uster Olney was just on ESPN and he said in 37 days...Dec. somethening...teams have to make arbitration offers to eligible players. He said he has hear from several GMs that teams will not afford to do this and hundreds of arby eligible players will be cut. He specifically mentioned guys like Atkins in Colorado and Hermida in Florida. The context of his statement was that the disparity between teams will only get worse in that the Yankees and Red Sox will just swoop in and grab these players. It will be interesting.

The Yankees and Red Sox continue to be the economic bullies of baseball. Baseball has a false market and they allow the Yankees to have a very large market and then outbid other teams. They have many of the highest paid players in the game all on one team. Baseball is an embarrassment in that regard; the lack of an even close to level playing field.

Nonetheless, I'll always support the A's and be hopeful!

We are mostly talking role players here. The Yanks and Red Sox can only have 50 players unless they start stashing people in the minors. I do expect Carl Crawford to be a Yankee next year since Damon will be replaced. The Yankee infield is set for the next 3-5 years. They need a DH and  a couple of starters, bullpen help and bench players.

 I am not up to speed on the Red Sox so I am not sure on what they need. I expect the second tier free spending teams like the Angels, Dodgers, Mets to be heaviest in this market. 

Would Garrett Atkins actually hurt the Yankees or Red Sox? He was pretty brutal this year in a hitter's ballpark and an easy league. Most of the guys who will be let go in this process will be flawed players. Sure, the Yankees and Red Sox might pick up a few and get lucky that one or two produces in a way that was unexpected, but the real disparity is with the big, big money talent players, not the arbitration guys.

What is really going to be the story is, like last year, how many established major league veterans will be on the sidelines looking for work or signed to minor league deals because the market is too saturated with players of a similar skill-set. The union was already grumbling about collusion last year. If there is a repeat of those circumstances (or an even bigger number of "name" players left in the cold), we may start to hear a lot more noise about a new collective bargining agreement or lawsuits.

That all being said, this could present the A's an interesting opportunity. The Billy Beane front offices of old were always pretty good at picking up overlooked major league players at reduced prices. It has been harder to do that in recent years because more teams have signed on smart FO people, but if there are more players to choose from, there may be more opportunities to snag Scott Hatteberg types for cheap than in recent years.

another trade

wamura a couple days ago

now teahen  to white sox for getz and fields

glad to know we are considering  resign of kennedy...yee haw!!! but A's dont overpay utility types (scutaro)

arly2380 wrote: Angels Re-Sign Bobby Abreu
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 1:58pm CST]

The Angels have re-signed outfielder Bobby Abreu to a two year deal, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.

Well I'm glad that is no longer an option for A's fans to dream about. On the A's, that contract could quickly and easily become more of a nightmare.

In-house upgrades in Oakland?

The Oakland Athletics may be a league-average offense away from contention in the Al West.

Subscribe to Insider for as low as $2.50/month to access the complete rumor

2 years for $18 million is what I heard.

Nobodyinparticular wrote:

 

arly2380 wrote: Angels Re-Sign Bobby Abreu
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 1:58pm CST]

The Angels have re-signed outfielder Bobby Abreu to a two year deal, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.

Well I'm glad that is no longer an option for A's fans to dream about. On the A's, that contract could quickly and easily become more of a nightmare.

Red Sox Acquire Jeremy Hermida

According to Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel, the Red Sox have acquired Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins in exchange for minor league lefthanded pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.

Hermida, 25, has hit .265/.344/.425 in almost 2,000 career plate appearances, which is not what many had in mind for the guy Baseball America once ranked as the fourth best prospect in baseball. He earned $2.25MM in 2009, and still has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him.

The 25-year-old Jones got his first taste of the big leagues in 2009, when he put up a 9.24 ERA in 12.2 innings. He spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he held lefties to a .206 AVG against. Alvarez, 20, spent 2009 in Class-A ball, where he put up a 2.26 ERA in 26 games (12 start).

That's a good move for Boston. At $2.25m, he's a drop in the bucket for the Red Sox; that money coupled with his poor production in the last two seasons is a glaring overpay on a small market team like the Marlins.

He'll do fine there, and I would expect to see his production rise in the ballpark. He can be part of a lefty/righty platoon, he can be a role player and PH. Nice for the Sox that they can afford that kind of part time help.