(Photo: Keith Allison/Flickr)

In a surprising move today, the A’s traded catcher Max Stassi, “first baseman” Chris Carter and pitcher Brad Peacock to the Houston Astros for shortstop Jed Lowrie and RHP Fernando Rodriguez. It’s not really THAT surprising though, is it? It’s been another busy offseason for Billy Beane, but this time he’s in win-now mode as opposed to rebuilding mode. Anyway, stats first and opinions at the end.

Jed Lowrie played in 97 games for the Astros last season and over 387 at-bats he had a .244/.331/.438 slash line with a .336 wOBA and a 111 wRC+ which was good for a 2.5 fWAR. He also hit 16 home runs and stole 2 bases (in case you were wondering). Lowrie is a switch-hitter, but his numbers were much better when he hit from the left side of the plate last year; hitting .265/.345/.474 over 253 plate appearances with a .355 wOBA and 124 wRC+. He made 100 plate appearances as a righty last season and hit .184/.290/.333 with a .282 wOBA and 75 wRC+.

Over his five year career he has a .250/.326/.417 slash line with a .743 OPS. Lowrie will be under control for two more seasons.

Fernando Rodriguez pitched for 71 games for the Astros last season and over 70.1 innings he had a 5.37 ERA, a 4.22 FIP and .312 BABIP. He had an “impressive” 4.35 BB/9, a 9.98 SO/9 and 1.28 HR/9 rate.

I actually really like this trade, mainly because I have liked Jed Lowrie since he’s days in Boston and if he stays healthy he’s a great addition to the team. With that being said, Lowrie has not played in more than 100 games over his five year career. The closest his came was last season playing in 97, but was sidelined for almost two months after injuring his knee and ankle in July.

I was however, a bit surprised on the return of Lowrie, mostly because they gave up Brad Peacock after recently trading AJ Cole to the Nationals. The A’s have always been a pitching heavy team and this move (sort of) depletes their pitching depth in the minors, not that I think Brad Peacock was “ace” potential.

Billy Beane stated that Hiro Nakajima will still be starting at shortstop and Lowrie will play “all over”, by all over I assume all over the infield. So my thoughts, which obviously mean nothing, is that this leaves Adam Rosales as the odd-man out. I would think the team would have interest in getting Lowrie as many at-bats as possible so he will spend most of his time at third platooning with Josh Donaldson. Platoons for everyone!

As far as their losses, Chris Carter would be the biggest one at this point in time. The would-have-been back up/platoon of him and Moss is no longer and as of right now we can probably expect to be seeing more of Daric Barton this season. While losing Chris Carter kind of stings, adding Jed Lowrie is not a bad thing. The A’s now have a proven infielder if Nakajima doesn’t pan out, or if Donaldson goes back to being Donaldson or to play second if Sizemore and Weeks under-perform.

This trade means more than just adding depth to the infield, it also means Billy Beane is serious about winning now. With the season less than two months away now I believe that us fans have a lot to be excited about; it’s been a long time since we entered the season knowing we have a competitive team and perhaps this is finally Oakland’s year.

With today’s Hall of Fame announcement it seemed like the perfect time to return from my blogging absence. I do apologize for my disappearance, but hope to write more moving forward.

I won’t make this post about the Hall of Fame inductee, or lack of, because I am sure you have read plenty of opinion pieces by now. What I will make this about is the A’s future Hall of Famer, Brad Peacock. (Okay maybe not a future Hall of Famer, but possibly a future starter for the A’s).

Currently, there is one spot up for grabs in the A’s five man rotation come opening day. There are several options out there for the team at this point, but it’s possible, or likely, they will just look to the organization to fill the fifth spot. Assuming that Brett Anderson, Jarrod Parker, Bartolo Colon and Tom Milone all have spots in the rotation that leaves A.J. Griffin, Dan Straily, Brad Peacock, Travis Blackley and Andrew Werner as possible candidates.

By now must fans are familiar with Brad Peacock, who was the centerpiece of the Gio Gonzalez trade.  When Brad Peacock was acquired many thought he would make his way to Oakland quickly, but he spent the entire 2012 season in Triple-A Sacramento. He started in 25 games for the Rivercats and over 134.2 innings his posted a 12-9 record with a 6.01 ERA. The “good” news is his 4.26 FIP & .340 BABIP show he might have run into some bad luck over the season. He also had a 9.29 SO/9, 4.41 BB/9 and 1.07 HR/9 rate.

More good news for Peacock, he allowed less runs in the second half of the season, posting a 4.14 ERA over 50 innings (allowed 25 runs, 23 earned). His strikeouts and walks remained around the same, striking out 51 batters (9.18 SO/9) and walking 26 (4.68 BB/9). His home runs allowed did increase from .87 HR/9 to 1.44 HR/9 in the second half.

Given his numbers in Sacramento last season, Peacock will probably start 2013 in the same place. He has things he still needs to work on, specifically his control. He still shows promise and probably will make his Athletics debut in 2013, but for now there are too many pitchers in the system who are more primed for the Major Leagues.

(Photo: ozgurmulazimoglu/flickr)

Both A.J. Cole and Brad Peacock were acquired from the Washington Nationals when the A’s traded Gio Gonzalez to them during the off season.

Right-handed pitcher, Brad Peacock, was graded the A’s fourth top prospect by John Sickels and Kevin Goldstein prior to the the season and their second top prospect by Jim Shonerd of Baseball America.

Peacock has struggled this season in Triple-A Sacramento, going 10-7 over 24 games with a 5.92 ERA.  His .352 BABIP and 3.99 FIP still suggest he is having a bit of bad luck, but his 4.23 BB/9 rate suggest he also could be struggling with his control.  He is still striking out a lot of players (9.38 SO/9) and keeping a lot of the hits in the park (.92 HR/9).

He has improved since returning from the All-Start break, going 4-1 over 6 games (4 started) with a 2.78 ERA.  He’s also allowed 15 walks, but struck out 34 over 32.1 innings during that time.

I originally thought that Brad Peacock would be called up to Oakland at some point this season, but I do not think so anymore.  Peacock still has a lot of work to do before he proves himself to be major league ready, especially with the overload of starting pitchers Oakland is soon to have within the next few weeks.

A.J. Cole, also a right-handed pitcher, was named the A’s third top prospect by John Sickels and Kevin Goldstein and their fourth top prospect by Baseball America.

A.J. Cole struggled in Class-A Stockton going 0-7 over 8 games with a 7.82 ERA, .405 BABIP and 4.99 FIP which eventually lead to his demotion to Low-A Burlington.  Since the demotion, Cole has gone 5-3 over 15 games and has a 2.26 ERA, .299 BABIP and 2.64 FIP.  Most impressive is his 9.99 SO/9 and 1.67 BB/9 rate.

At the age of 20, Cole is very young and will not probably not see the big leagues for another 3 years.  I would guess if he is not promoted back to Stockton at some point this season, he will at least start there next year.

Right before the season I graded the A’s offseason’s moves and with fake baseball nearing an end I thought now would be a perfect time to catch up with the moves and see how much my opinion has changed (or not changed).

I decided to start with the Gio Gonzalez move, which I graded an A- back in April.  This trade brought (RHP) Brad Peacock, (LHP) Tom Milone, (C) Derek Norris and (RHP) A.J. Cole to Oakland and sent (LHP) Gio Gonzalez to Washington.

Brad Peacock was the main piece surrounding this trade, he still has not seen any time up in Oakland, but I expect that he will make his debut with the A’s at some point this season.  Over 14 starts in Triple-A Sacramento Peacock has a 6-3 record with a 5.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.  Although those numbers don’t look great, he has a .370 BABIP and 3.50 FIP which tells us that he may not be pitching up to his potential and we can probably expect better things from him in the future.

He currently has a 10.7 H/9 rate, which seems to be what’s hampering him the most right now.  With a high BABIP of .370 his hits could very well be because of the defense, or lack of and just plain bad luck.  Either way, looking at the bigger picture shows there is no need for concern regarding the high ERA.

Tom Milone was named as the 4th starter during spring training and has been with the team since opening day.  I have talked about it before, but I will say it again, there are two Tom Milones; the one who pitches in the Coliseum and the one who pitches on the road.

» Continue reading “Update On A’s Offseason Moves: Gio Gonzalez Trade”

Starting tonight the A’s will begin a 4-game series with the Detroit Tigers (15-15) who are 5-5 in their last 10 games and whose lineup is bolstered with the power of Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera.

Thursday 7:05 PM PST (RHP) Max Scherzer (1-3) Vs (RHP) Bartolo Colon (3-2)

• In his last outing against the White Sox, Max Scherzer pitched his best game of the season having only allowed 1 earned run on 4 hits over 7 innings, he also stuck out 9 and walked none.
• Bartolo Colon only lasted 5 innings in his last start against the Rays, he allowed 8 hits, 3 earned runs, struck out 2 and walked 2.

Friday 7:05 PM PST (RHP) Rick Porcello (3-2) Vs (LHP) Tom Milone (4-2)

• In his last start Rick Porcello pitched pretty well , he lasted 6.1 innings, allowed 4 hits and only 1 earned run, while striking out 5 and walking 2.  After having 2 poor starts against the Rangers and Mariners, he has came back and won his last 2 outings.
• Although he struggled in his last start against the Rays, Tom Milone was credited with the win.  He allowed 5 earned runs, 5 hits, walked 4 and struck out 1 over 5 innings.

Saturday 5:05 PM PST (RHP) Doug Fister (0-0) Vs TBA

• After being sidelined most of the season with a rib-cage strain, Doug Fister made his first start back against the Mariners.  He pitched 7 shut out innings, only allowed 4 hits, walked no one and struck out 3.  In 10.2 innings this season Fister has yet to allow a run.  In his 10 starts against Oakland, Fister has a 5-3 record with a 2.55 ERA and a 2.77 SO/BB ratio.
• If all goes well with Brandon McCarthy today we should see him pitch on Saturday, if things don’t go well we should expect to see Graham Godfrey again or perhaps Brad Peacock will be making his Oakland debut.

Sunday 1:05 PM PST (RHP) Justin Verlander (3-1) Vs (RHP) Jarrod Parker (1-0)

• Justin Verlander’s last start was against the Seattle Mariners, over 6 innings he allowed 3 earned runs, walked 2 and struck out 6.  In his 11 starts against the A’s he has a 5-5 record with a 2.68 ERA and 8.4 SO/9.
• Jarrod Parker had some control issues in his last start against the Blue Jays, he only allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings, but walked 5 and only struck out 3.

Keys to Success: 

In their series against the Blue Jays the A’s got on base, but struggled to drive in runners who were in scoring position.  They really need to capitalize in situations when runners are in scoring position, especially facing pitchers like Doug Fister and Justin Verlander.

It’s important for Tom Milone to have a bounce back start, not only in order for the team to win, but for himself.  Hopefully being in the confines of the O.co will turn him back into the pitcher we had seen earlier in the season.

The game to watch in this series will be game 4!   It will be very interesting to see how rookie Jarrod Parker will fair against the reigning AL Cy Young winner, Justin Verlander.

For more on the Detroit Tigers please visit Motown Lowdown. 

The Gio Gonzalez trade is one of the A's best off season moves

The A’s made plenty of moves this offseason, along with trading away Travor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez they also acquired 8,903,247 outfielders, a veteran pitcher and Manny Ramirez.  I am here to give my grade on each move, I can’t say I would do better than Billy Beane, but I can say I have my own opinions on things.

(RHP) Jarrod Parker, (RHP) Ryan Cook and (OF) Collin Cowgill for (RHP) Trevor Cahill, (LHP) Craig Breslow:  Jarrod Parker was the center of this trade, the A’s essentially received a pitcher the same age as Cahill, but with Jarrod Parker having only played 1 game in the majors, he has a lot less service time and the potential to be the future ace for this club.  Although Jarrod Parker had some control issues this spring, we should not be alarmed, Parker has been ranked the number 1 prospect in the organization by several experts including Baseball America, John Sickels and MLB.com (Baseball Prospectus has him listed as number 2).  B+

(RHP) Brad Peacock, (LHP) Tom Milone, (C) Derek Norris and (RHP) A.J. Cole for (LHP) Gio Gonzalez:  I think most agree that the A’s got the better end of this deal.  The package was built around Brad Peacock, who has the potential to be a middle of the rotation guy.  He has a live fastball that sits around 92-94 MPH, but can reach as high as 95-97 MPH, his downfall being his control issues.  While Gio Gonzalez had put up decent numbers for the A’s, they were able to obtain three of the Nationals top prospects in return in Peacock, Norris and Cole.   Tom Milone was not a top prospect, but Bob Melvin liked what they saw from him this spring and has named him as the third starter.  A-

(OF) Josh Reddick, (IF) Miles Head and (RHP) Raul Alcantara for (RHP) Andrew Bailey and (OF) Ryan Sweeney: I never really gave this trade a fair chance from the beginning since Billy Beane had said he was going to be asking for a high return on Bailey, but received an “okay” return instead.  I don’t think very highly of closers, but I would have liked to seen Beane maybe get a little more in return.  Josh Reddick was the center piece of this trade and I do think he will be a decent addition to the lineup, I was just hoping for someone with more of a power swing.

Miles Head is the most interesting piece of this trade in my opinion, John Sickels describes him as a “Grade C+ type who has major league potential but still has things to prove. He could develop into a very productive slugger, but could also fizzle out as a Quadruple-A bat without a real position.”  C

» Continue reading “Grading The A’s Offseason Moves”

Jemile Weeks and Cliff Pennington combined for three errors today

Athletics: 5  Cubs:  5

Down by three in the ninth, the A’s were able to come back and the tie the game after a 3-run rally, which started off with a solo home run from Jonny Gomes.  The A’s tried to win it again in the 10th, but fell short after Yoenis Cespedes hit into a game ending double play.

Lines of the Day:

• Kila Ka’aihue: 2 AB, 2 H, 1 Run, 2 RBI. Ka’aihue hit his second home run in three days today, he was also resposible for the game tying RBI, which came in the form of a double.

Ugly Lines of the Day: 

• Brandon McCarthy: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R (2 earned), 3 BB and 1 strikeout.  McCarthy may have struggled due to a finger nail that was tearing off his middle finger, but he tells Joe Stighlich he’s not worried about it.
• Jemile Weeks: 4 AB, 0 Hit, 2 Errors.   Weeks was not the only player today to go O-fer, but he happened to be the only player today to have two errors in the game (his 3rd this Spring).

A’s Extras: 

• Bob Melvin announced earlier today that Grant Balfour will be A’s closer come opening day.  Balfour had a 5-2 record last season with a 2.47 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, 8.56 SO/9 and 2.90 BB/9 over 62 innings of relief.  Balfour also had 2 saves in 7 opportunities last season.
• The A’s also announced that Brad Peacock was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
• Following today’s game and throwing another clean inning for the A’s this Spring, Pedro Figueroa was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
• Along with Week’s 2 errors, Cliff Pennington tacked on his own in the 9th (5th this Spring), 2 of those 3 errors lead to 3  unearned runs.
• The A’s now have their 30-man roster set for Japan, which includes three non-roster invitees, Travis Schlichting, Evan Scribner and Wes Timmons.

Tomorrow the A’s face the Royals in what will be their final game of Spring Training.  Probable pitchers are (RHP) Graham Godfrey and (RHP) Luis Mendoza.

Athletics: 11   Rangers: 7

Another come back win for the A’s this Spring!  Down by 1, the A’s came back and scored 5 runs in the ninth inning, which included a grand slam from top prospect Derek Norris.

Lines of The Day:

• Jemile Weeks: 4 AB, 3 H, 2 HR, 3 Runs, 2 RBI, 1 BB.  Yes, you’re reading that right, Weeks had two home runs today.  The non-power hitter now leads the A’s in home runs (with 3) this Spring.
• Cliff Pennington: 4 AB, 4 H, 1 Run, 2 RBI, 1 BB.  Between Weeks and Pennington, they combined for half the A’s hits, it would great to see them team up like this in the real season. (Please!)

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• Brad Peacock: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 earned), 3 BB.  In his three appearances this Spring, Peacock now has a 12.86 ERA and has allowed 12 hits, 10 earned runs and 4 walks over 7 innings of work.  I know it’s “only” Spring Training, but I think it’s safe to say that Brad Peacock will not be winning any rotation spots come opening day.
• Josh Donaldson: 5 AB, 0 H, 1 strikeout.  Donaldson was the only player in the starting lineup to not reach base.

Worth Mentioning:

• Yoenis Cespedes, who played center field in today’s game, went 1-4 with 1 strikeout.
• Bullpen hopeful, Ryan Cook (RHP), had another clean inning for the A’s.  He now has a 3.60 ERA this spring in 4 games,  he’s allowed 1 hit, 2 earned runs, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts over 5 innings.
• Another bullpen hopeful, Pedro Figueroa (LHP) had one clean inning, he has pitched in 5 games this spring, has allowed 3 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.
• No errors today, which means A’s errorless streak back up to 1 game!
• Pitcher Joey Devine has been sidelined for a week due to right bicep soreness.

Tomorrow the A’s face the Mariners at a 7:05 PST start, probable pitchers are (RHP) Graham Godfrey Vs. (RHP) Hisashi Iwakuma.

You can see the Rangers game recap here. 

(photo: Keith Allison/Flickr)

(RHP) Brad Peacock is taking the mound for the A’s today against the Rangers.

A’s starting lineup: Jemile Weeks 2B, Cliff Pennington SS, Seth Smith RF, Yoenis Cespedes CF, Jonny Gomes LF, Josh Donaldson 3B, Kila Ka’aihue 1B, Daric Barton DH and Anthony Recker C.

In case you missed it:

• (RHP) Bartolo Colon was scratched from his start today due to a blister on his right hand, he could start as early as tomorrow.
• Newly acquired infielder Brandon Hicks has been optioned to Triple-A.
• Yesterday, the Astros signed Landon Powell to a minor league contract.

Athletics: 6  Reds:  3

It was a nice day for newly acquired outfielder, Yoenis Cespedes, who went 2-2 today with a single, a home run, a walk and 2 RBI.   I’m very excited to see more of him, and lucky for us, he will be back in the lineup tomorrow.

Lines of the Day:

• See Above
• Bartolo Colon:  4 IP, 3 H, 1 Run (earned), 4 strikeouts.  Colon looked great in the first two innings of the game, the fourth inning wasn’t spectacular, he allowed a single and a double, but was able to get out of the inning with only surrendering one run.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• No stand outs today, overall a pretty good day for most.

Worth Mentioning:

• The errorless streak has ended at one game, Josh Donaldson committed his 2nd error in Spring Training, Cliff Pennington committed his 4th and Michael Taylor had his 1st.
• Brad Peacock pitched 3 innings of relief, he allowed 3 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and had 2 strikeouts.
• Manny Ramirez went 0-3 today, but thanks to two errors he was able to reach first base twice.  He is now 0-8 this Spring.
• Josh Donaldson is 4-6 in his last two games with 2 runs and 1 RBI.

Tomorrow the A’s face the Royals at 1:05 PST, probable pitchers are (LHP) Tom Milone Vs. (LHP) Bruce Chen.

Update: You can see Cespedes’s home run here.