2013 AL Preview: AL West

And Finally, the last of our AL Previews here at the Bay Area Sports Journal, fittingly finishing in the AL West, which I think will be the most competitive division in the American League. There's the newly stocked out Angels, but the Rangers aren't going anywhere yet, even without Hamilton, and of course the A's are always good for a surprise run, especially with that pitching staff.

1st Place, Los Angeles Angels

LF Mike Trout
SS Erik Aybar
1B Albert Pujols
LF Josh Hamilton
DH Mark Trumbo
2B Howie Kendrick
C Chris Ianetta
3B Alberto Callaspo
CF Peter Bourjos

RHP Jered Weaver
LHP C.J. Wilson
RHP Tommy Hanson
LHP Jason Vargas
RHP Joe Blanton
SU: Ernesto Frieri
CL: Ryan Madson

The Angels have it all when it comes to that lineup: speed, average, power and consistency. They have the right mixture of youth (Trout, Bourjos, Trumbo) and players in their prime (Pujols, Hamilton, Kendrick) to be serious World Series contenders. Their pitching staff should be a strength too, once Tommy Hanson figures out the AL. The one question I have with them lies in their bullpen. They're banking on the return of Ryan Madson who missed all of 2012, or the young Frieri kid to close out games for them, and they need one of them to succeed. They have enough talent in that lineup though, and enough solid starting pitchers to help overcome the bullpen weakness though, and should win 95 games.

2nd Place, Oakland Athletics (AL Wild Card)

CF Coco Crisp
2B Jemile Weeks
LF Yoenis Cespedes
DH Josh Reddick
SS Jed Lowrie 
1B Brandon Moss
RF Chris Young
3B Scott Sizemore
C John Jaso

LHP Brett Anderson
RHP Jarrod Parker
LHP Tommy Millone
RHP A.J. Griffin
RHP Bartolo Colon
SU: Ryan Cook
CL: Grant Balfour

I just really like the make-up of this young A's squad. They play hard, sound baseball and utilize the solid pitching they get. They don't have a lineup that will overwhelm you, but they have speed and guys that can get on base and cause some havoc. I think a huge key for them will be Jemile Weeks, who showed in his rookie year he can be an All-Star level player when he's right. Cespedes has MVP potential and Josh Reddick is just tapping into his abilities, so this team will only get better. That young staff will also rival any ones in the game, especially if Anderson is on like he was after returning last season. With good health and continued growth, the A's should definitely lock down one of the AL Wild Card spots.

3rd Place, Texas Rangers

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
LF David Murphy
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Mitch Moreland
CF Craig Gentry

RHP Yu Darvish
LHP Matt Harrison
LHP Derek Holland
RHP Alexi Ogando
RHP Colby Lewis*
SU: Jason Frasor
CL: Joe Nathan

I'm sorry, but you can't replace Josh Hamilton with Lance Berkman and expect to be the same team you where the last 3 seasons. The team that repped the AL in the 2010 and 2011 World Series needs to rebuild that lineup a little bit, and not try and patch together aging vets like Bekrman and Pierzynski to try and fill the void. I love Darvish as their ace, but the rest of that rotation is under-whelming, and the bullpen is hardly one of the premiere ones in the league. The Rangers are in for a drop off this year, but still have enough offense to stay competitive. It wouldn't surprise me if they finish right around .500.

4th Place, Seattle Mariners

2B Dustin Ackley
3B Kyle Seager
DH Kendrys Morales
LF Michael Morse
C Jesus Montero
1B Justin Smoak
RF Michael Saunders
CF Franklin Gutierrez
SS Brendan Ryan

RHP Felix Hernandez
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma
LHP Joe Saunders
RHP Erasmo Ramirez
RHP Jon Garland
SU: Charlie Furbish
CL: Tom Wilhelmsen

I like what the Mariners have done with their lineup, now they just need those number one picks Ackley and Smoak to start playing like the guys they were drafted to be. If that happens, the M's should be able to put runs on the board. It's keeping opposing teams off the board is what will be their biggest challenge. Their rotation after King Felix could be one of the worst in baseball, and their bullpen is stocked with young, unproven guys who will be learning on the go. I know Seattle fans would hate them for it, but I think now is the time to cash in on Hernandez and turn him into 2-3 legit, big time prospects. They probably won't ever win with Felix in his prime and could use a few good young arms to help balance out that pitching staff.

5th Place, Houston Astros

2B Jose Altuve
SS Tyler Green
LF Chris Carter
DH Carlos Pena
1B Brett Wallace
RF Rick Ankiel
3B Matt Dominguez
CF Justin Maxwell
C Jason Castro

RHP Bud Norris
RHP Lucas Harrell
RHP Jordan Lyles
RHP Phillip Humber
LHP Erik Bedard
SU: Wesley Wright
CL: Jose Veras

The newcomers to the AL may very well end up in the cellar of not only the AL West, but the entire American League. Heck, they could be the worst team in baseball. Their lineup is half full of players who'd be AAA'ers on most competitive squads, and their bullpen has more holes than Swiss cheese. Surprisingly, their rotation has some guys with potential (Norris, Lyles, Humber), but this is still a team well within the grasp of 100 losses.

Bay Area Sports Notes

There's been a lot going on around the Bay Area Pro Sports scene the last week, and we figured we do sort of a bullet point on each team to catch up.

Giants: Obviously, we've posted here since the Giants won the Series in Detroit last month, but that hasn't stopped them from jumping right into the fire in terms of putting next years team together. They announced last week that they will tender Hunter Pence a contract for 2013, his final year under team control, and they just signed Jeremy Affeldt to a new 3-year, $18 million deal. They're also discussing a deal with Marco Scutaro and have optimism on that front. They still have big decisions regarding Angel Pagan, Brian Wilson and the infamous Melky Cabrera.

A's: There's really nothing big to report here. I doubt the A's will be much of a player in free agency, besides attempting to bring back Grant Balfour. They already severed ties with Stephen Drew, and probably won't be able to compete to keep Brandon McCarthy in town. They'll once again rely on upcoming talent and maybe a few mid-low level free agent signings they hope they strike gold on (a la Johnny Gomes in '12). Then again, after the season they just had, Beane could surprise us and go make a splash this winter. We'll certainly be keeping tabs on them in the upcoming months.

49ers: Well, we've been covering mostly 49ers news here for the better part of the last two months, but there have been some new developments over the last week-plus. Mainly the pitiful meaningless game we all saw them play vs. St. Louis this last weekend. For some reason, David Akers can't hit the broad side of a barn all of the sudden, and Alex Smith's health is now in question after suffering a concussion early on in the game. That brings up point number two, which we'll discuss more in the coming weeks. It looks like Colin Kaepernick will get the nod this Sunday, and if he puts up big numbers, do the 49ers stick with him even when Smith is healthy enough to go? We know what Smith can do, but Kaep has shown glimpses of having both Andrew Luck and RGIII skill sets. He's still a little raw on decision making, but pretty impressive overall.

Raiders: Well, like with their fellow Oakland counterparts, there's not much new to report here other than the Raiders suffering through another sub-par season. They've had their moments in some games when Carson Palmer has carried the team, but DMC has been a major dissapointment in his first year as full-time back, and that defense is still having trouble stopping anyone. On the bright side, Brandon Myers looks legit at tight end, and Heyward-Bay and Moore look to be rounding into form at wideout.

Warriors: Last, but certainly not least are the Golden State Warriors. The 'Dubs have had an up and down first two weeks to 2012-13, and a big part of what happens next lies in the health of Andrew Bogut. The big man has been sit down for the next week-plus as he tries to regain strength in that repaired ankle of his. If it takes a week, or three, the W's need to be patient with him. As long as he's healthy and able to play 30 minutes by mid-December, the Dubs should be fine. We've seen how good they can be with a injured Bogut, so imagine what they can do with a healthy one. On the positive, Steph Curry looks to be in great shape and showing no ill-effects with his ankle problems... Finally, Harrison Barnes has been a little slow to come along here early on. Hopefully he steps up as the W's need him more than ever without Brandon Rush.

A's, Giants Ready for Division Series

It's been a long time coming, but the Giants and the A's are once again in the playoffs together and the Bay Area is right in the heart of the MLB Postseason.

The Giants wrapped up their division almost 2 weeks ago, as they hit their surge in August and just ran away with the NL West. For the A's though, it was a longer trek, but it payed off handsomely. First off, up until a few weeks ago, everybody counted Oakland out not just in their division, but the AL Wild Card race as well saying their youth would eventually catch up with them. But much like the Giants did in 2010, the A's just kept getting better and better down the stretch and clinched a wild card spot before overtaking their division on the final day of the season. It capped off an memorable run, as the A's held first place in the AL West for just one day in 2012, but luckily for them, it was the only day that mattered. Now, instead of having to play for their playoff fate in a one-game elimination, the A's will face off with the Detroit Tigers in the best-of-five ALDS, and the A's will have to once again prove they're not just a bunch of kids in over their heads. With the way they've been playing though, I don't think anyone is really counting them out. They have the pitching to help carry them to the finish line, but there is still some question marks surrounding their offense and ability to generate runs without the long ball. The key for them vs. the veteran Detroit bunch will be to ride their energy and keep playing like they have something to prove.

Across the Bay, the Giants haven't played a real meaningful game in weeks, but have their big series with Cincinnati set to start up Saturday night at AT&T Park. For San Francisco, the expectations are much higher, as their fans aren't just happy making it to the dance, they want another tittle. While the Reds are a pretty well balanced squad, their strength lies in their lineup and especially the power department. Obviously, the Giants strength lies in their pitching staff, so this could be another series very similar to the 2010 World Series when the Giants knocked off the Rangers. The Giants will send out their two most consistent arms from this season in Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner and those two have to set the tone for the series. If the Reds come out swinging and put runs up early, it's going to be a tough hole for the Giants to climb out of cause Cinci isn't just an offensive juggernaut. They can pitch too. If Cainer and Bumgarner can throw their typical 7 strong innings and keep the Reds offense to 3 runs or less, then the Giants are going to be in good shape... We'll have more In-depth and day-to-day Giants coverage, over at our Giants Baseball Blog.

Could 2012 be another Bay Bridge Series? Only time will tell, but both these teams are peaking and neither will be tough to knock off.

Giants Add Pence, A's Stand Pat

Both the A's and the Giants had rumors swirling around them Tuesday before the trade deadline, but only the Giants were able to make a move to improve their chances at reaching and being competitive in the postseason.

Hunter Pence Coming to Town

After seeing their offense wilt over the weekend vs. the Dodgers, it was clear the Giants needed a boost. They got just that Tuesday, sending young catching prospect Tommy Joseph, Nate Schierholtz and an minor league arm to Philly for the guy I think was the best bat in this trade market, Hunter Pence. The thing I really like about this move is it's not a half season rental. Pence will be around for 2013 and could give the Giants a good security blanket in case they can't re-sign Melky Cabrera this winter. He's going to come right in and hit in the middle of the order and should provide a huge boost to the sputtering offense. Giving up Joseph certainly isn't easy to do, but the one area the Giants are pretty deep at is catcher so that was the area of strength to deal from. With the Dodgers improving left and right (adding Brandon League and Shane Victorino), it was inevitable the Giants would try and answer for a splash of their own. I'm just glad they aren't needing to part with a slew of prospects in order to get to get it done.

The A's just finished their best July in club history, so it's not like they were desperate to make a move, but apparently they were trying. They entered last month as a team likely to sell off veteran players but their surge over the last 30 days changed Billy Beane's thinking. I just don't think the A's are legit contenders yet though, even with their solid play of late. The Angels got a whole lot better before the deadline and both them and the Rangers are much deeper than Oakland. I said in our post previewing the trade deadline that the biggest roster moves for Oakland would be when they get Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson back, but it's too bad they couldn't add that big hitter they needed.

Trade Deadline Analysis: Athletics

Last week, we talked about what the Giants will be doing as we approach the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. Today, we'll take a look at the A's who, surprisingly, should be looking to "buy" this year.

Marco Scutaro

There has been no shortage of Oakland A's hype across the Bay Area and even on the internet lately, and it peaked after their four-game sweep of the Yankees this weekend. For people who thought the A's were jokes, that weekend beat down of New York certainly changed their perspective. It seems like every year the A's put together a run like this one, but ultimately fade out towards the end of the year, but this team is showing no signs of slowing down. They've made so much noise in July that even their fans are starting to expect GM Billy Beane to make a move or two to help this team out for their second half surge. The general consensus around baseball is that the A's, like their cross-bay rivals, will be scouring the market for serviceable bats this summer. The problem with the A's situation right now though, is they need a shortstop badly, and could use another 3rd basemen as well. They could look into a second-tier guy like Marco Scutaro, but teams just aren't looking to make deals this summer and definitely not good, useful shortstops.

Carlos Ruiz

With the extra wild card team coming into play this year, only a handful of teams are legitimately out of contention right now, and the teams that are out, don't really matchup with Oakland's needs. The A's have the resources in terms of young talented players in their system to deal, but is there a guy worth breaking the bank for? I don't think so. Catcher is another spot the A's are currently below league average, and could definitely use an upgrade and Carlos Ruiz would be a great add. He's also the top catcher on the market right now and will likely take a bidding war to acquire. Again, much like with San Francisco, I have a hard time seeing them doing anything each shattering between now and the 31st. Their biggest move could come within when a couple of their own players get healthy and make their anticipated return next month. Opening Day starter Brandon McCarthy, and ace Brett Anderson, are each a few weeks out (barring setbacks) and the A's are expecting both ready by August. Oakland's starters have been solid, but Brett Anderson is their most talented arm and will provide a huge boost.

Things could start to pick up now on the trade front with Ichiro Suzuki being shipped to New York Monday. Usually it just takes one to get the ball rolling, and even though I'm not expecting a plethora of moves this year by anyone, I do have a feeling both the A's and Giants will do something to help themselves, so stay tuned!

Giants Send 4 to All-Star Game, A's Get One

It's been a while since the Giants had three starters in an All-Star game, but that's exactly what they'll have at the annual mid-summer classic in Kansas City.

Posey Led NL in Votes

Pablo Sandoval was voted in as the starting 3rd basemen, Buster Posey as the starting catcher and Melky Cabrera as a starting outfielder. Those names really shouldn't surprise anyone, as they were at the top of the voting at their respective positions for a while now, but the one that does kind of surprise me is Pablo Sandoval. He's been solid when he's been out there, but to miss a month in the first half and still get voted in takes some help on the fans behalf. Melky was leading the league in hitting for a good portion of the first half and certainly deserved the nod, so it was good to see the fans show up late and help get him in. Buster has been the leading catcher for the NL since balloting opened up (finishing with an NL-high 7.6M votes) so he'll be attending his first career All-Star game as a starter. The big surprise to me though, was that Tony LaRussa didn't pick any other Giants pitchers to join Matt Cain. Matty became very much a potential starter for the NL after his perfect game last month, but I'd say both Bumgarner and Vogelsong were deserving as well as Sergio Romo and possibly even Santiago Casilla.


Across the bay, the A's have had an up and down season with a lot of injuries, and will be sending just Ryan Cook, their new young closer to Kansas City for Tuesday's game. Cook has become the A's most dependable bullpen arm, and has a 1.46 ERA and 0.92 WHIP heading into the break. He's also closed out 8 of 11 save attempts and sports a strikeout ratio of a batter per inning. Still, this selection really surprised me. I only expected the A's to send one player to the All-Star game, but I thought it would have been Josh Reddick, who enters the break hitting .265 with 20 HR's, 42 RBI and 8 stolen bases. Not that Cook hasn't been deserving, but he's a rookie with a half-year of experience while Reddick is on pace for about 40 jacks!

A's Get a Little of Everything in the Draft

We talked a bit about the top Giants draftees over at The Giants Baseball Blog a few days ago, and today, I wanted to talk a bit about the A's top picks, as they had a few first round/compensation selections and looked to have cashed in.

As always, you never quite know what you get in the MLB Draft until the players take the field and start playing for their respective organizations, but the A's had 5 picks in the top-100, and used them wisely. Here's a brief player capsule on each of their 5 five picks.

Russell Can Do It All

#11) Addison Russell, 3B; Pace HS, FLA: Russell was one of the top-3 prep bats to come out in this years class, and since the A's have had trouble producing quality hitters in recent years, it really didn't surprise me that they took a stick with their top overall pick. Russell is a very good athlete who played short in high school, but most believe his future is at 3rd base. He's got the bat for it, and he's a plus defender with a cannon arm. He kind of reminds me a bit of Pablo Sandoval with his size, and his ability to hit everything in the strike zone. One thing the A's will work with him on is being patient and staying back, but this kid looks like the real deal and the A's have to be ecstatic with this selection. He's just 18, so he's probably got a few years of seasoning to do before being big league ready, but he's got the tools to move through Oakland's system quickly.

#34) Daniel Robertson, SS; Upland HS, CA: Again, the A's had a clear need to add some potential starting MLB bats in this draft, and they did just that with both Russell, and their 2nd pick, Robertson. Both Robertson and Russell played SS in high school, but Robertson has more of a chance to stick there as a pro. He's got the intangibles you look for in a shortstop, plus he was one of the best prep hitters in the draft. He's not as powerful as Russell, but you won't find too many prep bats that hit for a better average and played as important role for his team than Robertson. A lot of scouts had him going in the first round, so it's almost like the A's came out with two first round infielders with these top-two selections.


#47) Matt Olson, 1B; Parkview HS, GA: Olson was both an impact hitter and pitcher in high school in Georgia, but he was drafted with the intent on making him a first basemen. He's got a smooth left-handed stroke which the ball just jumps off of. He's got the ability to hit for plus power at the next level and should carry a decent average with it. This one was a bit surprising, as he wasn't even in a lot of the top-100 prospect lists, but after doing some research, I can see why the A's like the 6'4" 235 pound slugger.

#62) Bruce Maxwell, C; Birmingham Southern: This was the real head-scratcher for me. There were a lot of nice prospects on the board, better catchers even, but the A's obviously liked something about Maxwell. He's a good receiver and a terrific defender, but it seems like his defensive skills may be ahead of his hitting right now. Again, I don't know enough about him to deem this a bad pick, but at 62, you'd expect to get someone with a little more clout and track record, however, they really made up for it with their 5th selection.

Sanburn a Possible Ace Closer!

#74) Nolan Sanburn, RHP, Arkansas: The A's got lucky with this one here. Sanburn was one of the higher thought off relievers in this draft, and many thought he'd come off the board in the first round. He had success as closer for Arkansas, and I doubt the A's have plans on moving him from the bullpen. His fastball sits in the mid-90's with regularity with the ability to add a few mph when needed. Plus, with two college seasons under his belt, and being a relief pitcher, he appears to be the pick with the quickest track to the bigs. The A's dealt their star young closer Andrew Bailey before the season, and they've likely found his long-term replacement in this touted flame-thrower. 

Giants, A's Notes

The Giants have had had some mixed results on their current road trip so far, with their ace continuing to struggle, but their offense staying surprisingly efficient. At the same time, the A's are going through much of the same, only their offense and their pitching have both hit the skids at the same time and they're in the midst of a decent losing streak.

Lincecum's ERA: 6.46

After Thursday's blowout win in Miami, and the Giants taking an early lead in Friday's game as well, it's been all down hill. Lincecum started out the game pretty nicely, going into the 6th with a 3-1 lead, just what he needed to take some pressure off. However, like he has so often the last month, he came unraveled in the 6th inning, surrendering 5 earned runs, never to make it out of that horrendous 6th. It seems like it keeps on being one huge inning in which Timmy just losses everything, command to the zone and perhaps most importantly, confidence. You can read it in his body language that the dude is just not in sync out there right now. I mean, he was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Friday, looking brilliant through 5 innings, then out of nowhere just melting down. It was his 5th consecutive start in which he didn't earn the coveted "quality start" tag, and it seems like it's just getting worse for the right-hander, with his ERA now at a career low for this deep in a season at 6.46. His bad luck rubbed off on Madison Bumgarner Saturday, and the Giants star lefty has yet record a victory since May 5th. Now, Bumgarner is throwing a whole lot better than Lincecum currently is, but he typically thrives in games after tough Giants losses, and it was tough to watch him get lit up a bit by the fish. His ERA rose up over 3.00 for the first time since April 23rd, and his record is now 5-4 after starting the season 5-1. To Bumgarner's credit though, he's had some tough luck, most recently his last start in Milwaukee in which he was brilliant but didn't get any offensive or defensive support, and Timmy can't really say the same thing. Am I worried about him yet? Absolutely not! But I also don't think this team is a playoff contender with Lincecum throwing the way he is... On a positive note for the Giants though, their offense continues to thrive, especially their outfielders who are hitting a combined .337.

Reddick's 12th HR of Year

Across the bay in Oakland, the A's have come back down to Earth lately after playing a real nice stretch of baseball in late April/early May. They've lost 4 straight and have fallen 3 games below .500 and 7 games back of the West-leading Rangers. They're struggling both at the plate and on the mound, but the one guy who's been a diamond in the rough for this team and another brilliant find by Billy Beane has been rightfielder Josh Reddick. Despite the A's offensive struggles at the top of the lineup with Rickie Weeks, Reddick has put up some very impressive numbers, sporting a .272/12/26 line heading into action Sunday. Reddick leads the A's in all three categories, and has picked up the slack for a slumping Yeonis Cespedes who's been stuck on the DL for 20 days now and still doesn't have a clear return date. The A's pitching has stayed pretty steady, but without Cespedes and still without Manny Ramirez, this team's offense has really taken a hit. I mean, when your leading hitter is hitting .272 and your next best is at .250, they should be pretty grateful to be as close to .500 as they are. Tommy Millone has been a breakout star on the mound and Brandon McCarthy is looking like the ace the A's want him to become, but they have to hit to win games, especially in the AL.

Youngsters Keeping A's Relevant

If you would have told me in Spring Training that in May, the A's would have a better record than the Giants, I would have called you crazy, yet here we sit, 5 days into the month, and low and behold, the A's are playing better than their cross-bay rivals.

Best FA Deal of Offseason?

The reason why they aren't struggling the way people envisioned heading into the seasons is because Cuban star Yeonis Cespedes has had very little difficulty in translating his Cuban success into success in the Majors. He leads Oakland with 5 jacks and 20 RBI and has played a strong center field. Also, the guy who flanks him to his left, right-fielder Josh Reddick, has been all the A's could have hoped for as one of the main cogs of the Andrew Bailey-to-Boston deal. He's hitting .270 with 4 HR and a couple of steals and has come up with big hit after big hit early on for Oakland. At the same time, the A's have gotten nearly nothing out of leadoff man and expected offensive catalyst Rickie Weeks. The guy who was supposed to be this team's Ichiro has started off 2012 ridiculously slow (.184/2/5 5 SB's). The A's were hoping for a little average, a little power and a lot of steals from their young second basemen, but have only gotten a handful of steals. What's kept this team around .500 though, has been it's starting pitching, which is looking stronger by the day. Veterans Bartolo Colon and Brandon McCarthy are leading the staff with ERA's of 2.53 and 2.96, respectively, and have given this team a chance to win nearly every time they've taken the ball. Also, some of the young arms the A's aquired in the by going through their fire-sale this winter, have started to perform as well. Tommy Millone, acquired in the Gio Gonzalez deal, has been in the rotation since opening day, and has been solid with a 3-2 record, 3.69 ERA and just a 1.01 WHIP. Also, Jarrod Parker, the prize of the Trevor Cahill trade, has made his big league debut and has done so in impressive fashion. Through 2 starts, the 23 year-old rightie has a 1-0 record to go with a 1.61 ERA. Granted, a small sample size, but you can sure get an idea of what these pitchers are capable of when you watch them throw.

Anyway, if your an A's fan, after watching the success of the young arms they dealt for, despite losing two studs like Cahil and Gonzalez in the rotation and Bailey out of the pen, you have to be feeling much better about things than you were immediately after these deals were made. Cahill has been decent for AZ, as has Gonzalez for his new squad in DC, but Bailey's continued arm troubles have cost him the season in Boston, and the A's are looking like clear winners of that trade now. For a team that I thought would struggle to win 70 games, they've come out playing well, and A's fans have to be stoked their team is .500 and holding 2nd place in NL West. They aren't going to make the playoffs this season, and they weren't even with the guys they traded away, but this team is on the right path and its quite obvious. Also, I like the fact they finally are giving another one of their top minor leaguers a chance, as they re-called Michael Taylor, the slugging outfielder from Sacramento. The A's are hoping to have better success with him than they have with recent minor league studs like Chris Carter and Brandon Allen.

Bay Area Sports Notes: NFL Draft, MLB Talk

There's a lot going on in the world of sports right now. Major League Baseball is now in full swing, and the NFL draft is just a few short weeks away. And as the 49ers and Raiders go through the final stages of preparation, we're hearing all sorts of rumblings and rumors.

We'll start out with some baseball talk, as the A's and Giants haven't exactly gotten out to scorching starts. For a second straight start, Tim Lincecum was lit up pretty good, this time in Colorado by the Rockies. Not the start he was looking for after getting lit up for 5 runs in the five innings on Opening Day vs. Arizona last week, and if it weren't for Barry Zito's terrific outing and Madison Bumgarner's gem Thursday, this team could have been looking at coming home for Friday's opener at 0-6. Luckily for them, they took the Colorado series and are sitting at 2-4 and appear to be at least moving in the right direction. The A's have fared a little better, as their schedule has been a lot easier than the Giants early on here, but they're just 3-4 going into play Friday. However, opposite of San Francisco's start, Oakland has gotten terrific starting pitching but hardly any offensive support. The only exception to that has been young Yeonis Cespedes, who's really started out the year well with the bat. He's got 3 long balls and 7 RBI and leads everyday players with a .273 average. Johnny Gomes has also had a couple big home runs for the A's early on, but that's been about it, as he's 3 of 18 on the season. The real rough starts though have come from guys the A's were hoping would be offensive catalysts. Coco Crisp (.192) has not adjusted to hitting 3rd, and Kurt Suzuki (.200) has struggled out the gate once again, making everyone wonder if he'll ever return to that .275/15/80 guy he was in his 3rd season in the bigs in '09. Since then though, he's hit just .240, although he did drive in 74 runs in 2010.

Another big topic, outside of the beginning of the baseball season, has been the rising coverage of the NFL draft, which always go hand in hand. This is one of the most busy times of year to cover sports because of it and all the attention the draft gets, by far and away the biggest draft of all the major sports. The Raiders and 49ers each enter the 2012 draft in completely different modes. The Raiders, as we all remember, gave up this years 1st rounder and next years for QB Carson Palmer, a move that I'm sure their new GM is non to thrilled about. The 49ers will be the only Bay Area team with a first round pick in this draft, and the next one, barring any trades, and their could be. Matt Barrows was on KNBR Thursday to talk a bit about the draft and who the 49ers may target and a few different names he mentioned interested me. Supposedly, the 49ers have had Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd, an expected top-10 pick in for a workout, as well as LSU's Rueben Randle, another guy expected to go way before the 49ers select at pick 30. There's been plenty of talk about the 49ers possibly moving up in the draft to grab talented Stanford guard, David Decastro (pictured), who would be an ideal fit in Harbough's system. That's really the only spot the 49ers need to find another starter at, that right guard spot on the O-line and DeCastro is one of the best in this class. My guess is that the 49ers will stand pat and take the best available player on the board when they're number is called, whether it's a wide receiver, safety or a good young lineman, either defensive or offensive. I think if they had their choice, they'd get another corner or a good young D-lineman like DeCastro, but again, unless they trade up or down to target a specific player, I expect them to go after talent rather than positional needs with their first rounder.

49ers Sign Brandon Jacobs, A's Split in Tokyo

Well, for some reason, Major League Baseball decided to open the season in March and play the two games in Tokyo in the middle of the night for the two West Coast teams. I mean, at least if they would have played two East coast teams, they may have gotten some viewers, but these two games were the lowest watch MLB openers since the invention of TV, I would think. Oh yeah, the 49ers also made yet another move, and we'll talk about both in this post.

First off we'll start with the Niners, who continued their great offseason by filling yet another void in their offensive arsenal with a power running back and one that should really help them keep Gore fresh throughout the year. Him and Kendal Hunter are the perfect mix of thunder and lightning behind Frankie, and should he miss a game or two, they'll be in much better shape to handle things with Jacobs now in tow. He's a guy who had that big 15 TD season in 2008, then the Giants cut his workload in half and split him up with Ahmad Bradshaw, but he still managed to put up nearly 850 yards with 9 TD's on just 152 carries in 2010 as the 2nd back. The 49ers are giving him just a one-year deal, which I like because it'll motivate him to go our and knock some heads to try and get that big deal next offseason. The NFL is now a league in which every good team has two startable backs, and Jacobs knows that when he's right, he's one of the best power backs, next to Peyton Hillis, in the NFL today. I think Harbough and the 49ers staff now exactly how to use him and I'm expecting a similar output to what he showed in 2010. This deal gives the 49ers a bruiser for short-yardage situations, and gives them insurance in-case Gore misses some time. In a market and draft paper thin at running back, the 49ers just got themselves a good one that knows how to win ballgames and can get that first down on 3rd and 1 when Frankie's on the sidelines. Anthony Dixon was so bad at it last year, they barely used him, and when they did, it showed how sorely they needed to upgrade, and that they have!

Now, completely switching subjects, we move to the A's, who split their two game set with their near equals, the Seattle Mariners, across the World in Tokyo these last two mornings. The Mariners drew first blood, winning the opener on Ichiro Suzuki's 4-hit effort and Felix Hernandez's 8 shutout innings, but they responded well in game two, as young Yeonis Cespedes flexed his muscle and hit a mammoth shot to help guide the A's to a 4-1 victory. Fellow new comer Josh Reddick also homered and raised his average to .667 through 2 games, and he's looking like a real nice pickup early on for the A's. The only two A's yet to get anything going offensively are Jemile Weeks and Coco Crisp, who the A's are hoping spark the top of that lineup if they're to be any kind of offensive threat. However, if Cespedes is the real deal, and this Reddick kid continues to hit (he did it in Boston, so why not?) then the A's will sport a better lineup than I thought. Plus they still have Manny on the way after his 50 game suspension who should be like adding another bopper to the mix. They still are thin in the rotation, though Bartolo Colon gave them a great outing this morning, working 8 innings of 3-hit ball before yielding to Grant Balfour who was perfect in his first save opp. Brandon McCarthy was decent too on Thursday, but didn't match up with Hernandez.

AL West Preview: Extended Athletics Edition

Well, the A's have officially left Arizona and arrived in Japan where they will open the season on March 28th. With their opener quickly approaching, I figured now would be a good time to switch gears from football mania back to baseball, and here's the divsion in which the A's will be battling in 2012:

AL West Preview

First Place, Los Angeles Angels

Lineup:
SS Erick Aybar
2B Howie Kendrick
1B Albert Pujols
DH Kendrys Morales
RF Torii Hunter
LF Vernon Wells
C Chris Iannetta
3B Alberto Callaspo
CF Peter Bourjos

Rotation/Closer
RHP Jered Weaver
LHP C.J. Wilson
RHP Dan Haren
RHP Ervin Santana
RHP Jerome Williams
CL: Jordan Walden

The Angels made the biggest splash of the offseason by not only inking the market's top hitter in Albert Pujols, but also the markets top LHP in C.J. Wilson, a left-hander this rotation badly needed. This team is so strong that they have guys like Mark Trumbo (runner up for ROY in 2011) and Macier Izturis slated to ride the pine to start the year. They should each see plenty of time though, as this is a deep, talented squad. And if Hunter and Wells each play to their capability, then this just may be the best team in the American League. The one slight question they have surrounds young closer Jordan Walden, who the Angels appeared to have wavering faith in last season. However, there were tons of closers on the FA market this winter and the Angels didn't add any insurance. Scott Downs is coming off a career year as well as set-up, so the Angels appear confident in their late-inning relief.

2nd Place, Texas Rangers (Wild Card 1)

Lineup:
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Michael Young
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland
LF David Murphy

Rotation/Closer
RHP Yu Darvish (R)
LHP Derek Holland
RHP Colby Lewis
RHP Neftali Feliz
LHP Matt Harrison
CL: Joe Nathan

The Rangers made the commitment of moving Feliz back to the rotation, where he pitched most of his minor league career, by inking former Giant Joe Nathan to close out games. They also have Alexi Ogando as the kind of, do-all artist, as he could close if Nathan struggles, or move back to the rotation should Feliz hit a bump. The Rangers also have a big question at the top of their rotation in Darvish, who's making his rookie tour through the big leagues this season. He should be good, but I'm not sure he's an ace and that could be asking too much of the 27 year-old in his first season in America. Their rotation has some definite questions, but none that can't be solved, and that lineup just seems to keep getting better and better, so they'll be in the playoffs yet again.

3rd Place, Seattle Mariners

Lineup:
3B Chone Figgins
2B Dustin Ackley
RF Ichiro Suzuki
1B Justin Smoak
LF Mike Carp
DH Jesus Montero
C Miguel Olivo
SS Brendan Ryan
CF Franklin Gutierrez

Rotation/Closer:
RHP Felix Hernandez
LHP Jason Vargas
RHP Kevin Millwood
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (R)
RHP Blake Beaven
CL: Brandon League

The Mariners made an odd trade this winter that head just about everyone wondering why they didn't get more in dealing bright young starter Michael Pineda to the Yankees for DH Jesus Montero. I mean, they should have at least required Phil Hughes or one of the Yankees young arms in return, but they didn't do that. Anyway, it does improve the offense, but only marginally, and it leaves a rotation that was really setting up as one of the better young ones in the league, with a ton of question marks. Hernandez and Vargas will be fine, but after that, it's a crap-shoot. I do like their bullpen though, led by underrated closer Brandon League.

4th Place, Oakland Athletics

Lineup
2B Jemile Weeks
LF Coco Crisp
CF Yeonis Cespedes
DH Manny Ramirez
1B Brandon Allen
C Kurt Suzuki
RF Seth Smith
SS Cliff Pennington
3B Josh Donaldson (R)

Rotation/Closer
RHP Brandon McCarthy
RHP Bartolo Colon
LHP Dallas Braden
RHP Tyson Ross
LHP Tommy Milone (R)
CL: Grant Balfour

Unfortunately, I don't see the the A's as good enough to even beat out the Mariners for third place. They have injury issues in their rotation, along with a bunch of rookies all over the place, and I just don't see things panning out this year for the Green and Gold. Billy Beane put together one of the oddest offseasons I've ever seen a professional sports team go through. It must be an Oakland thing, as it seems their franchises are always making bizarre moves, from the Raiders and Warriors to the Athletics. After looking to initially clear payroll by dealing away their top pitching talent in Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey, they signed un-proven Yeonis Cespedes to a huge contract and traded Guillermo Moscoso for Rockies' outfielder Seth Smith when they appeared to be set in the outfield with Cespedes, Michael Taylor and Josh Reddick. However, they also re-signed Coco Crisp, taking away another spot from a youngster, and brought in Manny Ramirez, taking yet another spot away from a young bat. This has been the oddest approach I've ever seen Billy Beane take in an offseason. I could get behind going young and building for the new ballpark, but re-signing Crisp, Manny, bringing in Smith and giving loads of money to an unproven commodity did not fit that bill. Only way A's are relevant is if Cespedes is AL ROY, "ManRam" has a career rejuvenation at 38, and their pitching staff (Brett Anderson!) gets and stays healthy.

Note: Over the next two weeks, as we gear up for the rest of MLB's opening day April 5th, we'll be doing divisional previews here and there along with football free agency updates and anything relevant happening with the Warriors.

Breaking News: 49ers, Alex Smith Finalizing Deal

I know we're the Bay Area Sports Journal, and will talk everything Bay Area sports, but with no Northern California team relevant in the NCAA tourney, we should re-name this 49ers Madness month here at 'The Journal in subsequent years! If this latest move goes through though, 49er talk should mellow down for the time being and we can move start spreading our focus back around to the different teams in Northern California, but for another post at least, it's all 49ers, though we do have an Oakland A's note at the end!

Well, the hectic weekend that had the 49ers strongly pursuing future Hall-of-Fame QB, Peyton Manning, came to an end with Manning deciding to go play for his childhood idol John Elway and the Denver Broncos. The 49ers then immediately turned their focus back to Alex Smith, but Smith was in Florida vising with the Dolphins, so they had to wait that out and hope Alex didn't sign a deal before getting on the plane and heading back to California. However, with the Dolphins recent signing of David Garrard, and Seattle inking Matt Flynn, there really aren't any teams left looking for a starting quarterback, or at least any that have expressed interest in Alex Smith except the 49ers. And, just as everybody anticipated, Smith and the 49ers are in the final stages of drawing up a contract believed to be in the close to the deal that the 49ers had on the table for Smith since the start of Free Agency (3 years/$24 million). The 49ers may add a few extra million in guaranteed dough to help Smith get over the fact the team would have preffered Manning to him in they had their choice. Still Smith shouldn't feel too bad at all, I mean, how could you if your team offers you a deal, you don't sign it and they express interest in an all-time great at the position? Just as I expected, it seems like any hurt feelings were short-lived for Smith, especially after hearing the supposed uproar from Dolphin fans in Miami after the Dolphins had him in for the visit!

Some people also are saying that the Dolphins choose to sign David Garrard over Smith, but that's a deal in totally different context. I guarantee you, if the Dolphins could have had Smith for what they're going to pay Garrard, they would have chosen Smith without batting an eye, but fact is, Smith had a 3 year offer on the table and probably wouldn't have settled for anything less. So, at least 49er fans who thought Smith would leave the team in spite, can breath a lot easier Tuesday, as they now know #11 will be back for a few more seasons to throw to the new, upgraded wide receiving core. That's one good thing about this deal getting done now. This will allow Smith to go through all mini-camps and what not with the team now, and can start building his rapport with newcomers Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and possibly others. The 49ers are still said to be in the hunt for free agent wideouts, as there are a ton of them, and may be looking for a slot-type, kick-returning speed guy, like Ginn was, but maybe more of a threat at wideout. Two guys who may fit that bill is former Falcon Harry Douglas and Bronco Eddie Royal. Both are better receivers than Ginn, and Royal is just as effective a returner. Douglas hasn't returned in a few years, but has filled that role plenty in his career. Either player would be a nice upgrade to the offense and special teams, especially with Ginn on his way out! One area the 49ers were so good at was special teams and Ginn was big there, they have to replace that with someone of quality!

A's Note: I also wanted to beak some big A's news as well, as they announced that Cuban phenom Yeonis Cespedes will not only be on the opening day Roster when the A's open up in Japan, but he'll be their starting center fielder, in an odd move that moves gold-glover Coco Crisp to left field. It's a move that has apparently upset Crisp and one that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean, if you want to start Cespedes right away, I get it, but putting him in center when you have Crisp just doesn't make any sense to me, especially when this guy projects out as a corner outfielder. Should be interesting to see how that one shakes out for Oakland, I know I'll be watching with anticipation on opening day to see how the kid does as he and Jemile Weeks are really the only two reasons to even watch the A's!

Bay Area Sports Notes: 49ers, A's

A lot of things are happening in the Bay Area sports world right now, from spring training picking up for the A's and Giants, to free agency and draft buzz starting to heat up for the Raiders and 49ers. Today, we're going to talk about two opposite sides of the spectrum, as we go a little 49ers and a little A's.

49ers Notes: If your a 49ers fan and have Internet, TV, or radio access then you know that the 49ers made some headlines Monday by bringing in the mercurial Randy Moss for a workout in Santa Clara. Supposedly Jim Harbough was throwing him the football, but I'm not sure, other than that, what happened in the tryout and how things went. I kind of like the idea though. Obviously, Randy Moss alone, at this stage of his career, wouldn't be an upgrade like a Dwayne Bowe or Vincent Jackson, but let's face it, the 49ers probably won't wind up with a premiere wideout this summer. If Moss impresses, and is still in good football shape, he could give the 49ers a big, deep threat, something they've lacked, really since Terrell Owens left town. You add maybe a guy like Mario Manningham to the mix too, another guy the 49ers are supposedly going to pursue in free agency, then your talking about adding two unique weapons to the 49ers offensive arsenal that they didn't have last season when they knocked on the door of the Super Bowl. At the same time, if Moss doesn't have that burst or doesn't look like he can separate, then bringing him in could become more of a problem than a help. After seeing the Braylon Edwards experiment tank last season, it has to have the 49ers leery of these type of guys with off-field reputations. Anyway, I thought it was interesting to find this out, as I thought the 49ers would be closed to the idea of Moss or Owens, otherwise they would have gone after one of them late in the season when it was obvious they needed help at wideout and Moss was free and available.

A's Notes: With all the 49ers hype and what not, we haven't got a chance to talk as much A's Spring Training as we'd like, but they sure had a positive weekend in Cactus League play these last few days. Their prize free agent signee, Yeonis Cespedes, made his debut in impressive fashion, with 3 hits, including a long home run. The A's have also gotten an excellent start out of their new right fielder and centerpiece of the Andrew Bailey deal, Josh Reddick, as he's started out his spring hitting .444 with 5 RBI in 18 at-bats. Manny Ramirez also has gotten underway in in A's uni, though he's still searching for his first hit after just 3 games. On the pitching side, A's staff ace, Brett Anderson, is making good progress in his recovery from shoulder surgery last season that ended his year early on, much like the situation with the Giants and Buster Posey. With Anderson being a pitcher and the injury to his arm though, he's going to be brought along a lot slower than Posey has been, and it's still unlikely he starts the year in the A's rotation. Also making a comeback from injury is another strong A's youngster, Tyson Ross, and he's been nails in his two outings. He's gone 4 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits with 3 K's in those two starts.

A's Follow Up Cespedes Signing with ManRam?

According to a few reliable sources, including Fox Sports, the A's have followed up their signing of Cuban stud outfielder Yeonis Cespedes with another huge Latin baseball name, Manny Ramirez.

The deal isn't official, but it's been on-going in talks for over a week now, and seems pretty close to inevitable, especially after the signing of Cespedes. I think the A's are bringing in Ramirez mostly because they want him to be a mentor to the young Cuban outfielder, but they also have a huge hole at the DH spot where they have penciled in strikeout machine, Chris Carter, who has mammoth power but nickname as "strikeout machine" speaks for itself (44 K's with just 3 HR in 114 MLB at-bats). Compare that to his Sacramento numbers when he hit 31 jacks in 125 games in 2010 then 21 in 75 games last year! Unfortunately, for Carter, I just don't ever see him being able to hit ML pitching. A's would still be Manny-less until late May, but they have enough options at DH to fill in until then (Jonny Gomes choice number 1). Not sure what he's got left, if anything, but I'm sure the year off has healed him up nicely and the fact he'll only need to play 100 games (all at DH mind you) will probably keep him healthy and in the lineup. As I said when A's interest in Manny first broke, I think this would be a win-win move for Oakland. It not only adds excitement (now along with Cespedes) to an otherwise lackluster offensive ball club and will certainly put a few extra thousand fans in the Coliseum come June when you got ManRam and Cespedes back-to-back. In 100 games, a healthy Manny could definitely be good for 20 jacks and 60 RBI, and it really reminds me of the Frank Thomas signing back in 2006, and I'd look for similar success. A small market, under the radar team would be ideal for Manny's comeback.

So with Manny in tow, albeit not until late May, this is what the A's are hoping their lineup shapes into. And this is of now, as Beane has shown he's not scared to add players who can hit that can't find homes and another guy I like for them is Wilson Betemit, who could play third or first for them. Another guy I couldn't understand why Beane didn's sign was Casey Kotchman, who is a high OBP, decent power, good gap hitter who can pick it at first? Anyway, this would much more interesting lineup when ManRam's ready. Just hope it does't cost Michael Taylor (A's top OF prospect) his shot cause I see big things for him this year. Taylor keeps getting blocked by guys like Matsui or DeJesus and now Crisp again, and this dude is real 5-tool talent! A big reason why, in fact, probably a the majority factor behind the Cespedes signing and a guy like Manny that if Cespedes, who's just 26 and signed for 4 years at a reasonable rate, produce, they'll be huge commodities in the trade market. An AL team desperate for a DH in July would jump all over ManRam if he were hitting .315 with 10 HR and 35 RBI with a .950 OPS and the A's now have that value for dirt cheap. Not saying he'll do exactly that, but that's what he has the ability to do and command! With Cespedes, a team like the Yankees could love him after a year and give the A's the moon for him next winter. These are strong moves by Beane, win-win! Not a bad looking lineup either, especially that top-4:

CF Crisp
2B Weeks
RF Cespedes
DH Ramirez
1B Allen
C Suzuki
3B Sizemore
LF Taylor/Gomes
SS Pennington

Breaking News: A's Sign Yeonis Cespedes

Despite entering the offseason in full-sellers mode, and trying to get their payroll down as low as possible while still attempting to field a competitive team, the A's made a signing Monday that sent some shock throughout the baseball world and free agency.

The A's, for the first time that I can remember really, actually went out and signed a big name free agent to a multi-year deal. They got Cespedes for just 4 years and $36 million, roughly $25 million less than Billy Beane and the A's brain-trust thought he'd get coming into the offseason, so to them, they just got a potential superstar at about 1/2 the price they expected him to go for. Now, I watched a lot of that Cespedes tape from Youtube, and saw his winter league coverage and talked about him at various times over at our Giants Blog as a potential replacement for Carlos Beltran, but they never seemed the least bit interested. Cespedes is a 26 year-old power hitting, fast running outfielder who reminds scouts of a blend of Andruw Jones and Vlad Guerrero, two guys you certainly want to be compared to as a Latin player. The A's were in the market for a DH/power hitting outfielder type, but I though Beane would go for Manny Ramirez, but I think they saw this as a deal too good to pass up. Supposedly, Ramirez is still on the table for Oakland as well, so more offense could be on the way. Cespedes has the ability to hit 30 homers and steal 20-30 bases on raw talent alone, let alone what he'll be like in 2 years after learning the league a bit. The 26 year-old should enter spring as the favorite to win one of the open outfield spots, as there's no way the A's will be paying this guy $9M per year to ride the pine.

Again, I've never seen Cespedes actually play a full game, just parts and highlights, but there's a reason why I wanted the Giants to pursue him so heavily, and at the time, I expected him to get upwards of $50 million. The fact that his price tag fell down into the 30's should have raised the Giants interest, but it was the A's who snuck in at the final hour and made the coup and I think they'll be mighty glad they did. It's funny too, because I just did an A's roster analysis as they set to enter spring next week, and now they pull off a move like this! I'll be watching as close as anyone to see how this pans out, but what a better way to generate interest around a lackluster team losing it's fan base? Especially with the Hispanic culture in the Bay Area! That was a brilliant signing as it not only helps the team on the field, but it also gives the team relevance in the town of Oakland again. They have a player to be excited about and go to the ballpark for. It's no longer just Mark Ellis and Kurt Suzuki and those guys. I questioned it very heavily at first, but the A's offseason has turned out pretty well considering. Here is the new projected A's lineup (as you'll see, looking a lot more formidable) with Cespedes, posted below that is the Youtube vid that Cespedes' people put together for MLB teams.

CF Coco Crisp
2B Jemile Weeks
DH Seth Smith
RF Yeonis Cespedes
C Kurt Suzuki
3B Scott Sizemore
1B Kila Ki'ahuie
LF Michael Taylor
SS Cliff Pennington

Still not a powerhouse, but with Weeks, Taylor and Cespedes, this team is starting to accumulate some young positional talent. If only they'd go get Wilson Betimet for third base and Derek Lee at first, both who'd probably cost a combined $5 million for 2012. In case you haven't seen a lick of Cespedes yet, here's an idea of what the kid will bring to Oakland!

A's Set to Enter Spring Training

With Spring Training reporting dates under a week away, I figured we'd do our A's Spring Training Preview, and get to know who will be playing where once spring games do get under way in March.

First of all, the A's started the offseason in sellers mode, trading away Trevor Cahill, Andrew Bailey and Gio Gonzalez. However, since those deals, the A's have done what they do so well, add cheap, younger talent to take those guys places. I just watched "Moneyball" actually, and fell that the approach portrayed in that film is really coming out with this squad, as they've lost 3 of their more notable players and have replaced them with a plethora of lesser but valuable players in their own right. They also managed to hang onto Coco Crisp, which I thought was the oddest move they made this winter, judging by the fact he's a leadoff guy who doesn't get on base all that well, something they desire in Oakland. Anyway, here is the A's depth chart heading into spring training, assuming they don't add Many Ramirez, who I think would be a great draw for this squad:

Catchers: Kurt Suzuki, Derek Norris

Infielders: Daric Barton, Jemile Weeks, Cliff Pennington, Scott Sizemore, Adam Rosales, Kila Ki'aihue

Outfielders: Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick, Seth Smith, Johnny Gomes, Michael Taylor

DH: Chris Carter

Starters: Dallas Braden, Brandon McCarthy, Tyson Ross*, Bartolo Colon, Jarrod Parker

Relievers: Brian Fuentes, Joey Devine, Grant Balfour, Tommy Milone, Jerry Blevins, Fautino De Los Santos

Injured: LHP Brett Anderson (out until at least July), *RHP Tyson Ross (should be ready by opening day)

Now, again, there's still some time between now and when opening day rosters start to get accumulated, and there are still a few free agents who the A's may find interesting, especially on dirt cheap deals. I know they'd consider either Magglio Ordonez or Raul Ibanez and I believe either would be an upgrade to this roster. As is, they have Daric Barton and that Kila guy from KC battling it out at first, but another first basemen who could really help out is still waiting for a deal as well, and they should grab him up ASAP! The guy I wanted them to go after was Casey Kotchman, who got peanuts to go to Cleveland, despite sporting being a 28 year-old coming off a career year who had some pop, got on base and was a good first basemen. But now, the guy I'd turn to is Derek Lee. I think he's holding out for a contender, but he'd be such an upgrade over Barton it wouldn't even be funny. Just look what Lee did with Pittsburgh last season!

Bay Area Sports Notes: 49ers, Raiders, A's

Well, like we try to do at least once a month here at the Bay Area Sports Journal, we're going to use today's post to sort of touch on a lot of different topics happening right now in the Bay Area sports scene. From the Raiders hiring a new coach, the 49ers #1 offseason priority to A's offseason and their pursuing of Manny Ramirez.

49ers: We'll start with the hot topic team around the Bay Area right now, which is the San Francisco 49ers, who came within 15 minutes of representing the NFC in Indy at the Super Bowl on Sunday. However, they were unable to pull it out in the end, and much of the can be attributed to their horrid third down percentage and poor play from their receiving corps. Alex Smith didn't have his best day, in wet conditions, but his receivers failed to do much of anything to help them out as the wideouts attributed for just 1 catch and 4 yards on in game. So obviously, the 49ers number one priority in terms of the area they need to upgrade the most, I think it's unquestionably the receiving corps. Luckily for them, this particular draft comes stocked with at least 5 potential first round wideouts, and this years free agent market certainly has no shortage of impact receivers either. Now, we'll spend many of hours and posts between now and the summer discussing who the 49ers could potentially target in free agency, as well as who may fall to them in the late first round of April's draft, but I just wanted to get out my early targets if I were running the team. Their are three free agent, number-one receivers hitting the market, assuming they don't get franchised, and I'd be happy with either of them. Those three names are Dwaye Bowe, Vincent Jackson and Marques Colston, and I'd probably rank them in that order too.

Raiders: Also, being so wrapped up in the NFL playoffs and the 49ers over the last few weeks, we haven't yet talked about Reggie McKenzie's first big hire as Raiders GM, bringing in Dennis Allen, who was Denver's defensive coordinator in 2011. He's just 39 years old and brings a focus a defensive philosophy to the Raiders head coaching spot, something they haven't had in many years. Ultimately, horrid defensive play down the stretch is what cost the Raiders a trip to the playoffs as they were definitely the best team in the AFC West in 2011. I'm not too sure yet what to make of the Allen hiring, as he's young and doesn't have a bunch of experience to judge from, but I think the Raiders looked just across the Bay and saw just how successful the 49ers were with a premium defense and average offense and figured it was time they change philosophy. That's a good move in my opinion, so I see this move as a step in the right direction.

Athletics: And the third and final team we're going to discuss here today are the Oakland Athletics and the somewhat bizarre offseason they've had. They started off by dealing every player that had any value on the roster, including their top three pitchers, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey. Then in this latter part of the offseason, they've all the sudden started adding veteran pieces back to the puzzle, including the re-signing of Coco Crisp, and now their apparent serious interest in Manny Ramirez. They also inked Bartolo Colon to a deal after dealing away Guillermo Moscoso. I can kind of understand pursuing Ramirez, being that he'd draw some fans out to the Coliseum, would come pretty cheaply and would provide offense at the DH spot. However, I feel like they may have just blocked one of their better prospects in Michael Taylor, from his natural position by bringing back Crisp, and I just don't get the Colon signing a bit. Maybe they added him hoping he'll dominate the first half and they'll have a trading chip come July? I just don't really get those two signings with the theme of their offseason being in fire sale mode and looking to rid as much payroll as possible. I do like the addition of Seth Smith and the signing of Jonny Gomes, who came cheaply but could payoff big time if he just hits .250, with the pop he has. Smith is a very solid hitter who will now have an everyday gig and should respond with a .280/25/85 line, or thereabouts. Watching him over the years as a Giants fan, he's sneaky good. The A's have been one of the more active teams over the last couple of weeks, and according the Lou Wolfe, they'll be adding more before Opening Day! Like with the 49ers, we'll have much more A's talk with Spring Training quickly approaching.

A's Re-sign Coco Crisp, Now What?

Well, after the A's dealt away right-handed ace Trevor Cahill, premiere lefty Gio Gonzalez and all-star closer Andrew Bailey, then let every single one of their free agents walk without attempt to re-sign any, most people thought the A's were entering full-rebuild mode.

However, the A's just signed center fielder and leadoff man, Coco Crisp to a very lucrative 2 year, $14 million dollar deal, which defies the logic they've been using all offseason. First off, most people thought the A's would be going all young this year and giving Michael Taylor his shot in center, but he'll now likely move over to left field with Crisp's return and the addition of Josh Reddick. Secondly, I think the A's could have gotten Crisp for a helluva lot cheaper than they did, probably closer to 2 years/$10M, but he does have gold-glove defense. It also makes me wonder whether or not Billy Beane may be pulling a page out of Brian Sabean's book and waiting until free agents get desperate enough to sign somewhere, then you get them at a reduced price. Problem with that strategy is that if the player is a good one, he normally finds a home before that plan can come to fruition. Anyhow, if Beane is indeed looking for cheap players to help get A's fans excited for 2012, and help their chances in moving to San Jose, there are plenty of bargain-bin players still left on the market who the A's could definitely use. The names that immediately comes to mind is first basemen Casey Kotchman, who fits Beane's type of player to a T. He's patient, gets on base, and has a good batting average, just doesn't hit for too much power.

Either way, he'd be a huge upgrade at first base over the incumbent Daric Barton and he's still pretty young at 28, so he still hasn't reached his ceiling. They also need some help over at third base, and no the answer is not Kevin Kouzmanoff, obviously. I'd take a gander at Wilson Betemit if I were Beane though, he's a really good hitter (.285, 22 doubles and 8 HR in 97 games) and his most comfortable position is third base. I know Scott Sizemore did some good things after coming over from Detroit last year, but if they could get Betemit on a 1 year/$2M contract, then why they heck not get some competition in there!? Also, they better have a plan B if they're seriously planning on starting the year with Chris Carter in the starting lineup, whether it's at first or DH. The man who's destroyed every level of baseball he's ever played at has managed a mere .178 batting average with a whole 3 home runs in 114 big league at-bats. Small sample, but ugly showing non the less. Plus the one spot where this FA class is still pretty stocked, besides with mediocre pitching, is with DH-types. Carlos Pena would be sweet, even as a first basemen, but probably out of the A's price range. Rual Ibanez though, could very well sign a 1 year, "prove-it" type deal after a huge falloff in 2011. Or even bringing back Johnny Damon if the price is right. Cody Ross or Ryan Ludwick would also be nice right-handed additions who could play outfield or DH.

As far as their pitching staff, after they've dealt away what they did, Billy Beane should add at least one veteran influence to help lead this group of youngsters and as insurance. You probably can't count on too much in 2012 from Brett Anderson, so that leaves the rotation like this at the moment: LH Dallas Braden, RH Brandon McCarthy, RH Guillermo Moscoso, RH Tyson Ross, LH Tommy Milone. They also have the prize from their deal with the D-Backs Jarrod Parker knocking on the door. It looks like a nice young group and you can see why he felt comfortable dealing away Cahill and Gonzalez, but what if Milone and Parker prove to still be a year or 2 away? Not to mention the injury history with Moscoso and McCarthy then Braden coming back from his season-ender in 2011, there are some real questions around that staff. If they could bring back a guy like Harden or Jeff Francis or Brad Penny. None will get more than a one-year deal and all are focused on proving themselves again in 2012 after less-than-spectacular 2011 seasons. As far as their bullpen, it looks like they have plenty of options to take over for Andrew Bailey (Brian Fuentes, Joey Devine, Grant Balfour), and with all those young arms they have in their system, I wouldn't expect any other pitchers to be signed for bullpen duties.

Bay Area Sports Notes for the Holidays

Well folks, Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner, and we here at The Bay Area Sports Journal wish all our readers and their families the very best. We'll be away for a few days starting Christmas eve and returning December 27th and won't be posting at that time so I figured I just do another quick version of the Bay Area sports notes.

A's: The A's have gone into full on fire-sale mode and it's making one wonder whether this team is long for the Bay Area. Tearing down your team and dealing away your young, marketable stars is not the way to get baseball to help back you for a new ballpark. They've lost half their lineup to free agency, and dealt away 23 year-old fan favorite, Trevor Cahill. Their latest giveaway was left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals in exchange for 4 minor leaguers. While I really like young Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole, I just think they could have gotten at least one major league proven player with those two for a healthy 26 year-old left-handed all-star starting pitcher. Ian Desmond would have been nice! Danny Espinosa would have upgraded the offense, but the deal obviously shows the A's are not worried about 2012 or 2013.

Raiders: Each Bay Area team gets the Saturday game this week, as the NFL switches over to Saturdays now with the NCAA regular season finished. Both have games that favors them, though the Raiders will have a tough go of it in Kansas City again without Darren McFadden and the Chiefs coming off the Green Bay upset. I still think the Raiders win this game on the arm of Carson Palmer, who's quietly been great after coming in mid-season with no training camp. He's kept the Raiders playoff hopes alive but they have to win Saturday to stay on track. They should do that though as long as their defense keeps Kyle Orton in check and the Raiders can keep their wideouts (mainly DHB and Denarious Moore) on the field cause KC has a good secondary and a lock-down corner in Brandon Flowers, so the Raiders need options! Still should see a lot of Michael Bush though too.

49ers: The Niners are facing a similar situation with the Seattle Seahawks, who have come on tremendously strong in the 2nd half of the season. If they take them too lightly, the Seahawks will take advantage of the 49ers, so they have to stay on their game. They're still fighting for a first round bye with New Orleans and have plenty to play for, so it's not a game where you take your starters out at halftime. They have to let Smith loose cause Seattle packs a tough front-7 that will focus on Frank Gore. With the emergence of Kyle Williams and the strong play of Mike Crabtree and Vernon Davis though, that shouldn't be a problem for the Niners. To get them ready for the playoffs, I'd like to see Alex throw the ball 30 times just for the heck of it, even if they're leading 23-7 or something like that. Take some shots down field. You know if you see New Orleans or Green Bay in January, your going to have to do it, my as well start now.

For Warriors and Giants talk, be sure to check out The Warriors Rundown and The Giants Baseball Blog! Also, we'll be talking a lot more Fiesta Bowl upon our return as well as Andrew Luck and his chances our votes for the Heisman. Cal also has the Holiday Bowl on the 28th and we'll be sure to get our thoughts on that as well!

So, we'll should be back by the 27th for sure, maybe even a late post on the 26th, but definitely by the 27th. Merry Christmas all from here at The Journal!