Kuzul

Do not be fooled by the logjam in the American League Wild Card standings.

Although there are five teams within 2.5 games of each other for that Wild Card play in game, in reality this is about three teams: the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Tampa Bay Rays.

That is all you see on the sports networks; that is all you hear on the radio. 

Except there are still 38 games to play for the surprising Oakland A’s, who have managed to win in ways that would surprise even the most faithful fan, still just 0.5 games out of those standings. Like the other surprise team in this picture (Baltimore), the A’s face a daunting September schedule that looms as a potential derailment on the playoff train.

That said, the A’s fortunes will largely hinge on how much of a cushion they can give themselves as they embark on the next 16 games of their season.

Starting tonight against the Kansas City Royals, the A’s play four teams with a combined record of 30 games under .500 in 2012. Even though 10 of the 16 are away from the Coliseum, the A’s will have to win in double figures to position themselves for the playoffs.

Let’s start with the Royals.

At 49-65, it has been another long year for Kansas City. Some of their young talent in the field has not lived up to the hype (namely Eric Hosmer). But despite their record, they have played the A’s tough, splitting six games so far this year. With Jarrod Parker’s elongated rest between starts, Brandon McCarthy and Dan Straily pitching, the A’s have to get at least two in this series.

From Kansas City, Oakland comes home to face the slumping Cleveland Indians.

A surprise team earlier in the year, the Indians have faded quickly. Posting a record of 10-21 since the All-Star break, Cleveland has been relegated to playing out the string in 2012. The A’s play the Indians seven times between Aug. 17 and Aug. 30. The aim should be to win five games against a team that has sunk down the stretch.

The A’s host the Minnesota Twins from Aug. 20 to Aug. 22 in Oakland.

In many ways, the Twins were the team that jump started Oakland into postseason contention, as the A’s swept them at Target Field to begin the second half of 2012. That series was in stark contrast to the three-game sweep Minnesota gave the A’s during their nine game losing streak in late May.

The one constant between the two teams has been that Josh Willingham has bashed the A’s. So far, Willingham has hit five home runs in six games against his former team. Keeping him (somewhat) in check and getting to Minnesota’s weak starting rotation will be key. Two out of three games here should be a minimum, with a sweep being the ultimate aim.

Finally, the A’s will travel to St. Petersburg from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25 in a big three-game series against current Wild Card leader Tampa Bay.

The Rays took two of three from the A’s in Oakland as its starting pitching allowed a measly five runs in three games. The series is even at three games apiece, but Oakland will need to play well at Tropicana Field as that set sandwiches series between Cleveland and Minnesota. 

Ultimately, I feel the A’s will have to win 89 games to qualify for the postseason. I project that based on the number of teams still playing, the schedules of the other contenders and, ultimately, the schedule that awaits Oakland.

With that said, to have a reasonable chance to get to that figure, the A’s will have to win 11 of the next 16 games, thus putting their record at 72-58 going towards September.

While the team does have the benefit of playing every other contender, Oakland’s schedule is fourth toughest (.507 opponents win percentage), and they play 27 of the final 48 games on the road.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Brett Anderson had a bit of a coming-out party in 2010, though injuries didn’t allow him to fully put his talents on display. You can see by his numbers what could be possible:

Seven Wins
112.1 Innings
2.80 ERA
1.19 WHIP
75 Strikeouts (6.01 K/9)
22 Walks (1.76 BB/9)
.294 BABIP

It was problems with his elbow that caused him to miss significant time, but it is extremely hard to argue with the results. The most impressive number is probably his control, and that is something that is extremely realistic. In his rookie year, he posted a BB/9 of 2.31 (over 175.1 innings). Over his minor-league career, he’s at 1.88 over 244.2 innings.

Obviously, there is fear of a slight regression, but it certainly isn’t a big one. He has elite control, and that goes a long way toward helping Anderson post impressive WHIPs.

The next impressive feat is his ground-ball rate, which was at 54.6 percent after posting a 50.9 percent mark in his rookie campaign.

So he has great control and is a ground-ball pitcher who calls a pitcher’s park home. How much more do we need to know?

In fact, things get even more impressive. While he struggled with the strikeouts, the injury may have had an impact on that. In his rookie season, he posted a 7.70 K/9, and over his minor-league career he was at 9.60. The fact is there is a good chance he improves here, giving him the perfect trio of skills.

Yes, you can argue that he was slightly lucky with a 75.4 percent strand rate, but improved strikeouts are going to help to offset any regression there. The fact of the matter is Anderson brings the potential to excel in three key aspects of pitching, making him a pitcher we should all target on draft day.

Granted, pitching for the A’s may not give him a tremendous number of opportunities for wins. However, with the bullpen they have assembled (assuming the scare for Andrew Bailey is in fact nothing serious, as they are currently saying), he just needs to get them to the sixth inning with the lead and there is a great chance for victory.

You should have Bailey locking down the ninth. Before him, you have key free-agent imports Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour. Let’s not forget about names like Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow and others. Oakland’s bullpen has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best in the business. That turns the game from a nine-inning affair into a six-inning one.

My projection for Anderson in 2011:

180.0 IP, 14 W, 3.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 150 K (7.50 K/9), 40 BB (2.00 BB/9)

According to Mock Draft Central, Anderson currently has an ADP of 147.93. That’s the 15th round, making him a tremendous value. It’s hard to call him a sleeper, because we all know his name, but he is more than worth grabbing.

What are your thoughts on Anderson? How good do you think he can be? Is he a player you are targeting?

**** Make sure to order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here. ****

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 projections:

• Barmes, Clint
• Buchholz, Clay
• Butler, Billy
• Choo, Shin-Soo
• Drew, Stephen
• Ethier, Andre
• Freese, David
• Hudson, Tim
• Hughes, Phil
• Jaso, John
• Johnson, Chris
• Uggla, Dan
• Morrow, Brandon
• Phillips, Brandon
• Reyes, Jose
• Reynolds, Mark
• Rios, Alex
• Sanchez, Gaby
• Stanton, Mike
• Suzuki, Kurt
• Walker, Neil
• Wieters, Matt
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

I admit that if the Athletics had lost this game, I would probably have fallen into the crowd that says “well this is just spring training and doesn’t matter, we’ll get them in the regular season.” Thankfully, the A’s took care of business (and the Giants) today behind a solid pitching performance and plenty of support from the lineup beating the World Champion Giants, 6-0.

In his three innings of work, Brett Anderson gave up only one hit and one walk while striking out five. Anderson was followed by a scoreless inning from Joey Devine, two scoreless innings from Fernando Cabrera, an inning from Gabe DeHoyas, and a combined inning from Fautino De Los Santos and Brad Ziegler. Ziegler returned to the mound to shut down the Giants in the ninth.

On the offensive side, the A’s received contributions from Coco Crisp (1-3, two RBI), Daric Barton (1-3), Mark Ellis (1-3, one RBI), Eric Sogard (1-3) and Michael Choice (2-4).

The A’s got the scoring started in the first inning when Mark Ellis singed on a fly ball to San Francisco center fielder Aaron Rowand, scoring Coco Crisp. Oakland pushed two more runs across in the fifth inning on a Coco Crisp single to right fielder Nate Shierholtz, scoring Landon Powell and Michael Choice.

In the seventh inning, the A’s scored another run when Jai Miller scored as Josh Willingham reached base safely on an error by San Francisco left fielder Thomas Neal. Michael Taylor reached on another error by San Francisco in the seventh inning, scoring Josh Donadson to give Oakland a 6-0 lead.

Brett Anderson was credited with the win, improving to 1-1 in his spring appearances. Madison Bumgarner received the loss for the Giants, moving to 0-2, although he did not give up an earned run in his three innings of work.

The Giants allowed three unearned runs to the Athletics on four errors by Mark DeRosa, Miguel Tejada, Thomas Neal and Charlie Culbertson. Oakland had one error by left fielder Michael Choice.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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.

How did we get here in Anderson’s short career? Oakland’s top pitching prospect had a nice rookie season in 2009, finishing 11-11 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He showed a good ability to keep the ball down, inducing grounders on about half the balls put in play, and he walked very few batters (2.31 BB/9).

Those numbers made Anderson the 132nd player off draft boards last season on average, but injuries conspired to shorten his sophomore season. When the left-hander did take the mound, though, he was one of the most effective starters in the American League. His walk rate dropped, his ground ball rate climbed north of 50 percent, and Anderson found himself the owner of a nifty 2.80 ERA and 3.21 FIP.

While I expect Anderson to have one of the best ERAs in the American League this year, strikeout rates and Oakland’s offense will prevent him from reaching elite status this season.

The A’s have one of the game’s best bullpens and we can expect Anderson’s LOB percentage to be better than league average once again, but it will be difficult for him to win 15-plus games with the kind of run support we expect.

As for the strikeouts, Anderson’s K/9 fell to 6.07 last year and he’s allowing too much contact on pitches within the strike zone. Last season batters made contact with 93.5 percent of pitches Anderson threw in the strike zone and he induced swinging strikes just 6.3 percent of the time.

Cole Hamels, possibly Anderson’s closest comparison, allowed batters to make contact with just 83.6 percent of pitches in the strike zone and induced swinging strikes almost twice as often (11.9 percent). These numbers helped Hamels to 9.10 K/9.

2011 Fantasy Overview

Wins will continue to be Anderson’s Achilles heel, and without dominating strikeout numbers he will derive most of his value from what should be a top-notch ERA and WHIP. Increased strikeout rates are certainly a possibility, and improvement to the tune of 8.0 K/9 or higher isn’t out of the question. However, much higher than that is unlikely.

Fearless Forecast

 13-10 | 3.23 ERA | 1.17 WHIP | 180 K | 7.9 K/9 | 205 IP

For more 2011 fantasy baseball news and other player projections, check out Baseball Professor.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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.

With Dallas Braden sliding into the fourth slot, the fifth becomes an arms race between McCarthy, Harden, September call-up Bobby Cramer and the stirrup-clad Josh Outman, presumably sending the rest to an already solid bullpen.  McCarthy and Harden seem to be the front-runners to pitch every fifth day.  However, Josh Outman is an intriguing option as he pitched well in the first half of the 2009 season before Tommy John surgery shut him down prematurely.

The front-end of the rotation is set with Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill each returning with sub-three ERAs from 2010 and in Cahill’s case, all-star recognition.  Gio Gonzalez comes into the 2010 season not far behind them with his own 3.23 ERA and led the team with 171 strikeouts.  Beyond the stats, Gonzalez seemed to mature from an unquestioned talent to a quality starter in 2010.

Lest we forget, their likely least talented pitcher threw a perfect game last year.

Behind the great rotation is a bullpen not likely to give up too many leads, anchored by two-time all-star Andrew Bailey (25 saves and a 1.47 ERA in 2010) and solid setup men Michael Wuertz and Brad Zeigler.  It only gets stronger with the return of Joey Devine (0.59 ERA in 42 games in 2008) and whomever doesn’t make the opening day starting rotation.  Southpaws Craig Breslow and Jerry Blevins seem set to be the left-handed options out of the bullpen for Manager Bob Geren.  The two come into the 2011 season boasting mid-three ERAs each.

Questions certainly abound on the injury front.  Will Devine and Outman be fully recovered from serious surgeries?  Will Brett Anderson complete a full season?  How much does the pitcher-friendly ballpark in Oakland deflate the team’s ERA?  Is there any other AL pitching staff within sniffing distance of the A’s for these questions to matter?

There are quality staffs around the American League, but none that challenge Oakland.  The Tampa Bay Rays have an ace in David Price and two flame-throwers (Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano) in the bullpen but won’t dazzle you otherwise.

Have you heard that Cliff Lee no longer pitches for the Rangers?  C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis are solid but Texas still needs to fill out the rest of their rotation.

The front-end of the Red Sox rotation looks scary with Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester coming off great years.   John Lackey is a pitcher that everyone wants in their rotation and loves to pitch in big games.  Beyond those three, they have three potential starters with good track records but who struggled in 2010. Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka all had sub-standard years for the Sox.

The pitching staff for the A’s, combined with an upgraded lineup should have fans optimistic about the 2011 season.  They can now challenge the scary lineups in New York, Boston, Texas, Minnesota, etc.  After all, pitching wins championships.  The Giants just proved it.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The San Francisco Giants have just completed an improbable run to the playoffs which ended in a World Series victory.

The question sure to follow is who will be the Giants of 2011 and the answer is simple—it will be the Oakland Athletics.

The Giants made their run to the World Series on the strength of their pitching staff. Don’t look now, but the Athletics pitching staff is younger than the Giants’ and may be even better than theirs next season.

The Athletics pitching staff goes five men deep, and each one is capable of throwing a shutout, or in the case of Dallas Braden, a perfect game.

The rotation starts with their ace Trevor Cahill, who had a breakout season. He won 18 games while only losing eight games on a mediocre team. Many have questioned if Cahill is a one-year wonder because he relies on a hard sinker, but he is here to stay.

Cahill reminds me of a certain sinker-baller who has had a nice long career. Who is this mystery pitcher?

None other then Derek Lowe. He has made a career of firing his sinker into the strike zone in the upper 80s and low 90s. However, Lowe only possesses a slider to keep hitters off balance, while Cahill has an assortment of plus breaking pitches at his disposal whenever he needs them. 

Next in line is the pitcher who sparked a controversy and T-shirts made in his honor with the quote, “Get off my mound.”

Yes, it is Dallas Braden. By no means is Braden an elite pitcher. He is your average middle-of-the-rotation guy, but those types of pitchers are extremely valuable.

Braden does not throw overly hard and seems to throw more breaking pitchers than fastballs to compensate for his lack of velocity. Now this also reminds me of another pitcher, but who could it be?

I know, it is Jamie Moyer, who has carved out a major league career that has taken him to the age of 47. Braden has Moyer’s capability. He may never be an elite pitcher, but he can sure keep up the 3.50 ERA he compiled this season for years to come, making him an above-average pitcher in my book. 

The Athletics also possess a young lefty with one of the best breaking balls in the bigs. His name is Gio Gonzalez. It is hard to understand how Gonzalez has been traded numerous times already in his young career, but with a curve ball as good as his, he is on the verge of stardom. 

This past season, Gonzalez won 15 games while pitching a 3.23 ERA. He went over the 200-inning mark, which is the sign of a workhorse, and also compiled 171 strikeouts. His high strikeout numbers were no doubt caused by his sneaky fast delivery where the ball just pops up on the hitters.

Brett Anderson is another lefty member of the Athletics rotation. He has dealt with injuries the past few years, but possessing a mid-90s heater from the left side is never a bad thing. Anderson has the ability to be a premier strikeout pitcher in the bigs for years to come. Pitching to a 2.80 ERA isn’t too shabby either.

Last, but not least is a guy I believe has the ability to be the ace of the rotation in a few short years. He has some filthy movement on his fastball to go along with the velocity in which it travels to the plate. Vin Mazzaro is definitely an ace in the making. 

Mazzaro struggled this season, but his shutout against the Yankees proved to me that he is capable of performing on the big stage. The man has the same kind of movement which allowed another pitcher to compile a 20-strikeout gem this season.

Brandon Morrow was switched from the bullpen to the rotation on numerous occasions and once he reached the Jays, his career took off. 

Mazzaro could experience the same situation as early as next year. With these five talented pitchers on their staff, it should surprise no one if they dethrone the Rangers and take the American League West with ease.

Who knows, maybe they can follow in the Giants’ footsteps and prove the old adage true—you can never have enough pitching.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Expectations can be tricky things.

Often times, teams with high expectations fail to measure up, while squads without expectations do better than anticipated.  For the 2010 Athletics, the latter is true.

Without any considerable power threat on the roster (Jack Cust started the season at Triple-A), it was hard to imagine the non-explosive A’s coming close to .500 record.  With two games the left, Oakland is two wins away from finishing 81-81.  

No matter what happens the next two nights in Seattle, the Athletics’ brass must be pleased with the way the summer played out.

Oakland scored the fourth-fewest runs in the American League, was second-worst in total bases, and hit the second-fewest home runs.  

But the team was able to hover around the .500 mark for most of the season because of its pitching staff.  As one of the youngest staffs in all of baseball, the A’s have the lowest team ERA in the AL (3.57).  They did it largely without two of their top starters heading into the season, Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer.

No one had questioned whether or not the team had built a foundation for a strong staff, but not many outside the organization believed its young arms would be this good this quickly.

Trevor Cahill pitched his way into the role of the team’s ace with his outstanding season in 2010.  The sinkerballer showed flashes during last year’s rookie campaign but was unable to consistently locate his pitches.  In 2009 Cahill gave up 27 home runs while compiling a 4.63 ERA. 

This season the 22-year-old right-hander only let 19 balls leave the yard, strung together a 2.97 ERA, and won 18 games. 

Brett Anderson managed only 18 starts, but still pitched well and lowered his 2010 ERA (2.91) by more than a run from his 2009 mark (4.06).  When healthy, he could have the best stuff of any left-handed starter in baseball.  But he’ll have to prove that he can stay healthy over the course of an entire season. 

Like Cahill, Anderson is 22 years old.

The advantage the starting staff is the different look each pitcher provides.  Cahill can dominate with his sinker, Anderson’s a true power arm with four plus pitches, Gio Gonzalez was praised by Torri Hunter as having the best left-handed curve in baseball, and Dallas Braden’s bulldog mentality allows him to be successful with less than dominating stuff.

Those four starters are good enough to win a pennant if healthy.  If Vin Mazzaro can make the jump next season like his counterparts did in 2010, the A’s should have far and away the best pitching staff in baseball.

Owner Lew Wolff and GM Billy Beane have both pledged to make the offense better in 2011.  Whether it comes from inside the organization, through free-agency or trades, the team could very well find itself back as a contender for an AL West crown this time next year.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In a lot of ways, the Oakland Athletics have already had a very successful 2010.

The campaign isn’t over by any means—with more than 50 games yet to be played, anything and everything can still happen.

However, the A’s sit nine and a half games off the American League West pace set by the division-leading Texas Rangers. With the Texas in town for the weekend, they have a chance to shave some of that margin and they’d better.

Because they’re even further behind in the AL Wild Card race.

Granted, with the juggernauts out in the AL East, the playoff side door was probably never a realistic option.

Nah–it’s the pennant or bust.

Since the Rangers look to have a pretty firm grasp on the flag, Oakland’s hopes for contention are dwindling with every nine innings.

Nevertheless, the Elephants have shown a lot of pluck and resiliency over the course of the season. They started behind the eight-ball due to a minuscule payroll and then had their plight compounded by Lady Luck, who gave them only two flavors—bad and rotten.

Even so, the Green and Gold are treading water and posted a respectable 14-10 record in July, which was fourth-best in the Junior Circuit.

More importantly, there are plenty of silver linings that should give the franchise and its fanbase hope for the immediate future.

Begin Slideshow

It’s a little too soon to think about the offseason, but with the injuries mounting for the Oakland A’s it’s only a matter of time before the rosters expand. Then the A’s will be  looking at what the roster maybe like for the 2011 season. 

With that being said what players are likely to stay? What players are likely going to be gone? I’ll start with the infielders and finish with the relief pitchers. 

The catcher position is the most stable position for the A’s with Kurt Suzuki signing a four year contract extension. Landon Powell is a solid backup behind Suzuki, he was behind the plate when Dallas Braden’s threw his perfect game. 

At first base this is where it gets interesting especially if the A’s aren’t in striking distance of the Texas Rangers. It’s almost certain that Chris Carter will be called up when the rosters expand to 40. 

Carter is the future of the A’s and is the power bat the A’s have been desperately seeking since Frank Thomas left as a free agent after the 2006 season. The problem is that the A’s have Daric Barton at first base. 

Which, could mean that Barton’s expendable or that he’s going to be asked to switch positions either to third base which he has some experience playing when he was in the minors or to the outfield. 

Second base Ellis should remain the starter, he doesn’t strike out much, can hit for power and is outstanding on defense. 

For shortstop the job still remains Cliff Pennington as the A’s really don’t have much depth at the position. 

Kevin Kouzmanoff’s at third base is a great defensive third basemen, but isn’t truly a middle of the order hitter which the A’s need. The A’s could certainly send him in a package deal in the offseason. 

A player that will likely remain on the A’s roster for his versatility and his hustle is Adam Rosales who played in the outfield and all four infield spots.

In left field for the A’s Rajai Davis will continue to split time at all three positions, his speed is a definite boost to the club and he’s been rather durable since arriving in Oakland. 

Coco Crisp in center signed only a one year contract with a club option, but the A’s will more than likely buy out his contract and hope to sign him for less or if he decides to go somewhere else Davis could return to his more natural position of center field. 

In right field is Ryan Sweeney who should be recovered from his knee injury could still be out of a job. With Michael Taylor starting to hit in Sacramento, Sweeney could be traded in the offseason depending on his health. 

Backup outfielders include Matt Watson, Matt Carson, Gabe Gross, and Jack Cust. Out of the four only Cust should remain with the A’s especially if Carter and Taylor can show they can hit at the Major League level once they are called up. 

The starting rotation will be interesting thanks to a plethora of young talent for the A’s. 

Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill will be at the top of the rotation, Dallas Braden will be third, Gio Gonzalez fourth, and Vin Mazzaro fifth. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some trades involving the A’s young pitching. 

In my opinion Gonzalez and Mazarro are expendable and either one could be used in a trade involving Barton, Sweeney, or Kouzmanoff. For the A’s in Sacramento there’s Clayton Mortenson and Tyson Ross, but more importantly coming back from injury is Josh Outman. 

What was supposed to be the strength of the A’s in 2010 was the bullpen, but instead it was a weakness. Michael Wuertz struggled and I could see him being traded during the offseason. Jerry Blevins had been struggling but has been better as of late, Brad Ziegler continues to struggle and could be moved as well. 

Relievers like Cedric Bowers, Henry Rodriguez, and Ross Wolf need to start being used a little bit more as the season progresses to build up their confidence and show what they can do at the big league level. 

Bowers is 32 years of age but since he’s left handed he has a fit in the Majors, Rodriguez is the youngest he has a dominating fastball he needs to work on locating his offspeed pitches, and Wolf is 27 with not much experience yet. 

Andrew Bailey and Craig Breslow have been the only consistent relievers the A’s have had all year. 

Rodriguez should be a setup man in 2011 if he can find his command, Bowers will more than likely begin the year in Sacramento, same can be said for Wolf. Coming back from injury Joey Devine who will find a spot in the bullpen. 

Looking at the players currently on the disabled list. Eric Chavez should retire, Travis Buck will either be released or find his way back to the minors, Conor Jackson should be with the A’s in 2011 as a fourth outfielder and backup first basemen, John Meloan will begin in Sacramento, Justin Duchscherer will be released, and Ben Sheets will not be resigned either. 

So, the players likely staying for the A’s are Suzuki, Powell, Ellis, Pennington, Rosales, Davis, Jackson, Bowers, Rodriguez, Wolf, Bailey, and Breslow. 

Likely out include: Barton, Crisp, Gonzalez, Mazarro, Wuertz, Ziegler, Buck, Chavez, Duchscherer, and Sheets.

Coming back from injuries: Devine, Outman, and Sweney.

What will be interesting is if the A’s do make any trades during the offseason and what kind of players will they get in return.

Here’s what a possible lineup for the A’s could look like for next year:

1. Davis, CF

2. Jackson, LF

3. Taylor, RF

4. Carter, 1B

5. Suzuki, C

6. Cust, DH

7. Barton, 3B

8. Ellis, 2B

9. Pennington, SS

Utility:

1. Rosales

2. Powell

3. Corey Wimberly

4. Carson

The Starting rotation would look like this:

1. Anderson

2. Cahill

3. Braden

4. Mortenson

5. Outman/Ross

Relivers: 

1. Bowers

2. Blevins

3. Jon Hunton

4. Devine

5. Rodriguez

6. Breslow

7. Bailey 

This lineup doesn’t take into account free agency or who the A’s could possibly get in a trade, so the offseason for the A’s could be big because they have plenty of young pitching talent and a few players that could attract some interest. 

But, the biggest fix of all for A’s fans should be the firing of Bob Geren and hitting coach Jim Skaalen. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Cliff Lee to the Yankees! Prince Fielder to the Giants! Dan Haren to the Cardinals! Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox!

As the 2010 Trade Deadline approaches—and speculation runs rampant regarding this year’s potential blockbuster deals—we should temper the frenzy by revisiting the decade’s biggest blockbuster busts.

Every fan hopes his team’s general manager will venture into the trade market and go all-in on a mammoth bat or a top-of-the-rotation ace—a difference maker who will carry his team to the playoff promised land.

Yet, as many of these monster trades successfully shift the balance of power and launch the buyers on a powerful postseason run, just as many prove impotent and meaningless.

An aging star fails to produce. A rising star has already reached his zenith. Prospects hastily dealt today mature into the All Stars of tomorrow.

Woe to the team that deals away a future MVP for an early exit in the division series. Woe to the general manager that mortgages his franchise’s future for a late-season rental who just can’t deliver.

These are the 5 Biggest Blockbuster Busts of the Decade.

Begin Slideshow