Random Thought - Giambi

[da_big_kid_94]

If the Giambi signing for Oakland takes place, do the dominoes topple this way?;

• Cust stays at DH because he's brutal in the field and between he and Holliday, they'll run whoever is their CF into the ground.
• Which would mean Giambi is their new first baseman;
• Which would mean Chavez is now a 3B again?

[Todd Zola]

From the 1/5 SF Chronicle

Chavez says he'll play third: Eric Chavez said his most recent right shoulder surgery went so well that he has "no doubt" he will be able to return to third base, a position at which he has won six Gold Gloves.

Chavez's shoulder was in such poor shape last season, despite surgery in fall 2007, that there was thought he might have to move to first base, but Chavez said by phone Monday that his rehab has been smooth this time.

"I'm doing everything, and it's going well," Chavez said. "I'm throwing at the stadium and that's feeling really good, and hitting is no problem at all. The last three weeks, everything's come together. My shoulder feels better than it has in the past 10 years."

[cwk1963]

The D at 3B will be good with Chavez there. But OF/1B leaves a lot to be desired with the twin butchers. After all, they both can't DH at the same time. I, for one, am glad I won't have to cringe at every batted or thrown ball to 1B anymore.

[mojoejoejo]

not really sure i understand the giambi signing...

while the a's are not really out much and giambi's contract seems to be the way of the future (especially for the a's and bosox) - short duration (low risk), incentive ladden (high reward) they have a kid (daric barton) who started to show some signs of life in the second half - all the while playing at the major league level - that made him highly regarded.

sure giambi still possesses those on base skills and still has the pop to knock 25-30+ bombs, but barton is only 23 and still has time to blossum. maybe the a's feel like he needs another 1/2 season in AAA but the a's aren't going to compete for the al west title yet and probably don't have enough to compete against the bosox/rays and the top 3 teams in the al central for the wild card. so why not let barton learn at the big league level? in a few yrs if the a's are competitive it will be barton at firstbase (or dh) not giambi

[da_big_kid_94]

See, I'm not sure if they are looking at Barton. Their current roster makeup has me confused. Allegedly, they had put Crosby on waivers. They don't have a backup middle infielder on their current depth chart (unless you count Cliff Pennington). Yet they are stocking up on corners and corner OFs. The Giambi deal is a place holder deal ...but why a place holder for a guy already on the 25 man roster? Is it possible they are already looking beyond Barton and looking towards Chris Carter?

[SteveB]

See i think this sigining as a decent one. You bring back a fan favorite for a modest salary, dont give up anything from current team, and dont lose any draft picks in the process.

I dont see Barton as the one who is going to be losing a lot of PT. I think its going to come in the OF with guys like Buck and Denoria losing time to Cust. I think you will see quite a few days where you have Barton, Cust, andGiambi all in the lineup at the same time.

Plus both the Holliday and Giambi deals feel like ones that can be moved again. Its likely they could net some nice prospects to contending teams close to the trading deadline assuming the A's are out of it. I am basing this both on my gut feeling and on talks I have had with the marketing department. We are in the process of setting up a sponsored bobble head day with them and its very telling to me the "names" that are off the table for our August deal.

[cwk1963]

See i think this sigining as a decent one. You bring back a fan favorite for a modest salary, dont give up anything from current team, and dont lose any draft picks in the process.

I dont see Barton as the one who is going to be losing a lot of PT. I think its going to come in the OF with guys like Buck and Denoria losing time to Cust. I think you will see quite a few days where you have Barton, Cust, andGiambi all in the lineup at the same time.

Plus both the Holliday and Giambi deals feel like ones that can be moved again. Its likely they could net some nice prospects to contending teams close to the trading deadline assuming the A's are out of it. I am basing this both on my gut feeling and on talks I have had with the marketing department. We are in the process of setting up a sponsored bobble head day with them and its very telling to me the "names" that are off the table for our August deal.

Care to tell us which names?

The San Francisco Chronicle quotes A's VP of sales and marketing, Jim Leahy, as saying they've sold two to three times as many season tickets this week as compared to a normal off-season week. Are those people planning on cheering or booing Giambi?

[da_big_kid_94]

See i think this sigining as a decent one. You bring back a fan favorite for a modest salary, dont give up anything from current team, and dont lose any draft picks in the process.

I dont see Barton as the one who is going to be losing a lot of PT. I think its going to come in the OF with guys like Buck and Denoria losing time to Cust. I think you will see quite a few days where you have Barton, Cust, andGiambi all in the lineup at the same time.

Plus both the Holliday and Giambi deals feel like ones that can be moved again. Its likely they could net some nice prospects to contending teams close to the trading deadline assuming the A's are out of it. I am basing this both on my gut feeling and on talks I have had with the marketing department. We are in the process of setting up a sponsored bobble head day with them and its very telling to me the "names" that are off the table for our August deal.

Tis true, Steve, but a lot of this seems to be predicated on Chavez being able to play 130-140 games in the field this season and I'm talking the 2004 Eric Chavez, not the current version. If not, you have to keep Hanrahan around. And that may mean you have to squeeze Chavez back into the 1B/DH mix. I don't know how many times you can afford to play Holliday and Cust in the field at the same time. If Giambi can still hit, then I think Barton's the odd man out here.

[SteveB]

See i think this sigining as a decent one. You bring back a fan favorite for a modest salary, dont give up anything from current team, and dont lose any draft picks in the process.

I dont see Barton as the one who is going to be losing a lot of PT. I think its going to come in the OF with guys like Buck and Denoria losing time to Cust. I think you will see quite a few days where you have Barton, Cust, andGiambi all in the lineup at the same time.

Plus both the Holliday and Giambi deals feel like ones that can be moved again. Its likely they could net some nice prospects to contending teams close to the trading deadline assuming the A's are out of it. I am basing this both on my gut feeling and on talks I have had with the marketing department. We are in the process of setting up a sponsored bobble head day with them and its very telling to me the "names" that are off the table for our August deal.

Care to tell us which names?

The San Francisco Chronicle quotes A's VP of sales and marketing, Jim Leahy, as saying they've sold two to three times as many season tickets this week as compared to a normal off-season week. Are those people planning on cheering or booing Giambi?

I think most A's fans will cheer him there seems to me a modest buzz around his signing. Most talk show mediots and fans calling in to the shows are positive.

As to the ones off the table they came back and asked which players we had most interest in doing a short or bobble head deal in. We liked Holliday AND then asked about Giambi after the signing. Both were not being used. Our plan is for late August run and the names they are "giving" us are Kurt Suzuki, Joey Devine, Brad Ziegler " and a couple of more. None of the "big names" will they even consider for a late season run. I suspected that they dont want to start production on something that they may not be able to fullfil later in the year. When i asked that question the lack of response to my question kind of made me think that was the deal. Does it mean they are gone for sure? Not by any means , more like they were keeping the options open.