This is a discussion on Best A's Offseason Move within the Oakland Athletics forum at Strike 3 Forums; Which move or non-move was the best this offseason? Not included in this poll ...

Providence A's · **Best A's Offseason Move -** 02-18-2006, 07:07 PM

Which move or non-move was the best this offseason? Not included in this poll are any resignings such as Ellis (who was under team control anyway).

Providence A's · 02-18-2006, 07:14 PM

I voted for all of the above because all of these moves and non-moves have built the most solid A's team from top to bottom in a while. If we can avoid any major injury issues (like we had last year), then this team will be a strong contender.

DirtyKash · 02-18-2006, 07:29 PM

"All of the above"? What a cop out. Best move was getting Loaiza.

Providence A's · 02-18-2006, 07:34 PM

how was Loaiza the best move? All of our starters won at least 10 games last year. IIRC no other team did that. Adding him wasn't crucial.

And I voted for all of the above because any of those moves alone does not improve the team that much. They're all solid moves aimed at overall team improvement. If I had to pick 1 move, I'd say Thomas if he stays healthy because he'll give Chavez protection in the lineup and gives the righthanded pop we've needed.

DirtyKash · 02-18-2006, 07:47 PM

It's pretty sad that 10 games is the criteria you go by, seeing that none of your dudes last year won more than 14. Loaiza is capable of 16-18, bank on it. Not to mention he'll give you 200-220 innings, which will be huge when Harden gets hurt.

Providence A's · 02-18-2006, 07:53 PM

zito, haren, and blanton all gave us over 200 innings last year. Why do you think Harden will get hurt? He had surgery to repair the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, which was the cause of the muscle strain. The surgery was successful and he's fully healed...I expect a huge year out of him. We could get 200 innings from all of our pitchers.

If double digit wins from all 5 of your starters is sad and we were the only team that did it, then I guess every team has crappy pitching. Instead of having 1 guy win 20, 1 guy win 12, and 3 guys win 8 or something, I'd rather have 14, 14, 12, 10 (Harden in only 19 starts), and 10 wins. If Harden hadn't got injured he would have been 14 - 7 at that same rate. So that'd be 14, 14, 14, 12, and 10.

A'sDiehard · 02-19-2006, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by DirtyKash

It's pretty sad that 10 games is the criteria you go by, seeing that none of your dudes last year won more than 14. Loaiza is capable of 16-18, bank on it. Not to mention he'll give you 200-220 innings, which will be huge when Harden gets hurt.

Why are you being so confrontational dirty? It's just a poll. I agree with the all of the above and that's what I voted for as well. Loaiza is just a piece of the puzzle IMO. This team DESPERATELY needed some pop and speed in the lineup and that's exactly what Thomas and Bradley will provide. It should be interesting to see what kind of numbers Chavez can put up with actual protection in the batting order.

Molina00 · 02-19-2006, 12:05 PM

Not trading Zito for sure. They can't afford to lose Zito after losing Hudson and Mulder. I would put the Thomas signing 2nd to Zito. If he is healthy, and that's a big if, he will help the offense a lot.

BoSox34 · 02-19-2006, 01:41 PM

I think their biggest offseason move was not dealing off Zito and while I like the Milton Bradley trade with the Dodgers, by keeping Zito they keep the depth of the A's young pitching staff which should give many teams trouble this up coming season.

Kingdom_of_Zito · 02-19-2006, 04:11 PM

Well, it was obvious as to what I'd vote.

But for seriousness, I'd say the Bradley deal. It could be a good gamble and Perez might prove to be a solid reserve.

DirtyKash · 02-23-2006, 12:08 PM

Athletics designated hitter Frank Thomas had an MRI and bone scan on his troublesome left ankle on Wednesday, and the team will announce the results of those tests on Friday. Thomas will receive treatment, skip today's workout, and may not hit for a while. "We're going to take it very slowly," trainer Larry Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Our objective is to see if it's possible for him to be ready Opening Day."

Great offseason acquisition. I wonder how many games he plays this year?

Providence A's · 02-23-2006, 12:33 PM

considering it says they want him ready for opening day, not spring training, I don't see what the problem is. They're taking it slow with all players that were injured or are coming back from surgery like Harden and Bradley.

Let the players on whatever team you like go balls to the wall in spring training and tear their ACL or blowout their arm...I'll save my guys for the regular season thank you very much

A'sDiehard · 02-23-2006, 01:11 PM

I think somebody pissed in Dirtykash' cheerios recently.