It’s sure been a quiet couple weeks on the A’s front, but they rumbled back to life this weekend, as the A’s held their annual Fan Fest at the Coliseum.

I went to Fan Fest once, in 2001. It was a packed house that year as the team was coming off its first division championship since ‘92, and there was a lot of excitement. I remember not being able to move around much because there were so many people. Sounds like this year’s crowd way slimmed down from years past - just 12,000 people showed up. I know why there were fewer people, but I actually think that would’ve been pretty cool, because you can get around more and see and do more things. It’s kind of like how I always liked sitting in the upper deck on the first base side at the Coliseum, all alone in my little section - that’s just how I roll.

Anyway, OaklandAthletics.com has been extra nice to non-resident fans like me this year, posting videos of the complete Q&A sessions on the website. I watched a few of them over the weekend, and they were quite enjoyable. Everyone loves Travis Buck. I heart Ray Fosse. Bobby Crosby is still the shortstop. And Dan Johnson is such a goofy, likeable guy, that I feel kind of bad that I hope he gets traded before the start of the season.

The Billy Beane Q&A session was pretty interesting. A lot of the questions to Billy were expected, and Billy almost seemed to get kind of snippy with some of the fans. I understood he wanted to defend his moves, but I know I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the other end of his “Is that what you want?” questions. I do hope that a lot of people came out of that understanding why things were done they way they were done though.

And in other news, pitchers and catchers are just 16 days away!  I’d be surprised if there’s any more A’s news before then. I just hope Shannon Stewart and/or Mike Piazza signs somewhere so we can get a compensation pick or two.

A month from today, A’s pitchers and catchers will be working out at Papago Park in Phoenix. I can’t believe it! We’re so close to being back to some daily baseball. And American Idol starts tonight. W00t!

Let’s get to a few items of note:

1. The Kotsay trade was finalized yesterday, as hoped and expected. It turns out the A’s got another pitcher along with Joey Devine, an A-Ball pitcher named Jamie Richmond. Richmond is 21 and was listed as the #8 prospect in the Braves’ organization last year by John Sickels of Minor League Ball (looks like he hasn’t rated the Braves yet this year). He projects as a middle reliever or even fifth starter.

Wow - just wow! I thought Billy made an amazing deal by getting Devine. But an additional arm? Wow! How does he do it?

2. I didn’t mention it yet, probably because the Kotsay trade seemed to be more exciting news around the same time and I’m not sure how much of an impact this will be in ‘08, but the A’s did sign outfielder Emil Brown to a one-year deal last week. Brown is a former A’s farmhand who got plucked away from Oakland in the 1996 Rule 5 draft by the Pirates. His ‘05 and ‘06 campaigns were his best, though he regressed a bit last year. However he looks to be somewhat of a poor man’s Shannon Stewart. (Funny I said that - wasn’t Shannon Stewart a poor man’s somebody last year? That’s where these A’s are at, folks.)

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but if the idea is to keep Carlos Gonzalez (CarGo) or Ryan Sweeney in AAA for some much-needed development, it’s probably an OK move.

3. Word is now that the A’s may decided to keep Joe Blanton. Sounds like Billy isn’t getting the kind of offers he wants, so he may hold him until mid-season or even next offseason. Might as well - he’ll go up to $2M or $3M in arbitration, but he’s certainly affordable and not a guy you need to trade just to trade.

Of course, anything can happen as we saw with Swisher. But for now, it looks like we have Blanton and Harden as our top starters, likely to face the Red Sox in the Japan games.

4. Congratulations to SFGate.com user bakunin - you get the Athletics for Life “Getting It” Award for the day. From the comments section on the Kotsay Trade Finalized article:

I hate seeing fair weather fans grousing. Get behind your team or find another team to follow. I’ve been with the A’s through 4 World Series championships and through some horrifically painful 100+ loss seasons. Either way, Go Swingin’ A’s!

Enjoy the rest of your day, A’s fans. Now I need to figure out who to replace Mark Kotsay with on my A’s calendar.

From MLBTradeRumors.com, in the comments section of the Kotsay to Atlanta post:

5:18 p.m.:

You ain’t gettin’ Devine, A’s fans. Keep dreaming.

9:13 p.m.

What drugs was Wren taking when he made this deal? Beane just $#%!ed us up. I think he’s still pissed about the Hudson trade.

Well, it looks like Billy has done it again.

Last summer, I was surprised he was able to trade Jason Kendall for actual baseball players. This time, he’s done it with Mark Kotsay.

The A’s and Braves have reached a preliminary deal to send Kotsay to the Braves for 24-year-old reliever Joey Devine. Kotasy will have a physical Monday, which will likely finalize the deal.

First, who we lost: I’ll always have fond memories of Mark Kotsay and his stellar center field play. Vastly underrated and vastly talented, it was a pleasure to watch him play center for the A’s every day when healthy. He had a decent year or two at the plate as well, but back problems got the best of him and he didn’t play much - or well - at all last year.

I will always have one big memory of Mark Kostay, and that’s him chugging around t he bases in Game 2 of the 2006 ALDS after Torii Hunter’s ill-advised dive. If Marco Scutaro’s Game 3 double was the final nail in the coffin, Kotsay’s inside-the-parker in Game 2 was a few nails before that. I’ll never forget him, with his shirt untucked, jumping and pumping his fist as he was called safe. What a great Mark Kostay and Oakland A’s moment.

And now, who we got: Joey Devine was a first round draft pick of the Braves in 2005, but was probably rushed to the majors and has the dubious distinction of being the first player to give up grand slams in his first two major league appearances.

Despite the yuckiness of that, this is a very nice acquisition for the A’s. He’s put up great minor league number and will be groomed for a setup man or even closer job. Precursor to a trade of Huston Street? I wouldn’t be surprised.

The beauty of this deal is Devine could bust and it still won’t be a bad trade for the A’s. Kotsay wasn’t going to be of any use to the A’s in 2008, and instead of playing his $8M, they only have to pay $5M and get a reliever with upside in the process.

Nicely done, Mr. Beane!

In 2007, the Oakland A’s won four more games than the Chicago White Sox won. Both teams had years that were below expectations and which most considered a disappointment.

And both teams play in two-team markets and play second fiddle to their National League counterparts. The A’s have remained in the shadow of the Giants, despite having won four championships to the Giants’ zero. And the White Sox World Series win just three seasons ago hasn’t done much to help them take over Chicago from the lovable loser Cubs.

And both play in divisions with tough opponents who have gotten better this offseason. The Angels have added pitching in the form of Jon Garland and acquired Torii Hunter for the outfield. In the AL Central, the White Sox have to compete with the Tigers who added Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, and the talented Indians, who were in the ALCS last year.

So what’s a team like the A’s and the White Sox to do? Make some moves to get better and improve on last year? Or tear it all down and start over? Based on last week’s trade, as well as moves prior to that, we know who’s doing what. Let’s take a closer look at these teams’ strategies going into ‘08.

The White Sox model

The Sox had one of the worst offenses in baseball last year - even worse than the A’s. So they beefed it up this offseason by getting shortstop Orlando Cabrera and then Nick Swisher. But at what expense? An established starting pitcher in John Garland was swapped for Cabrera, and two top pitching prospects and a mediocre outfield prospect for Swisher.

Kenny Williams certainly is hoping to compete in 2008:

“From the first day I was assigned this position, I’ve been in the win mode. I’m worried about the 2008 championship before winning a title in 2010 and 2011, when these [traded] players will be ready to contribute on a championship team.

But are Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher enough to compete with Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, and the Detroit Tigers? Or last year’s AL Central champion Indians, for that matter?

Andrew Reilly at South Side Baseball thinks the Sox may have turned what could have been a bright future into more mediocrity. I tend to agree with him. Of course, the White Sox could go 110-52 and Swisher could win the AL MVP. But I wouldn’t bet my Nick Swisher belt buckle (if I had one) on it.

The A’s model

Tear it down and start over - that’s what the A’s are doing this offseason with the trades of Dan Haren and then Swisher. It’s enough to make even the most loyal A’s fans question the dealings of the GM we’ve grown to trust over the last 10 years. But the fact is, Billy just wants to stay one step ahead of everyone else:

“I got off the plane from the winter meetings, I said to David, ‘Who are we kidding?’ We can’t let hope be our strategy here. That’s what we’re doing. … We can’t waste another year. If this needs to be done, it needs to be done.”

“Our status quo as we stood going into the season was mediocrity at best. That’s my opinion. If anything we’re taking a step back with the idea we have a chance to build something very good for a long time. … The cost of indecision for us probably would be a bigger mistake.”

Not satisfied with mediocrity, Billy would rather piss off the casual fans for the short term in the hopes of gaining them back in the long term, with the help of a new stadium in Fremont.

Attendance will be awful this year, and we’ll have to sit through some lopsided games at the A’s expense. But I would rather have it be done this way, as we expect it and nothing more. Had Billy stayed the course, there would have been hope to compete and the disappointment that comes with not doing so.

So keep your eye on these two teams over the next few years. We’ll see who gets back to the top first.

I have an A’s baseball card holder plaque on my wall. It was given to me three Christmases ago, and I’ve used it to display baseball cards of current Oakland A’s players.

As 2008 approached, I had looked through my cards and found a severe lack of current players. I was reduced to using a Chris Denorfia Reds card and a Chad Gaudin Devil Rays card. I decided it was time to go on eBay and buy some A’s cards.

So I bought a 2007 team set, and it arrived today. I saw the package sitting on the table when I got home from work. I opened it up, looked through the cards, and mentally started placing some of the new cards in my plaque.

The card that would be most prominently displayed would be Nick Swisher, of course. With Dan Haren gone, he was certainly the face of the A’s now. I imagined his card (pictured left) resting in the top middle spot, right above the A’s logo and the words “Power and Finesse.”

And then the phone rang. Caller ID showed it was my brother. I thought he was mad at me when his first words were to scream to me, “What the heck?!?!” What did I do? Well, I didn’t do anything. Billy Beane is the one who did something, and he traded Nick Swisher to the White Sox, putting an end to that ridiculous fantasy I had of displaying Swisher’s baseball card in my A’s plaque.

If I thought any A was safe, it was Swisher. I remember reading a rumor not too long ago that the Cubs had asked about Swisher’s availability, and the A’s of course said no. I chuckled at the notion, much like I did several years ago when the Pirates wanted Eric Chavez and Mark Mulder for Brian Giles.

Of course, there was a little inkling of a thought I had two days ago: I was reading something A’s-related (it was actually probably the 2008 season preview the official site ran earlier this week) and it mentioned that Swisher would be 28 in January. 28? I thought to myself. He’s already 28? He’s actually not that young anymore. (CORRECTION: Swisher turned 27 in November. So much for my memory.)

Maybe that’s part of the thinking going on with this trade, as Billy and the A’s continue to appear as they have 2010-2011 on their radar. Swisher will be 30 and 31 and almost a free agent during those seasons. Do we really want that, or do we want to flip him now some prospects while his value is high?

And also, these are some pretty dandy prospects. I was pleased that I had at least heard of one of them - Gio Gonzalez - before looking him up. But, that’s probably due to the fact that he’s been traded twice before, both from and then back to the White Sox. He and Fautino de la Santos are top pitching prospects and will assist the team’s farm system into looking completely stacked instead of the black hole it was just a month ago. And 22-year-old Ryan Sweeney could make the team this year. I hear there may be an outfield spot available.

So on Tuesday I told Billy to bring it on because I was ready for anything in 2008. Thanks for reading my blog, man.

After being a bit brief the other night on the news of the Haren trade in the midst of a crazy Christmas prep weekend, it’s time for me to hash this out a bit more.

I’ve been dismayed - though not surprised - to read a lot of negative comments from A’s fans in reaction to this trade, such as “Billy Beane and Lew Woolf don’t care about the fans,” “The A’s are cheap,” “I’m not an A’s fan anymore!” So, relax, breathe - it’s time for a reality check.

The A’s were not going to contend in 2008, even with Haren. The 2007 healthy checkup last week revealed that Chad Gaudin needs surgery, Rich Harden is still having elbow tendinitis, and Eric Chavez may not be ready to start the season. Couple that with the facts that last year’s batting average leader (Shannon Stewart) won’t be back and Bobby Crosby is still slated to play shortstop, and you have yourself another mediocre team.

I said it at the start of this offseason and I’ll say it again - there’s a big difference between “We are contenders” and “I think we might have a chance to contend.” If I’m saying the former, I’m going to make some moves to either a) get better this year, or b) stack myself for the future. The A’s, coming off their first losing season since 1998, were in a better position to do B than A, so they Beane logically chose B.

This was not about money. Really, enough with the “The A’s are cheap!” comments. It is well known that Dan Haren was considered a bargain for a pitcher of his caliber. The A’s could certainly afford him. This trade wasn’t about that. It was about selling high.

You can’t get much better than an affordable, 27-year-old pitcher coming off the best year of his career. If I have that, and I’m not contending, I strongly consider my options.

The A’s are a team that functions well with the strength of its farm system. All those stars who have come and gone? Giambi, Tejada, Hudson, Mulder, Zito? All spent time in the A’s minor league system. And with the exception of Mark Kotsay, every current A in the starting lineup has spent time as an A’s farmhand. That is just the way this team is built.

The system was pretty crappy before this trade, and now looks quite a bit more stacked. Baseball Prospectus ranked the A’s top 11 prospects five days before the big trade, and have now redone the list with the new acquisitions. Things shake out much, much better, as four of the six former Arizona prospects cracked the A’s top SEVEN. That means only three prospects who were A’s before last week were as good as or better than these new guys.

Billy Beane knows what he’s doing. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those “OMG, Billy is a genius!!1″ people, but I think he’s a pretty smart guy and he knows how to run the A’s. Remember the trades of Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder three years ago? I remember Linda Cohn scoffing on SportsCenter saying, “The A’s are now the Kansas City Royals west.” The reaction to this trade seems like the same knee-jerk reaction.

Sure, the two are very different situations. The Hudson and Mulder trades were retooling trades, while this was a rebuilding trade. Where Haren, Kiko Calero, Juan Cruz (bleh), Charles Thomas (yuck) and Dan Meyer (double yuck) were considered major league ready right way, probably only Dana Eveland will crack this year’s Opening Day roster, while the other five prospects will spend a year or two or three in the minors. But it was something that needed to be done to give the A’s a chance to have future success the way they are built to have success at all.

The A’s are in position for an early teens run, much like their early zeros run. By then, who knows? If Cisco Field opens in 2011 or 2012, they could be able to open the new park with a 26-year-old Carlos Gonzalez, a 26-year-old Daric Barton, a 24-year-old Brett Anderson, and so on. Then you’ll have a guy like fan favorite Nick Swisher, who, at age 30, could be extended thanks to the new revenue.

Of course, I could be delusionally optimistic and all these prospects could be busts and the A’s could go on a 10-year losing streak. But we’ve lived though the trades of not one, but two aces before. We can live through this one.

This year for Christmas, my husband and I decided that, in lieu of getting each other gifts, we are were going to get ourselves a Nintendo Wii. Emphasis on the “were” - as you know, Wiis are extremely hard to come by and we have all but given up hope of having one to play with on Christmas Day.

So instead, we’re figuring we’ll have to wait until the desperation to get one dies down. But how long after Christmas will we have to wait? After the new year? Will we have one by Martin Luther King Day? How about by the time pitchers and catchers report for spring training?

So we’re playing the waiting game on a Wii, much like we’re playing the waiting game when it comes to whatever the heck Billy Beane is going to do with our 2008 Oakland Athletics.

First, during the winter meetings, we were hearing all kinds of Dan Haren rumors, and then there was the Barry Bonds talk. But maybe the Barry Bonds talk was there to fuel more Dan Haren talk, as Ken Arneson at Catfish Stew suggested.

The Haren talk is still alive and well, and the Diamondbacks are still at the front of it. There is supposedly an offer on the table, and they’re waiting for the A’s answer or (probably) counter-offer. And Buster Onley suggested this weekend that the Indians, who have oodles of young pitching, could be in the running as well.

So, we continue to wait. Will Billy blow up the team or add some pieces (potentially controversial) for a run at 2008?

And who will strike first - me or Billy?  Stay tuned…

OK, I’m going to just add to this as the day goes and hopefully cover the important stuff for the A’s as the Winter Meetings continue in Nashville.

1. Hank Steinbrenner says the Yankees aren’t going to deal with the A’s for Haren because the asking price is “ridiculous.”

As for Haren, a 27-year-old righthander who was 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA this season, Steinbrenner stomped on the idea of the Yankees acquiring him. Oakland general manager Billy Beane has told teams he would need to be blown away to deal Haren. He would want a similar haul from the Yankees as the Twins asked for in exchange for Santana.

Steinbrenner called that price “ridiculous” and vowed: “It won’t happen, not with us.”

2. That’s OK though, because there are not any shortage of suitors for Haren if trading him is something Billy really wants to do. The Arizona talk is heating up and possibly at the forefront of rumors involving Haren.

Yesterday we heard that first baseman Connor Jackson was in the deal, but that’s apparently not the case. That makes sense because we have enough 1B/DH types.

Top prospects Carlos Gonzalez (RF), Emilio Bonifacio (2B), and Brett Anderson (LHP) are in the talks. Jack Magruder speculates that Dustin Nippert (RHP) and Alberto Callaspo (2B) could also be had in a deal in which Billy is seeking SIX (6!) players in return.

Another name that has come up is Jose “Crazy Eyes” Valverde, and Magruder says that by acquiring him, it’d open the door for the A’s to trade Huston Street. WTF? He’s a good pitcher and all, but I don’t know if I want my closer looking like he wants to eat babies after he strikes someone out.

3. The Dodgers are the other NL West team loaded with young talent, but they apparently don’t want to give up enough to get Haren, as they’re supposedly still showing strong interest in Joe Blanton. Not that Blanton comes that much cheaper, though. But I can imagine they wouldn’t have to give up their top gun in Clayton Kershaw like they might for Haren.

4. This one’s a doozy - from MLBTradeRumors.com:

Mets send Jose Reyes, Kevin Mulvey to A’s
Mets send Hector Pellot to Twins
A’s send Bobby Crosby and Dan Johnson to Mets
A’s send Dan Haren to Twins
Twins send Johan Santana to Mets

So the A’s would end up with a pitching prospect and a big-time upgrade at shortstop in exchange for Haren and a couple of guys most A’s fans wouldn’t mind seeing gone. Hmmm…

EDIT: Billy squashed this rumor:

“I rarely comment on trades publicly, but let me comment on this one: It is an absolute, total fabrication.”

Usually we talk Oakland, but today we’re talking Nashville. Of course, Oakland is in Nashville this week, though not geographically, because that’s not possible.

Anyway, Billy and company arrived in Nashville for the Winter Meetings last night. We’re, of course, glued to the coverage waiting for the names Haren and Blanton to pop up.

Things have changed on the possible trade front, as once-sought-after outfielder Lastings Milledge is now a Washington National. And now, with the Johan Santana talks being a tug-o-war between the Yankees and Red Sox over the last several days, the loser of the sweepstakes looks to have Billy Beane’s suite on speed dial.

Rumors abound, so let’s look at a few:

1. Billy supposedly asked for an astronomical amount of talent in return for Haren from both the Yankees and Red Sox. From New York, he is said to have asked for two of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy. From the Red Sox, he wanted two of Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Clay Buchholz. Not even the Twins could get that for Santana.

If this is true, what is Billy doing? He could be a) starting high, making them more likely to make a deal when he lets up on his demands, or b) really wanting that much of a haul, because after all, he doesn’t have to trade Dan Haren; he’s under club control through 2010.

2. The Red Sox are supposedly in the lead for Santana as of this morning. I’m shocked the Twins couldn’t pull the trigger once Hughes was in the deal. They may look at him one day as the one that got away and wonder what if.

Anyway, if the Red Sox land Santana, the Yankees and A’s officials may be spending a lot of time talking to each other over the rest of the Winter Meetings.

3.  Beyond Yankees and Red Sox, the Tigers may be also in the mix for Haren’s services. Top prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller are the targets, and it’d seem nuts that the Tigers would give that up, but one source says they might actually be willing to do that. Wow.

4. The Mets and Dodgers are still on board for a possible Joe Blanton deal, and Arizona may be in the mix as well. But, this is definitely on the backburner while we watch the Johan sweepstakes play out and see if someone will pony up for Haren.

Deal or no deal this week for the green and gold, it’ll be an interesting week. Stay tuned…