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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 |
A's Sign The Big Hurt
The A's signed Frank Thomas, according to ESPN, on a one-year, $500,000 deal. He will replace Erubiel Durazo as the team's primary DH; bonus clauses of up to $1.4M could kick in depending on whether his foot injury recurs. Thomas appears to be healthy:
In the last 10 days, the A's put him through a series of stress tests under the supervision of team orthopedist Jerrald Goldman, who Beane said was amazed because Thomas handled more strenuous activity than Goldman expected.Update 1/26: Because I've received feedback in the comments and by e-mail, today's Ray Ratto column in the San Francisco Chronicle pegs the upper limit on Frank Thomas's salary at $3.1 million. I say this because it always seems like the early reports of one figure or another are often changed, and without me knowing about it."Frank felt great. Frank believes he'll be ready in spring training," said Beane, acknowledging the A's will be conservative with their new slugger.
Comments:
Vishal -- I've heard a lot of A's fans say that. I'm not quite as convinced, but I do think they'll take the division.
well, the reason i say that is because the team is so solid from top-to-bottom. sure, the yankee lineup is better, for example, but i just don't see any team being as complete.
they are an excellent defensive team, there is good depth at every position, they now have power from both sides of the plate, the bullpen is solid from front to back, with fine setup men(calero and duchscherer) and a good closer, and decent swingmen(kennedy, saarloos) who can start if necessary, and the starting rotation is one of the best in the majors if you consider the quality from 1-5. there isn't a hole anywhere that i can see. if you're not convinced, then you tell me which team looks better than the A's right now.
they are an excellent defensive team, there is good depth at every position, they now have power from both sides of the plate, the bullpen is solid from front to back, with fine setup men(calero and duchscherer) and a good closer, and decent swingmen(kennedy, saarloos) who can start if necessary, and the starting rotation is one of the best in the majors if you consider the quality from 1-5. there isn't a hole anywhere that i can see. if you're not convinced, then you tell me which team looks better than the A's right now.
Frank Thomas is an injury magnet. Rich Harden may not start the season with the club. Esteban Loiaza, in Matt's words, "is the type of Ismael Valdez-filler that you sign to a one-year deal, and hope he doesn't embarrass you in the #5 hole." I just don't see them as being like the Cards were in 2004-5, where they were so much better than everyone else in the league. Either Red or White Sox ought to give them a good challenge, and the Yanks on a good day, and if the Angels' younguns step up, even the Seraphs.
One again, Sosh, the old Dodger catcher, will find a way to guide the Angels past Billy Beane's A's. How, I don't know. But do it he will.
# posted by 
: 1/26/2006 06:45:00 AM
: 1/26/2006 06:45:00 AM
first of all, if harden misses a couple of weeks getting ready, that's what, two starts? i'm not worried. even if frank thomas plays 50 games healthy, i think that's at least a few games in the standings, and it's WELL worth the $500k. and besides, this team's success doesn't hinge on frank thomas; like i said, it's very deep. i think the big hurt puts them over the top, but they're still one of the best teams in the league without him. both sox teams are also up there though, especially the white sox.
re: loaiza, "ismael valdez-filler" is a garbage phrase designed purely to grab attention. valdez has been worthless for several years now, and mercurial as loaiza can be, he's far from worthless. did you see ken's recent piece on catfish stew about how loaiza had the second-worst defensive support in the majors last year? i think he'll do well and pitch a lot of innings for oakland this year, probably putting up a similar line to the one he did last year. the defensive improvement should make up for the park effects of RFK.
and matt: payton's a reserve/4th outfielder anyway at this point, so even if he regresses a little, that's fine. and why is there "no way" that ellis' 2005 was close to being real? i'll grant that there are injury risks, but unless we see a tidal wave of them like the 2005 dodgers, i think this team is deep enough to cover a player or two being injured at a time. anyway, the point is, i like the A's chances.
re: loaiza, "ismael valdez-filler" is a garbage phrase designed purely to grab attention. valdez has been worthless for several years now, and mercurial as loaiza can be, he's far from worthless. did you see ken's recent piece on catfish stew about how loaiza had the second-worst defensive support in the majors last year? i think he'll do well and pitch a lot of innings for oakland this year, probably putting up a similar line to the one he did last year. the defensive improvement should make up for the park effects of RFK.
and matt: payton's a reserve/4th outfielder anyway at this point, so even if he regresses a little, that's fine. and why is there "no way" that ellis' 2005 was close to being real? i'll grant that there are injury risks, but unless we see a tidal wave of them like the 2005 dodgers, i think this team is deep enough to cover a player or two being injured at a time. anyway, the point is, i like the A's chances.
From Ray Ratto's article in today's S.F. Chronicle:
"Eric Chavez didn't mean it the way it sounded when he told Comrade Slusser elsewhere on this page that Frank Thomas is the most significant right-handed hitter the A's have acquired since John Jaha.
"Oh. Then I guess that shoots down all those Jermaine Dye comparisons.
"Then again, let's take the high road here and say that if Frank Thomas turns out to be the new John Jaha, that he will have been worth about what the A's will be paying him."
"Eric Chavez didn't mean it the way it sounded when he told Comrade Slusser elsewhere on this page that Frank Thomas is the most significant right-handed hitter the A's have acquired since John Jaha.
"Oh. Then I guess that shoots down all those Jermaine Dye comparisons.
"Then again, let's take the high road here and say that if Frank Thomas turns out to be the new John Jaha, that he will have been worth about what the A's will be paying him."
# posted by : 1/26/2006 08:51:00 AM
: 1/26/2006 08:51:00 AM
Personally, I think the A's are better than any team in the National League right now. Unfortunately, they're in the American League, where they are one of about seven teams that are better than any team in the National League.
If AL West could trade leagues with the NL West for a year, I'd feel much more confident about a playoff spot. There are a lot of good teams in the AL, while with the exception of the Mets and Brewers, I don't really see a lot of improvement in the NL this offseason. The AL will be quite a battle, I'm sure.
If AL West could trade leagues with the NL West for a year, I'd feel much more confident about a playoff spot. There are a lot of good teams in the AL, while with the exception of the Mets and Brewers, I don't really see a lot of improvement in the NL this offseason. The AL will be quite a battle, I'm sure.
Link. Sounds like Ratto's not convinced. I agree. BTW, here'a a link to Jaha's Baseball Reference card. One good year, at age 33.
Ken -- don't know if you saw Rich Lederer's column a few weeks ago about the differences between leagues, but it contained this passage --
I think the National League may have only two teams that are as good as the top seven in the Americal League. Other than the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, I don't see a NL club that can compete with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Indians, Oakland A's, or Toronto Blue Jays.
I think the National League may have only two teams that are as good as the top seven in the Americal League. Other than the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, I don't see a NL club that can compete with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Indians, Oakland A's, or Toronto Blue Jays.
Wasn't Frank Thomas considered a clubhouse cancer at one time? In fact, I seem to recall Ozzie Guillen saying, upon taking over the team, that Thomas' attitude/outlook/approach had been one of the reasons for the team's sorry results over the years. Not that team chemistry is important or anything . . . .
# posted by : 1/26/2006 09:13:00 AM
: 1/26/2006 09:13:00 AM
Great minds think alike. ;)
Actually, I probably did read that...maybe that's where the idea got placed in my head. Sticky memes and all that...
Actually, I probably did read that...maybe that's where the idea got placed in my head. Sticky memes and all that...
sure matt, over the course of their careers the numbers balance out. but i think that 2006 valdez and 2006 loaiza are not the same pitcher. in his first 5 years as a starter, valdez averaged an ERA+ of almost 120, about 200 innings per year, and a strikeout/walk ratio of 145/55. but for the past 3 years, valdez has an average ERA+ of 78, 112 innings/year, and an average K/BB ratio of 47/33. the past 3 years, loaiza has averaged an ERA+ of 114 in 209 innings/year, and an average K/BB of 166/61. would you seriously be indifferent between having these two guys on your team for 2006?
Why would anyone cite Ray Ratto to support an argument? He would rather be funny (or try to be funny, anyway) than right. Anyone recall last year's prediction that the A's would win only 60 games?
# posted by : 1/27/2006 07:08:00 AM
: 1/27/2006 07:08:00 AM
Vishal, Loaiza cited a new pitch in 2003 that got him that shiny 2.90 ERA; clearly he forgot something in there. He clearly got away with something last year by changing leagues; I don't think he'll get to do it again in the AL West where he'll have to pitch in a park whose actual dimensions are as advertised.
even in 2004, loaiza was about league average in chicago; he was horrid in NY but i'm willing to at least take into consideration that something else may have been going on there, since that performance is such an outlier. then last year he was slightly above average again; doesn't ERA+ take into account park effects?
anyway, bottom line, i think it remains to be seen whether the park change or the improved defense will have more of an effect. i think he will be more than adequate in the A's rotation, and put up similar numbers to what he did last year. apparently you don't buy it, which is fine. we'll see who's right.
anyway, bottom line, i think it remains to be seen whether the park change or the improved defense will have more of an effect. i think he will be more than adequate in the A's rotation, and put up similar numbers to what he did last year. apparently you don't buy it, which is fine. we'll see who's right.
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