Since October, baseball in the Bay Area has been spelled G-I-A-N-T-S. It’s understandable. The Giants won the World Series and most of the players with whom the Bay Area fell in love are returning.
While the Giants have been taking multiple victory laps and repeatedly hoisting their championship trophy, the A’s have completed a series of moves that should make them serious contenders in the American League West.
Though rebuffed in their attempt to land slugging third baseman Adrian Beltre, the A’s did add Designated Hitter Hideki Matsui, outfielders David DeJesus and Josh Willingham along with pitchers Rich Harden, Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour and Joey Devine.
Matsui was MVP of the 2009 World Series with the Yankees, DeJesus and Willingham upgrade the corner outfield spots, and the new pitchers will give Oakland one of the strongest bullpens in the majors. Fuentes is a former All Star closer with Colorado and the Angels while Balfour was on Tampa Bay teams that won the A.L. East two of the last three seasons. Balfour’s ERA last year was 2.28 in 57 games. In 2008 he was even better with a 1.54 ERA in 51 games. Devine has been a solid reliever in Atlanta.
The most intriguing addition might be Harden. A former Athletic, Harden often hits 100 on the radar gun, yet health has been an issue. He appeared in just 46 games over the past two seasons and missed the playoffs with Texas last year because he was not recovered from his latest arm problems.
For his career, Harden has averaged more than nine strikeouts per game and has surrendered only 694 hits in 845 innings. If he somehow can stay healthy, the A’s may have acquired a veteran ace at a bargain price.
If the A’s got intrigue with Harden, they acquired one of the most famous players in the world in Matsui. The team’s new designated hitter earned the nickname Godzilla during his eight year career in Japan for his power and speed. He then signed a $73 million seven year contract with the Yankees that culminated in the 2009 World Championship. Last year, he had a solid campaign as the Angels DH with 21 homers, a .274 batting average, and on base and slugging percentages well above the league average.
Matsui is followed daily by dozens of Japanese reporters, which should help raise Oakland’s profile. And while the A’s say they acquired him for his on-field attributes, the possibility of selling tickets in the Asian community is certainly a positive factor for a team that last year generated only about half the attendance the Giants did.
The A’s also benefit from playing in the smallest division in the majors. The Mariners, Angels, and Rangers have two World Series appearances and one championship in their combined histories, and each has lost key players going into this season. And while Texas and Los Angeles figure to be competitive, neither is so strong that the A’s cannot harbor realistic hopes of taking the division title.
For ALIVE East Bay baseball fans, the A’s represent a tremendous bargain. They should be a good team in a winnable division with good seats at the Coliseum often available right up to game time. Many of those seats can be had at promotional discounts at various times, particularly midweek night games. An A’s game might be a welcome alternative to fighting the San Francisco crowds anxious to see the World Champs defend their title.
Leave a Reply