NewsInbox: Any trade discussions in the works?
Beat reporter Mychael Urban answers A's fans' questions
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
07/01/09 2:58 PM ET
With the Trade Deadline about a month away and the A's clearly non-contenders, which A's do you figure might be trade targets for other teams, and what do you think general manager Billy Beane will be looking for in return?-- James T., Mendocino, Calif.
Well, we all know that Matt Holliday is the center of great speculation, with the Cardinals as the team that seems hottest on Holliday's trail. He'd be a good fit with the Mets and Giants, too, but neither of those teams has what the A's appear to need most -- help on the left side of the infield.
A name that I haven't heard much trade talk about, but one I'm expecting to be brought up more frequently as the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches, is Orlando Cabrera. He's not having a great year, but you have to figure his experience and the fact that he's been through the pressure of a pennant race and the playoffs will make him attractive to legitimate contenders. Dumping him would save the A's some cash, and I've noticed that Bobby Crosby has been taking more ground balls at shortstop lately.
Adam Kennedy's experience, versatility and somewhat surprising success this season should make him the subject of a few phone calls, too. I also wouldn't be shocked if a team in need of bullpen help were willing to overlook Russ Springer's uneven season to this point and take a look at picking him up.
I'm a fantasy baseball player who likes to play hunches, and I have a hunch that Gio Gonzalez might be a nice, cheap pickup. Am I nuts?
-- Jonathan R., Burlingame, Calif.
Not at all. Gonzalez is going to be in the rotation for at least another turn or two, and if he shows even modest improvement from outing to outing, he'll stick.
I'm not sure what kind of league you're in, but Gio gets a lot of strikeouts, so there's value there, and I think he'll benefit from competing with -- and even learning from -- the rest of the young rotation.
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Who is your Oakland A's MVP for the first half and why?
-- Lawrence S., Phoenix, Ariz.
I have to go with Kurt Suzuki. He's been consistently productive at the plate, perhaps more so than any member of the team, and his work with a starting staff that features exactly zero pitchers with a full year of rotation experience has been an underrated aspect of the season thus far.
Do you think we'll see Tommy Everidge, Adrian Cardenas, Chris Carter and Sean Doolittle -- all of them, or any of them -- before the end of the year?
-- Kyle F., Modesto, Calif.
I do. I certainly have no idea when you'll see them, but I can't imagine Everidge and Doolittle not at least getting a look in September, and they might get a look much earlier if some of the aforementioned trades go down.
Doolittle has been on the Minor League disabled list with left knee tendinitis since May 10, but he's expected to start working his way back soon, and he's a definite comer. So is Everidge, who can play both corners and has been tearing it up at Triple-A Sacramento since being called up from Double-A Midland last month.
Cardenas is batting .344 at Midland and Carter is mashing Texas League pitching, but they're obviously a step further from The Show than Everidge and Doolittle. I expect them to see some time at Sacramento in the second half of the season and, if they shine there, they could be up in September as well.
To which player on the A's do you enjoy talking to the most?
-- Jamie R., Anaheim, Calif.
Nomar Garciaparra. I have more in common with him than I do with most guys on the team because we're both past our 35th birthday and have young children. Beyond that, I like chatting with him because he's very smart, very honest and he's seen so much over the course of his career.
Garciaparra has played in huge markets with huge stars, he's been a huge star himself, and he loves to talk baseball strategy. He has a very interesting background, too. Did you know he almost went to UCLA to play baseball, football and soccer? Did you know he didn't play shortstop until his senior year of high school? He was a catcher before that. I didn't know any of that stuff, and every random conversation with Nomar brings an interesting new nugget.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
