Oakland Athletics

The A’s acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff last offseason to fill the void that Eric Chavez would inevitably create.  After one season Kouzmanoff has worn out his welcome.

It is not as though “Kouz” has played so far below his career averages in Oakland, he has not, but the Oakland front office should have seen his numbers and known that he was not worth the money, even if he makes very little relative to the rest of the league.

As we close in on the start of the 2011 baseball season, one of the most fascinating players—in my opinion at least—is Brett Anderson of the Oakland Athletics.

I mean, where should this guy be drafted in fantasy leagues? He has elite potential, but Oakland's pedestrian offense will limit his win potential, and without dominating strikeout numbers he might only be a force in ERA and WHIP.

All in all 2010 was a great season—historic you could say! 

Pitchers were once again in control.  The average runs per game for each team in 2010 was nearly a run lower than in 2000 (5.39 compared to 4.44), and an enhanced drug policy enforcing a more regulated testing system has shown the fans that the game can be played clean.  

Right now the Oakland athletics are trying to establish a core of a winning team. They have already given two players multi-year contracts: Brett Anderson and Kurt Suzuki. Although they still have some cheap young players who haven't hit arbitration, I think they should continue to create a young core and give some players long contracts.

The Oakland A's have made some great moves so far this offseason, but they don't seem to be getting much recognition for it.  

While teams like the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals and others have been making large splashes by acquiring big name players, the A's have quietly had one of the best offseasons yet.  

Prior to making the offseason moves for Rich Harden and Brandon McCarthy, the Oakland Athletics already had the best pitching staff in the American League.  Their 3.56 team ERA ranked first in the AL last year and fourth in the big leagues behind San Francisco, San Diego and Atlanta.  The starting rotation stands to get better with another year of experience for young twenty-somethings Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez.

Rich Harden rejoined his former team, the Oakland Athletics on a 1 year deal. The contract is known to be worth $1.5 million.

Harden, now 29 years of age, started his major league career at 21 with the Athletics.

He looked like he would have a bright future as the ace of the team after his 1st full season, collecting 11 wins and an ERA just under 4.00 back in 2004

I don’t know if you noticed two things, but the Oakland A’s with their ragtag, no-name pitching staff and always-youthful roster somehow stumbled their way to an 81-81 (.500) record last season in the suddenly wide-open American League West.

When the Oakland A’s acquired Michael Taylor as part of the Roy Halladay trade (he had a quick stop in Toronto before being shipped to Oakland in exchange for Brett Wallace), they thought they were acquiring a future star outfielder. 

At 6′6″, 260 pounds, the A's expected Taylor's power to continue to develop (he had hit .320 with 20 HR and 84 RBI in 428 AB in ‘09), but instead they got a player who regressed further than anyone could have imagined.

As the 2010 season wound down, people like myself couldn't help but check the transaction wires around the league. The playoffs serve as a chance for some teams to be victorious, but for most, it's a chance to jump start their 2011 campaign.

In the following pages, I have outlined nearly every move that every club has made since their season ended.

Keep in mind, as the off-season progresses, so will this article. I will update it weekly, adding notes to every team with every new transaction or roster move.