 starter on any other team. Yeah Gio has control problems when he strikes out 171 batters. Yeah you could look at his walks total but his WHIP is still a very respectable 1.31. Braden is a mid rotation starter but that’s a really good thing when the guy is just going to be a #4 starter. I don’t understand how you came to the conclusion that the Jays have a better rotation when their staff ace had an ERA over 3.7 and none of the A’s top 4 starters had an ERA above 3.5. According to the stats, Braden would have been your staff ace this year. The Rays have a very comparable rotation, I would not doubt that and they probably have the edge. I don’t get how you come to the conclusion that the A”s have an overrated rotation when none of the top 4 starters posted an ERA in 2010 above 3.5. That would actually be a #2 starter on several teams and a #3 starter on a lot of teams and this is the A’s #4 starter we are talking about. Back up your statements with facts and stats that prove your point instead of just saying stuff like they are fact will not help your argument a lot more.
At this point in Cahill’s career I dont think its fair to pin him as overrated. Also, since when is ANYONE on Oakland even talked about AT ALL? They get 2 nationally televised games a season. So you really cant say anyone on oakland is overrated.
They don’t have the best rotation in the AL, sorry to say. Most overrated rotation, sure. Red Sox have a better rotation, and i’d take a few more over the A’s, including the Rays and probably the Jays. Anderson is good, Cahill is massively overrated, Gonzo still has control issues, and Braden is a mid rotation starter at best. If Toronto still had Marcum they’d easily have a better rotation than the A’s, but without him it’s pretty close…Drabek should come in and be pretty good though, but probably on an innings limit which will hurt his value
why people have been ripping the A’s…
Giants fans rip the A’s just because, and bitter East Bay A’s fans rip the A’s because they hate that Lew Wolff has one foot out the door to San Jose. Doesn’t leave that many of us left to love them.
Your right. Giants fans rip A’s fans just because. Most of them don’t know anything about baseball. After I ask why the hate for the A’s? They know nothing about stats, other teams, or players. All they say is “oh they have a ugly stadium” seriously that’s your comeback? Listen I have nothing against the giants “team” just the fans. I go to watch a A’s game because of a good pitching matchup, while giants fans go to games to drink wine and eat cheese while playing on their iPads during the game…
and they are THREE Championships behind Oakland.
It works to their advantage when people turn a blind eye to their team, than when end of September rolls around they will be right there fighting for or most likely leading the AL West
With the excess of relivers I can see us trading a couple of them or one of them and a prospect for another 15-20 HR player.
I’m glad to see them bolstering the bullpen with some of the money that they tried to use on Iwakuma, Berkman and Beltre earlier in the offseason. It’s nice to know that we won’t have to worry so much about Bailey, Wuertz, Blevins and Devine all being healthy on Opening Day, now that Balfour and Fuentes are in the fold.
I hope they *are* all healthy. That would be a good problem to have. But it seems pretty unlikely, so it’s nice to have so much quality relief depth. And this could make a really big difference down the stretch. It seemed like the bullpen was always spread very thin for much of last year.
I’m glad to see them bolstering the bullpen with some of the money that they tried to use on Iwakuma, Berkman and Beltre earlier in the offseason. It’s nice to know that we won’t have to worry so much about Bailey, Wuertz, Blevins and Devine all being healthy on Opening Day, now that Balfour and Fuentes are in the fold.
I hope they *are* all healthy. That would be a good problem to have. But it seems pretty unlikely, so it’s nice to have so much quality relief depth. And this could make a really big difference down the stretch. It seemed like the bullpen was always spread very thin for much of last year.
This is a fantastic move by the A’s. You can never have a good enough bullpen. Also, looks like BB is set up for possibly another trade?
This is a fantastic move by the A’s. You can never have a good enough bullpen. Also, looks like BB is set up for possibly another trade?
suckers
More money that should have gone to Iwakuma.
I can’t wait until this guy comes over and mows down A’s hitters.
Iwakuma wanted twice as much as he would have actually been worth, on top of the $19 million posting fee. Nobody in their right mind would have given him anywhere near that. His agent actually tried to use Barry Zito as an example of the kind of deal they wanted when they first started negotiations. That would/should send any team running for the hills.
No need to respond to this guy. This guy has just been trolling around A’s threads to take a punch at them about Iwakuma every chance he can get. This guy has some sorta super man crush on Iwakuma or something and was probably heart broken when he couldn’t come to the US to play. I’ve already pointed out many times to this guy all of the facts and how Nomura has so many holes in his story that it is ridiculous for anyone to believe their side yet he still continues to ignore the facts.
Thanks for the heads up. I kind of had that feeling anyway because it’s a really strange way for someone drop Iwakuma’s name into this discussion. But now I’ll know not to waste anymore time with him (even though I’m stuck at work with not much better to do for two hours).
No need to respond to this guy. This guy has just been trolling around A’s threads to take a punch at them about Iwakuma every chance he can get. This guy has some sorta super man crush on Iwakuma or something and was probably heart broken when he couldn’t come to the US to play. I’ve already pointed out many times to this guy all of the facts and how Nomura has so many holes in his story that it is ridiculous for anyone to believe their side yet he still continues to ignore the facts.
Iwakuma would have ended up an average pitcher with an above average salary. Would much rather see what outman can do if healthy.
Iwakuma wanted twice as much as he would have actually been worth, on top of the $19 million posting fee. Nobody in their right mind would have given him anywhere near that. His agent actually tried to use Barry Zito as an example of the kind of deal they wanted when they first started negotiations. That would/should send any team running for the hills.
Iwakuma wanted $126MM.
I guess Beane enrolls in the school of “You can never have too much pitching”, I agree but not at that price.
Unless…is Bailey still injured? That would make more sense.
Bailey recently had his elbow “cleaned up” and Blevins recently had surgery on a torn labrum in his hip. They’re expected to be ready for spring training, as far as I know. But the A’s can’t afford to be complacent, especially when they have so much payroll flexibility right now. Wuertz and Devine can’t be considered sure things either.
Thanks for the info, I think this is actually a pretty good deal on the A’s part in that case. Now they have a 7th and 8th inning/Loogy guy or if Bailey goes down again (hope not, but a good chance of happening) they have a guy with closing experience, as opposed to last year when they used patchwork when he was gone and probably cost them some games in the standings.
Bailey recently had his elbow “cleaned up” and Blevins recently had surgery on a torn labrum in his hip. They’re expected to be ready for spring training, as far as I know. But the A’s can’t afford to be complacent, especially when they have so much payroll flexibility right now. Wuertz and Devine can’t be considered sure things either.
here we go again with disqus glitching up…
here we go again with disqus glitching up…
Beltran is not a hall of famer he is a good player when he is healthy though
The As look to be extremely dangerous.They have formed one of the best or the best Bullpens in baseball.They have a talented lineup that inclues a potentially dangerous Willingham.There Rotation looks really good too.Texas look out there is somone on the saddle next to you
The As look to be extremely dangerous.They have formed one of the best or the best Bullpens in baseball.They have a talented lineup that inclues a potentially dangerous Willingham.There Rotation looks really good too.Texas look out there is somone on the saddle next to you
Going to be a great season from the A’s. They added a veteran DH in Matsui who has great splits with power and average against both lefties and righties. They added Willingham who has some nice pop and DeJesus who can hit for average, get on base, run and play solid defense. The bullpen additions are great for them. Looks to be a good season for the A’s. Texas has some competition.
Going to be a great season from the A’s. They added a veteran DH in Matsui who has great splits with power and average against both lefties and righties. They added Willingham who has some nice pop and DeJesus who can hit for average, get on base, run and play solid defense. The bullpen additions are great for them. Looks to be a good season for the A’s. Texas has some competition.
Fuentes has always been a solid reliever and is going to be a perfect guy for the A’s. The bridge to the 9th is very very good. Oakland A’s 2011 AL West Champs!
If you would like to hear more predictions tune into DLLD sports radio every monday from 9-11.
I’m picking the A’s as my AL sleeper.
Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into to 2010 Seattle 2.0, although the difference is the A’s will actually have hitting this year
As long as this means Jerry Blevins is gone
The A’s will be a big contender this year and hears why…. Best staff in the AL. Additions of dejesus matsui and willingham in the middle of the order which is a major upgrade from last season in which they went 81-81. Mariners aren’t close, Angels will be tough but made no significant moves to bolster their team. Rangers have a great lineup still but last year guerro hit a line of .300 29 100 and as far as I’m concerned beltre never ever puts up good numbers until contract years so they actually downgraded in their lineup. And minus cliff lee the staff is decent. I’ll say bother the a’s and rangers win over 85 games this year and it’ll be close. But the A’s arms will carry them to the postseason. FYI it’s my opinion so bashing it like you guys bash everything else about the A’s would be a waste. But feel free to toss ur biased arguements my way
I actually agree that the A’s are a threat in the West, great rotation, great pen potential, good defense, and a lot of overlooked offense. However, I think you are underestimating the Rangers.
First, Lee didn’t really help the Rangers reach the playoffs more than he helped them reach the World Series. I don’t feel like looking up the stats again but during the regular season the Rangers had more of a tendency to lose on days that Lee started. His contributions were mostly in the playoffs. Second, Beltre last year was the first time in years he had been in a hitters park surrounded by a powerful lineup and no one seems to take that into account. He’s a huge defensive upgrade over Young and I’m betting he can duplicate Vlad’s numbers.
Right now, I’d say the Rangers have a slight edge. But that’s on paper. It’ll be an interesting race.
ding ding ding ding we have a winner
you’re right
Cliff Lee, 15 starts for the Rangers
4-6/ 3.98 ERA Only 7 innings per start (down by his standards)
Lee wasn’t even the Rangers best starter down the stretch.. and they’ve added Beltre
Regardless of losing Lee, Rangers are still the best team in this division.
I don’t entirely disagree, but if the loss of Cliff Lee wasn’t gonna affect them much, then why did they make him such a massive offer? If losing him wasn’t going to be a big deal then they never would have made him such a massive offer. They would have just been after Beltre from the jump.
True cliff lee had bad numbers for the rangers. But he took a load off all the other starters while he was there. And I totally agree that Texas is still the favorite. They have a power packed offense. And even if beltre doesn’t put up numbers like Vladimir did last year (I don’t think he will) they will still be a great team and be in the race to the end and possiby win the division. Me just as a big Oakland fan have high hopes or the first time in 5 or 6 years.
hahahaha Have fun with him Oakland..
Congrats A’s on locking up…..second place…..Texas wins the West again in 11