Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane has made it clear: The As will acquire a power hitter before the offseason is over.
We’ve heard that before.
Days after having a bid accepted for Japan’s premier pitcher, Hisashi Iwakuma, the Athletics have pulled the trigger for a bat in the lineup.
The burning question remains.
Why did they trade the highly clouted pitching prospect Vin Mazzaro for an outfielder with literally no power?
The answer can’t be found.
Vin Mazzaro has the ability to be a rotation ace and Billy Beane has really dropped the ball with this trade. Not to mention, the Athletics also dealt prospect pitcher Justin Marks.
Oakland has seen firsthand what happens to traded prospects. For example, see OF Carlos Gonzalez, who is now one of the league’s premier players for the Colorado Rockies. How did that happen? Oh yeah, Matt Holliday came to Oakland, so that wasn’t a bad deal.
Wait, Holliday is on the Cardinals? Oh, so that was a bad move?
As a bitter Athletics fan who has seen the likes of Nick Swisher, Eric Byres, Miguel Tejada, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson and Mark McGwire slip through the cracks, I am inclined to call this trade as stupid as it gets.
OK, I concede, McGwire might have been a fire sale. Maybe they found a syringe in the locker room.
Why didn’t Beane try for Tampa Bay Rays slugger Carlos Pena?
The search to bring in a power hitter is far from over, as Billy Beane told the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Beane said on a conference call that the team still plans to address its power needs via free agency or with trades. He said nothing will be ruled out except dealing starters Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden.”
Let’s see where Oakland goes with this. As of now, it seems like they are backpedaling a bit from their desperate power-hitting philosophy.
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