I was surprised by the Swisher deal when I first heard about it, mainly because I think he's young enough, and still with plenty of years left for improvement, to have been the centerpiece of the rebuilding effort. He's a very good player, a great teammate, great in the community, and great with the media and fans. That's why I thought Swisher would be one of the few untouchables heading into the offseason.

The more I thought about the deal, however, the more sense it made. Like Dan Haren, Swisher was one of the precious few established, high-quality A's to get through 2007 without big-time injury issues, so like Haren, he was one of the precious few A's with big-time trade value. Joe Blanton and Mark Ellis fall into this category, too, although I'm doubting if Ellis will bring as much as Blanton will in a trade, and I'm not sure Blanton will bring as much as Swisher.

I know this trade hurts for the fans, and understandably so. If the Haren deal didn't make it clear that you were in for a long 2008, the Swisher deal certainly pounds the point home, as will what appear to be the inevitable trade of Blanton and maybe others (Huston Street, anyone?). But I've spoken to many people within the game about the deal and they all seem to think Beane did extremely well on this one.

Selfishly, as a baseball fan and as someone who covers the team, I don't like the trade because I like watching good players and I love dealing with Nick. Looking at it objectively, though, I think it was a pretty smart, albeit very bold, move by a smart and bold GM. Call me a house organ if you want, but I'm simply deferring to the knowledge of insiders who know a lot more about the business of baseball.

Just curious: How many e-mails have you gotten about the Swisher trade, and what percentage of them have been in favor of it?
-- Lance R., Tempe, Ariz.

I got 634 e-mails in the first 24 hours after the trade, and I've gotten about 100 each day since. I'd say the percentage of those in favor of the trade is at about 20 percent so far. Here's a couple of the e-mails I've received that represent the two schools of thought, the first accurately conveying the passion of those against the trade (popular refrain: "Beane has lost his mind!"), the second offering a look at the level of confidence some fans have in Beane's vision for the future.

These trades that Billy Beane is pulling now are starting to become ridiculous. I am the biggest A's fan you will find, but after I heard about Swisher being traded, I got sad -- then laughed. I thought to myself, "Well, it figures the A's would trade their best player." Swisher was young, and we traded him for three prospects. I just don't understand what this team or management is doing. The fan base is going to go way down. We're always known for bringing up big names, and we can never keep them. How do they ever expect to contend when we do this? First Marco Scutaro, Haren ... now Swish? Many A's fans I've talked to say they are going to be Giants fans now; better to be a fan of cheaters than have our hearts break when one of our favorite and best players gets traded. I would never be a Giants fan, but I will proudly wear a ChiSox Swisher shirt. This trade really angered me. Who's next?
-- Ashley A., Modesto, Calif.

I know that you will get thousands of dissenting e-mails regarding the recent trade of Swisher and the 2008 outlook for the A's, but I wanted to send an e-mail supporting the moves. Let's face it, we are all fans of a small-market team, and this is what small-market teams have to do. Until the A's can move into a new stadium or just plain move, we will forever have to watch star after star be traded away. Most likely the A's were not going to contend anyway, so this is the best option. Don't forget how the last "rebuilding" plan went: Mark Mulder for the possible 2008 Rookie of the Year in Barton, a No. 1 starter in Haren and, when healthy, one of the best setup men in the game in Kiko Calero. Billy knows what he is doing way more that the rest of us armchair quarterbacks, so I, for one, applaud the moves and will continue to root for the Green and Gold.
-- Mike H., Walnut Creek, Calif.

I'm guessing a lot of people are yelling at Mike via their computer screen right now about the Tim Hudson trade that came days before the Mulder deal. Not Beane's finest moment, to be sure. But Mike wasn't alone in saying he's keeping the faith.

OK, now back to this week's selected questions ...

Have a question about the A's? E-mail your query to MLB.com A's beat reporter Mychael Urban for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content. First Name, Last Initial: Hometown: Email Address: Question:

Why don't the A's just re-sign Shannon Stewart? Obviously we have no depth in the outfield at all, so we could make him an incentive-based offer. Why not get him back for some temporary help until Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney are completely ready?
-- Harbir D., Stockton, Calif.

I don't want to come off as crass, Harbir, but I think you're still in denial about the whole rebuilding thing. Given what Beane has been doing and saying, it just wouldn't make any sense to sign a soon-to-be 34-year-old outfielder for any amount of money. The A's are fully committed to going young. Way young. And the only way for the young players to develop is to play.

Also, why on earth would Stewart even want to sign with Oakland on the cheap at this point? Surely he could land that same incentives-laden deal with a contending team looking for a veteran fourth outfielder and look to work his way into a starting job the way he did with the A's, right?

If it makes you feel any better, Harbir, you're not alone. I'm still getting a lot of e-mail asking if the A's are interested in all kinds of unsigned veterans who don't make sense for a team in full-blown makeover mode. For instance: Mike Cameron and Bartolo Colon.

After Marco Scutaro was traded, you mentioned in a mailbag that you thought it was a precursor to acquiring another infielder. How's that crow taste?
-- Crazy Dave, Petaluma, Calif.

I don't think I've eaten any, and here's why: I was told by an organizational source at the time that the A's were indeed on the brink of adding a more established infielder, possibly to push Crosby at shortstop and, at the least, provide more experience than Donnie Murphy has as a utilityman. Those plans were scrapped shortly thereafter when the team started to realize how poor the overall health of the team still was and how likely this rebuilding process was going to be.

Are the A's having a FanFest this year? I've yet to hear such news. If yes, when? If no, why not?
-- Joey B., Oakland

Finally, a softball. Yes, Joey, there is a FanFest scheduled for this year. It's going to be held Saturday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at McAfee Coliseum. Click this link to get your tickets.

Happy New Year, everyone. We're now back on track with the every-Monday mailbag rotation, so keep the questions coming. I'll keep doing my best to keep you informed.

Oh, and here's a little breaking news: Beane recently added two more prospects without giving up anything. His wife delivered twins, a boy and a girl, over the weekend. Everyone is healthy and happy.