ZZZZZZ . . . .

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun Times reports:

While the Cubs keep their eye on the pitching market as they mull a buyer’s approach for the trade deadline, one of their biggest targets heading into June is play-anywhere hitter Ben Zobrist of the Oakland Athletics, according to multiple sources.

We start the trade rumor game in earnest.

Zobrist has a connection with Maddon. Check.
The Cubs have traded with Oakland recently. Check.
Zobrist can play multiple positions. Double check.

Zobrist was the best player no one heard of prior to this season. He had a career 36.7 WAR for the Rays. The A's traded for Zobrist thinking he would be consistent. Zobrist, 33, hit .272/.354/.395 (116 OPS+) with 34 doubles, 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and nearly as many walks (75) as strikeouts (84) in 2014. He played both second base and shortstop as well as all three outfield positions. Zobrist is both very versatile and very good defensively wherever he plays.

But this year, with only 20 GP, he is hitting .243, 1 HR 10 RBI and a negative 0.4 WAR.

Zobrist is owed $7.5 million for 2015, the last year in his current deal. He is then classified as a rental player. As such, the Mets are also rumored to like Zobrist as a bench player.

The Cubs could be sniffing around to get a veteran bench player on the cheap. But there is something odd about Zobrist's sudden decline in production that warrants a second look. And obtaining Zobrist at what cost? A couple of AAA players (when the Cubs high level prospects are now thin)? Addison Russell? (Just kidding - - - but Billy Beane is still smarting over the last deal he made with the Cubs.)

At this point, Zobrist appears not to add much to the Cubs roster, which continues to be pitching staff heavy due to bullpen issues.

RIDING EMOTIONS

You can beat fun at the old ball park by beating up each other.

Things started in the bottom of the seventh inning of Thursday night's White Sox-Royals contest.  With two outs, White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton  hit a comebacker to Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura. As Eaton was running to first, Ventura appeared to yell a not so friendly phrase at him. Ventura, yelled back at Eaton running down the line,  prior to throwing the ball to first.

The first base umpire immediately got in front of Eaton, while the home plate ump came out in front of Ventura.

At that moment, both benches cleared.  There was a lot of pushing and shoving, but no punches were thrown. As these tea kettle situations usually lose steam quickly, everyone had stopped their sumo stances and were just about ready to go back to their dugouts.

But then new White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija went after Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain,  causing a scrum on the field. As Samardzija charged at Cain, another Royals player, (another ex-NL Central rival,  the later ejected) Edinson Volquez, took a swing at Samardzija.

Samardzija was eventually separated from the fray. He was held back by Geovany Soto, his teammate with both the Cubs and Athletics. After the game, Cain told reporters Samardzija had been chirping at him during the game - - - probably a hold over from Oakland's post game series. Earlier in the year, Samardzija hit Cain with a pitch that Cain thought was intentional (a carry over from last season).

Once the fight was over, the umpires gathered to figure out which players needed to be ejected from the contest. For the White Sox, that wound up being Samardzija and starting pitcher Chris Sale. Sale was still in the game at that point, though had thrown 99 pitches, so it was unclear whether he would have returned for the next inning.

The Royals lost Ventura, Cain and pitcher Volquez for the rest of the contest. For Ventura, this is the second straight game in which he has been ejected. Ventura was ejected in his last start against Oakland after hitting Brett Lawrie on the elbow with a pitch.  This was an alleged retaliation for a hard slide Lawrie made in breaking up a double play. But that entire Royals-A’s series was mired with hit batters and scrums.

Given his recent history, it would be surprising if Ventura escapes this one without missing some time. Samardzija is also probably in line for a suspension. It's unclear whether Sale or Cain will be punished once Major League Baseball is able to review the entire brawl. Also, if Volquez was the player who threw the punch at Samardzija, it's likely he'll miss a start or two.

Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said the Royals might be playing with too much emotion at the moment, and stressed that fights are never a great way to handle this type of situation.

The Royals are playing with a chip on their shoulder despite last season’s success. Some people thought the Royals just lucked out after decades of small market futility. But a very quick start to 10 wins gave the Royals some swagger which has turned into a macho Bad Boy Mentality.

It is the manager’s job to keep his team’s emotions in check, and channeled to productive aspects of the game. Losing three players in a fight is not a productive use of talent.

The new commissioner has a big decision on his hands. He will need to punish Ventura for his repeat behavior. It is a question whether he can corral the tempers to avoid baseball becoming a poor man’s hockey game.

WELCOME TO THE WEIRD

ESPN Chicago report from the first spring game of the Cubs had this weird item:

The Weird: A’s pitcher Pat Venditte had (Cubs Dexter) Fowler confused for a moment. Venditte is an ambidextrous hurler who warmed up mostly from the right side to begin the third inning, so the switch-hitting Fowler took his warm-up swings lefty.

“I was swinging left-handed because he was throwing right-handed,” Fowler explained. “Then he gets up there and switches, so I asked the umpire. My whole thing was I should be able to take some practice swings instead of just walking up there and having to hit.”

According to Fowler, the pitcher has to declare which side he’ll throw from for the at-bat before the hitter gets in the batter’s box -- but that’s too late for him.

“I wish he would have done it earlier,” Fowler said. “That’s what should happen.”

Fowler took notice that after throwing lefty to him and then Rizzo, Venditte threw a couple of times to his second baseman as a right-hander because righty Starlin Castro was entering the batter’s box. In other words, Venditte got in a couple of warm-up throws before facing Castro. Fowler didn’t think that was fair.

“It was kind of weird,” he said.

The current rules for switch hitters should and does apply to "switch" pitchers.

A batter may surely switch sides during an at-bat; he may do so as long as the pitcher is not in the "ready position" (see Rule 6.06) and he shall be called out if the batter attempts to switch sides during the pitcher's windup.  There is no rule in the MLB rule book that states how many times a batter can switch sides during an at bat. However, once the pitcher steps on the rubber, whatever side the batter is on is the side he must bat from for that pitch.  Per above, there is no rule in the rulebook that states that he cannot change from one batter's box to the other in the middle of an at-bat. The only rule about switching boxes is 6.06b which says that he cannot switch boxes if the pitcher is in the ready position. Otherwise, no problem.
yeah they can i have done it before

In regard to Venditte, the current rule states a pitcher must indicate which arm he will use to throw the next pitch and then the batter must take either box. This means the pitcher and batter could actually waltz their way through an at-bat.

In all the traditions of baseball, it is refreshing to find that the game itself can add oddities and new twists like switch pitchers, and the strategy of using them against an opponent.

OAKLAND LOSES

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a federal appeals court on Thursday rejected efforts by the Oakland A’s and the city of San Jose to force major league baseball to let the team move to the South Bay, saying only Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court can overturn the sport’s nearly century-old exemption from antitrust laws.

The Ninth Circuit's ruling leaves the A’s and San Jose with the remaining option of asking the high court to repeal the antitrust exemption, which it established in 1922 and reaffirmed in 1953 and 1972. The exemption requires a team that wants to move outside its territory to seek the major leagues’ approval, which hasn’t been forthcoming since the A’s first floated the San Jose possibility.

“Like Casey, San Jose has struck out here,” the opinion said in the 3-0 ruling. “Only Congress and the Supreme Court are empowered to question continued vitality (of the 1972 ruling) , and with it, the fate of baseball’s singular and historic exemption from the antitrust laws.”

The appellate court described the antitrust exemption as “one of federal law’s most enduring anomalies,” acknowledging that the original 1922 ruling was based on a “soon-to-be-outmoded interpretation” of the Constitution. But he said Congress, which has the power to rewrite the antitrust law to include relocation of major league teams, has left the ruling and its successors intact.

The A's have been trying to move out of Oakland for years. The stadium is in poor condition. Oakland is the ugly sister economically to neighbor-across-the-bay, San Francisco, whose Giants own the territory rights on the east side of the bay all the way down through Silicon Valley.

Territorial rights used to be important considerations when teams joined a league. By having an exclusive presence in a town, it meant the club had a better chance of profitability. Two team towns had divided loyalties, and usually one team got the short end of the stick (politically, socially or in attendance).

But since baseball, like most major sports, has now grown past mere attendance as being the life blood of a team, the concept of territorial monopoly seems to be outdated. But teams still guard those territories so as to keep the mystic of fan serfdom. The great gnawing peeve for fans is the territorial black out rules where fans of a team just outside the club's broadcast rights territory cannot pick up their club's games.

It is still money, or the perception of losing a single dollar to a competitor, that keeps the MLB team ownership rules and restrictions in place.

THE STEALTH PLAYER

He is probably the least known All-Star caliber baseball player in the major leagues.

He got a headline this week when his old team, the Rays, traded him to Oakland.

The Rays have announced that they’ve traded IN/OF Ben Zobrist and SS Yunel Escobar to the Athletics for catcher/DH John Jaso,  shortstop prospect Daniel Robertson (BA rank #85 in baseball), outfield prospect Boog Powell (Oakland's #11 prospect), and $1.5 million in cash.

The 33-year-old Zobrist has been one of baseball’s best players over the past several seasons, with four straight seasons of an fWAR of above 5.0. While his offense the past two years has been down from his 2008-2012 pace (slipping somewhat to .272/.354/.395 in 2014), his defensive talents and ability to play second base, shortstop and outfield make him tremendously valuable. He will be eligible for free agency after making $7.5 million in the last option season on the team-friendly extension he signed with Tampa in 2010. The Athletics can also extend Zobrist a qualifying offer after the season, potentially netting themselves a draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

Zobrist's 9 year average WAR is an outstanding 4.07. He has had two seasons in which his WAR was more than 8! In 2009 (8.9) and 2011 (8.7). In the last three seasons, his WAR has been 5.7, 4.8, and 5.0.  In 2014 he hit 16 HR, 52 RBI, .272 BA and 10 SB. In his 9 year career, he has hit 114 HR, 511 RBI, .264 BA with 102 SB. 

Playing in Tampa certainly had dampened Zobrist's national reputation. But Billy Beane continues to find value in re-tolling his Oakland club for another post-season run in 2015, acquiring young talent like infielder Marcus Semien, which some scouts compare favorably to a young Zobrist.

A'S RUNAWAY

The Athletics are dominating the AL West. With 61 victories, they are cruising ahead of the competition. The Rangers are already 22 games behind in the standings!

What is remarkable is that the A's runs differential is an outlandish +150. This is more than double the next highest team.

Baseball is a simple game with one simple rule: score more runs and you win the game.

Oakland is the master of that rule.

The A's starting pitching staff has been outstanding in ERA. The bullpen has been solid with closer Sean Doolittle.

And the A's can manufacture runs and put up crooked numbers, even though they play in a pitcher friendly ball park.

But can the A's success turn into post-season victories?

One study concluded that the most important factors in the post season are:

a) power arms in the starting rotation;
b) plus defensive fielding.

Great power arms can shut down great hitters.
A good defensive team can save a run a game.
In short series which usually are fairly even in talent, the better pitching staff and defensive team will usually win close contests.

 The funny thing is that the team with the most regular season wins does not equate to World Series championships. More and more wild card teams are getting to the Series. Whether it is part underdog status or the ability to win "one and done" games, wild card teams position themselves with at least a mental advantage.

The A's traded into the team's strength when they picked up Samardzija and Hammel from the Cubs. It would appear that Oakland wants to make a deeper run in the playoffs.

THE SOLUTION PROBLEM

In his first A's post-game press conference, Jeff Samardzija was beaming about his new team.

It was like he had just been released from prison and on the way home
he used his last dollar to purchase a winning lottery ticket.

He was happy with his new situation and teammates. He liked that during the games the players are discussing the game as it unfolds. He likes the atmosphere and the drive to win in the clubhouse. It is like when he first came up, and teammates like Greg Maddux would discuss strategy and what would happen during the game. There was a mentoring process, and a winning attitude present at that time.

While he was praising his new team, Samardzija was also mentally ticking off the things he felt was wrong about his former team, the Cubs. He had been vocal in the past about the Cubs trading away its pitching staff for prospects; he had been vocal about the losing culture. So he painted from a player's perspective a bleak picture of the current Cub team.

Now, there were some nasty comments by media members and fans who lashed out at any criticism of the trade. They called dissenters "idiots" because they don't "understand" the great haul the Cubs received in return for two starting pitchers. They are fully invested in Theo Epstein's rebuilding plan. But if you listen to Epstein's own words, he is not fully sure what is going to happen. He said he was "hopeful" that the front office would not have another year of trading away starters for prospects (and tanking the season for higher draft pick).  Epstein again had no timetable for when the Cubs will be competitive. 

The key to the trade was acquiring shortstop Addison Russell, who is listed as a Top Ten prospect in all of baseball by scouting services. He was the #14 draft pick in the first round. Scouts rave about his abilities and projections. However, he has played only 19 games this year due to hamstring injuries. And statistically, any prospect has a 6 percent chance to develop into an impact player. A first rounder should have better odds to making the majors (12%-to 25%). There is no guarantee that Russell will make his mark at the major league level or even be a Cub. And that is a real concern.

One must start to realize that the majority of Cub organizational prospects that scouts like have come from outside the Cubs own draft picks. Trading for players is one tool to build a team. But if a team has a problem developing their own picks, then trading for better developed prospects from other organizations becomes a long term problem. One of the statements on why this trade was done weeks before the deadline was that Oakland wanting pitching now. And other teams, such as the Blue Jays, did not want to give up one or two premiere pitching prospects for Samardzija or Jason Hammel. The Cubs need starting pitchers but took two position players and a AAA starter in return.

So even if one accepts the premise that the trade was good for the Cubs because it helps re-stock the minor league system with quality players, it does create a present problem in that the Cubs have no solution to their pitching woes. Samardzija and Hammel were projected to pitch another 210 innings this season. (This is the reason the A's wanted an early deal: they get at least 8 additional starts from their new pitchers). The Cubs have no one to take those innings. Carlos Villaneuva was put in the awkward position of being the spot starter from his bullpen duties and he failed in the great 13-0 letdown game after the trade. Chris Rusin was brought up (but oddly did not start), and he could not stop the damage after Villaneuva was pulled from the game. 

Tsuyoshi Wada, 33, will probably take one starter position. He was 9-5, 2.66 ERA and 1.161 WHIP for Iowa. Then the Hammel slot will probably filled by a rotating committee of Villaneuva, Russell or Dallas Beeler. The trade of 40% of one's starting rotation is a major team disruption that the Cubs have had a problem addressing in the past and the present.

The other problem is perception. The Cubs had actually won four games in a row. They were no longer the worst club in baseball. (In fact, the team was heading outside of the top ten draft pick slot for next year's draft). But even before the team could start to sow the seeds of a turnaround, the trade wipes out the clubhouse. And even casual fans see that the Cubs don't want to win this year; another "tanked" season is what the front office wants. The trade does nothing to stop the falling attendance figures at Wrigley.

The other perception is the players. Samardzija pitched his way off the Cubs roster by refusing an extension request. He saw better opportunities elsewhere. His former teammates in Chicago no doubt have mixed emotions when their best players and leaders are traded away year after year with no immediate major league help coming in return. Free agents see the Cubs as a sign and flip destination for rehabbing players, not a place to sign a long term deal for a championship run. Even if the front office believes it can suddenly open the faucet and spend big money on free agents, there is no guarantee that they will want to come to the Cubs (see, Tanaka FA derby). 

Yes, this deal fits into the pattern of Epstein's rebuilding program, but its consequences continues to create new problems that many fans don't see or don't want acknowledge.

 

NOT SO BIG TRADE

What Oakland did was get about 10 extra starts from their newly acquired pitchers, who statistically fit into #2 and #3 in a low ERA rotation after revived Scott Kazimer. In the competitive AL West, the A's have signaled that they are going for the divisional crown and deep in the playoffs. The Athletics currently have the best record in the major leagues at 53-33.

With Friday's trade for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, ESPN states all five members of the Athletics' new rotation now rank among the top 35 qualified starters in the majors in ERA. 

Pitcher	ERA	Rank
Scott Kazmir	2.61	12th
Jeff Samardzija	2.83	18th
Jason Hammel	2.98	23rd
Sonny Gray	3.08	27th
Jesse Chavez	3.23	33rd

In addition, Samardzija and Hammel go to a pitcher friendly ball park in Oakland.

The Cubs, who had a 6 percent chance of making the playoffs, decided to back up the truck and kill their competitive spirit for 2014. On paper, the Cubs received less in return for starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel than they received for Matt Garza or Scott Feldman. It is certainly less than the rumored Blue Jay deal where the Cubs were trying to get 2 of the top 3 Jay pitching prospects plus major league ready position players.

Samardzija, 29, is 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA this season. Hammel, 31, is 7-5 with a 2.98 ERA.
Hammel is set to become a free agent after this season, while Samardzija has one more year of arbitration before becoming a free agent. They had been on the trading block for weeks, and received intense scouting from AL East teams.

The Cubs received only four players for the two starters: the A's 2012 first-round pick, shortstop Addison Russell: 2013 first-round pick,  outfielder Billy McKinney;  pitcher Dan Straily;  and a player to be named later,

Russell, 20, is ranked third among all prospects on ESPN's Keith Law's recent Top 100 Prospects list.   The troubling issue with the trade is that Russell has appeared in only 18 games this season due to a hamstring strain. He was hitting .333 in 58 at-bats at Double-A Midland. There is a question why the A's would part with their #1 prospect . The team's #2 prospect was also a quality shortstop, so it may have been an educated guess on Russell's injury propensity that allowed Oakland to deal him.

McKinney, 19, has a .241 batting average with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 75 games for Class A Stockton this year.

Straily, 25, is 1-2 with a 4.93 ERA in seven starts for the A's.  This season he has a NEGATIVE 0.1 WAR in his 7 starts, only averaging 5.4 IP/start. He was demoted to AAA in May where  he was pitching to the tune of a 4.71 ERA for Sacramento. The right-hander career record 13-11 in 41 starts for Oakland over the past three seasons, with 1.257 WHIP and 2.16 K/BB ratio. He has performed like a fifth starter.

So the "big" trade of the top of the Cubs rotation only netted the team an injured AA shortstop, another projected corner outfielder with power swing but low BA, and a AAA starter. (The player to be named later is usually a non-factor prospect). This trade does not help the major league ball club today, or in the next two seasons.

The question remains that if Russell is an elite shortstop that is the key to this deal, then this deal puts the front office in a situation where both Starlin Castro and Javy Baez slide down the priority list for the Cubs future (into future trade chips).  Castro has had a bounce back year but still has critics, and Baez has not been tearing up AAA as people had projected earlier this year.

This trade is a good deal for Oakland, and an underwhelming one for Chicago.

MONEY BALLED

Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper wrote a column for the Daily Herald. In it, he states that the Cubs front office recent transactions moves the club closer to a World Series.

Kasper is one of those expanded stats guys. He likes to talk about the sabermetrics of a player or a situation, especially on lazy Sunday afternoon broadcasts. He believes that Epstein-Hoyer front office is using the principles of sabermetrics and Moneyball philosophy of Billy Beane, Oakland's successful GM, to build a winning organization. Beane found a way to analyze player performance by new metrics such as OPS, OBP and situational performance measures. Beane realized that you do not need a line up of HR, RBI and high BA players in order to produce runs. (Which had historic precedent before with the Go-Go- White Sox in the 1950s).

Kasper writes that "But, for the millionth time, "Moneyball" was not about on-base percentage. Or computers taking over for scouts. It was about exploiting market inefficiencies. Again, repeat after me: It was about EXPLOITING … MARKET … INEFFICIENCIES."

What Oakland did and continues to do is to find players that fit into their run production system. Players that have consistent performance traits who when put in the right situation have an opportunity to perform well. A player who can coax a walk and steal a base is just as valuable as a .300 hitter making contact for a double. That is not a market "inefficiency" but scouting players to fit specific roles on the ball club.

This was the first year that teams could "trade" international salary pool money. Kasper believes the Cubs strategy of trading for more bonus money was a genius move. He believes the Cubs were the first team to target pool money in trades to give them an edge on other teams in signing young, raw players from other countries. Except, that observation misses the point.

In prior years, teams could spend an unlimited amount of money to sign international free agents. The Cubs overspent tens of millions of dollars on international players, including Jorge Soler and the bust, Geraldo Concepcion. However, other teams such as the White Sox, spent little on foreign players by comparison. But an objective view of current rosters shows the White Sox have more impact foreign players on their roster (especially in pitching) than the Cubs.

Further, the Cubs are not "exploiting" the situation when the rules clearly state clubs can trade bonus money. What the Cubs are actually doing is overspending for foreign players which in the long run inflates the cost for talent for every club. The Cubs may have to scramble to find more IFA bonus money to sign the number one prospect for $2.8 million (to avoid a penalty tax and future signing restrictions). The Cubs did not corner the market in talent, but may have cornered themselves in a budget and future signing sinkhole by overspending this year.

And the Cubs also overspent on the amateur draft. The team has overspent on lower round draft choices which now has impacted on whether the team can sign No. 1 pick Kris Bryant. Currently, the Cubs do not have enough bonus pool space to sign Bryant at even the recommended slot price. Bryant's agent wants more than the slot value. If the Cubs sign Bryant, the team will incur a financial penalty. If the Cubs don't sign Bryant, the team will incur more substantial penalties including potential loss of future first round pick.  Again, this compulsive overspending on prospects is not gaming the system but creating one's own budget inefficiencies.

And Kasper buys into the myth that spending big money on a player means that player will be great in the future. "Because it accelerates the essential process of adding a large quantity of young players to a system that badly needs it, which in turn should push championship-caliber talent to the big leagues on a yearly basis," Kasper states.  Except, that is not true.

Less than two percent of the international players signed this year will have any impact on a major league roster. High school players drafted by teams have less than a one percent chance to have an impact on a major league roster.

Spending bonus money does not equate at all to actually finding and developing baseball players. Old time scouts would tell you that there are things that they could observe that do not show up on a stat sheet. Things like whether the prospect positions himself correctly in the field; whether he understands the game situation; whether he is anticipating the play on the next pitch; whether he makes the correct baseball IQ play in the field (hitting the cut off man, taking an extra base, etc.) Also, whether a prospect has the demeanor to play at more competitive levels. The raw stats like height, weight, 40 yard dash, mph on fastball are only starting points. Like at the pro football combine, people get caught up with number of bench reps or vertical leaps. But the wise general managers come back to a simple question after seeing all that data: "can the kid play football?"

Oakland has developed a long line of baseball players who play fundamentally sound baseball. That is the key to building a successful organization, not the ability to spend a fortune on 16 year old kid's potential.

EXCELLENT COLUMN

There is an excellent column by writer Bruce Jenkins in today's SF Chronicle.

Jenkins makes a valid point on how relatively small market teams like the A's and Giants can be competitive without overspending or mortgaging their futures.

He calls it "baseball intelligence."  We have commented in the past on player's having a "baseball IQ." i.e. inherently knowing what to do in a given situation and/or anticipating the situation to make the appropriate play. Players will raw talent and skills may still lack the baseball field intelligence to utility those skills to their maximum potential.

Jenkins takes that requirement to the front office. Some teams have more organizational "baseball intelligence" than other teams.  He states that "the game's most essential truths: that scouting, character and basic instincts are the tools that build a winner."

Both teams have built winners. The Giants rely upon scouting and field observations more than computer sabermetrics to build their roster. The A's pioneered the mathematical approach to player evaluations. Both systems can work.

MORSE TRADE

It seems like an inexpensive deal for all three teams involved in the Michael Morse deal. It was expected that Morse would not bring a blockbuster deal, but each team did add a piece to the puzzle, most notably Seattle, which was desperate to add power to a weak roster.

SI reports:

The Mariners acquired Michael Morse from Washington in a three-team deal that moved catcher John Jaso from Seattle to Oakland.

The NL East champion Nationals reacquired pitching prospect A.J. Cole, dealt from Washington to Oakland 13 months ago in the trade for Gio Gonzalez. Washington also got minor league pitcher Blake Treinen and a player to be named.

Morse hit .291 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs last year in an injury-shortened season, playing mostly as a corner outfielder. He was with the Mariners from 2005-08 before he was traded to the Nationals for Ryan Langerhans in June 2009.

The Nationals acquired speedy center fielder Denard Span from Minnesota this offseason and contemplated moving the 30-year-old Morse to first base but then re-signed Adam LaRoche. They are set at the corner outfield spots with Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth.

Jaso, 29, batted .276 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs last year but became expendable when Seattle obtained Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez, moves that shift Jesus Montero from a catcher-DH split to primarily behind the plate. The AL West champion A's traded starting catcher Kurt Suzuki to the Nationals last season and replaced him with rookie Derek Norris. To open a roster spot for Jaso, Oakland designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment.

Jaso, a left-handed hitter, had a .394 on-base percentage last season and batted .378 with runners in scoring position. He gives the A's another option at DH and a catching complement for Norris, a right-handed hitter who batted .201 with seven homers in 60 games last year.

Cole, a 21-year-old right-hander, was among four players traded by Washington to Oakland in December 2011 for Gonzalez. Cole was 0-7 with a 7.82 ERA in eight games at Stockton of the California League and 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA at Burlington of the Midwest League, both Class A level.
Baseball America recently rated Cole as the top pitching prospect in Oakland's organization.
Treinen was 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 24 games at Stockton last year. The 24-year-old righty was selected by the A's in the seventh round of the 2011 draft.

TRADE MARKET

A quick view of the standings will show who will most likely be Sellers at the trade deadline.

The Blue Jays have been traders, but roster builders. The Red Sox are traders as contenders, but are pretenders this season. The Royals, Brewers and Diamondbacks are on the fence. The Phillies may be surprise sellers because of their lost season. The Twins are sellers in rebuild mode around a core of aging and injured veterans. The A's are perennial sellers looking more at the new stadium than roster moves. The Mariners are catch and release sellers (with teams like the Cubs making waiver claims off their roster). The Astros could be reluctant sellers because they have little to trade. The Rockies are probable sellers. The Padres as team is literally still for sale. And the Cubs are in full fire sale, garage sale mode.

The teams that are most likely sellers are Twins, A's, Mariners, Phils, Astros, Rockies and Cubs. Each team's likely trade bait (current salaries included in millions):

The Twins could have a pitching swap meet. Starters Pavano (9), Baker (6.5), Liriano (5.5), reliever Capps (4.5) and possibly utility-catcher Doumit (3.5).

The A's could unload relievers Balfour (4) and Fuentes (5) but more likely Inge (5.5) or Suzuki (5).

The Mariners could possibly salary dump Figgins (9.5), Guiterrez (5.8), League (5) and Vargas (4.8).

The Rockies have already shopped starter Guthrie (8.2) and have no long term need for Giambi (1).

The Astros also could dump salary in Carlos Lee (19), reliever Myers (12) or starter Wandy Rodriguez (10.5), a consistent lefty on a bad team.

The Phils could either hold pat for next season or play mega-dealer. Hamels (15) is heading for free agency so he is a rent-a-player candidate. Veterans Polanco (6) and Wiggington (4) could command interest for a team rounding up a strong bench.

As set forth earlier in this blog, the Cubs block includes Dempster, Garza, LaHair, Soriano and Barney. So the Cubs are probably in the middle of the pack as buyers evaluate the available talent pool.

If you look at all the trade candidates above, it is not really a strong talent market. Either the players are expensive or on the downside of their careers. But that is partially negated by the moment; some teams need to win now and will overlook those concerns.