Oakland Athletics

In seems like a millennium since the Oakland Athletics were last seen in postseason play—let alone a contender at all—and while this hasn’t been a team that has had a lot of opportunities to land big name players, the A’s are a team that has quietly been building in a solid unit since 2008.

Now as the 2011 season approaches, the A’s are looking more and more as if they are a contender in the American League.

In early February I wrote about the A's stadium frustration and that the time for MLB to make its recommendation is now.

Unfortunately, I do not have an update on any progress Lew Wolfe and company may or may not have made in persuading Bud Selig to release the findings of the blue-ribbon committee that he commissioned to make a recommendation on the Oakland Athletics stadium issue.

In articles such as this, many websites give readers a list of the best overall prospects at a given position, but the intention here is to focus on those prospects who are most likely to provide a significant fantasy impact during the 2011 season; thus, a guy like Red Sox SS prospect Jose Iglesias—who is blocked at the big league level by Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie—is not on my list.

Expectations are high for the 2011 Oakland Athletics as they get ready to report to Spring Training in Phoenix, preparing to hopefully bring the World Series trophy back across the Bay Bridge for the first time since 1989.

Pitchers and catchers report next week, which in theory means the biggest offseason moves have already been completed.

Billy Beane and the A's have already made a flurry of moves, from bolstering the bullpen, adding candidates for the fifth starter spot and adding pop to the lineup.

Lets take a look at the top seven moves made by Billy Beane and the A's so far this offseason.

Begin Slideshow

There are still plenty of players left on the free agent market that could improve a major league club. What if it was decided there would be a new expansion team? The team would have to assemble itself by whoever is left, and this is what I believe this team would look like. A team filled with former all-stars, and overlooked players.

Begin Slideshow

The A's first round pick of the 1996 draft, Eric Chavez made his professional debut with the Oakland Athletics on September 8, 1998 in a pinch-hit role against the Baltimore Orioles. Over the course of the next 13 seasons "Chavvy" would become the second longest continuous tenured player to wear an Oakland Athletic uniform.

It has been three months since the Giants won their first World Championship since their move to the Bay Area from New York, and not a day has gone by that I have not been reminded.

While the A's have been busy all off season and gearing up for a serious run at the American League pennant in 2011, the Bay Area continues to ignore the A's accomplishments in favor of their love-fest with the Giants.

Before I am labeled a Giants "hater" allow me to give you a little background.

We here at Baseball Professor think about our readers first and ourselves second—albeit a close second. That’s why we decided to reach out to other bloggers (who follow their respective teams more closely than we do) to give you a deeper look into the important issues every fantasy owner has to come to grips with this season.

After a very busy off season, the Oakland A’s are poised to make some noise in the American League this year, and for once they won’t go unnoticed. At least this is what the A’s are counting on.

The A’s busy off season has landed them star players through trades such as David DeJesus and Josh Willingham, to go along with free agent signings: Hideki Matsui, Grant Balfour, Brian Fuentes, Brandon McCarthy, and the return of Rich Harden.