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I seriously think the As will trade for tulo using either kazmir or our pitching depth for him and hendricks plus cash

Anything is possible but I doubt we're going to see a Kazmir move this far ahead of the trade deadline and our pitching depth isn't as deep with Parker and Griffin gone for the season and most of our bullpen sucking eggs. I wouldn't be surprised if you were right and I wouldn't be surprised if I was right.
Offensively, I'm not sure if Tulo is an upgrade or not since Semien is playing so well right now and defensively you're trading a .922 fld% for a .966 fld% which, of course, is an upgrade but only a 4% increase. Who knows. If the team doesn't turn this around soon, we may see Beane break out of his normal patterns. ~Tony

In your honest opinion, What place do you think the A's will finish and what is their record at seasons end?

It all rides on this bullpen, in my opinion. Because the division is just going to beat itself up, I don't see any team in the AL West going over 90 wins. If the A's bullpen can find its groove and come in clutch, this team could easily be an 87 or 88 win team and be competitive for the division. At the very least, I'm confident that this club will get to the post season, even if it's another wild card game.
You have to remember, our Pythagarean win record is at 10 right now and the bullpen has lost four games so if that weakness fixes itself, we could be in good shape. Check out the article from earlier today about the A's batting power compared to 2014. -Tony

How do you feel about Eric O'Flaherty as a late-game option? Multiple early season failures from him. He has a quality statistical background, but his low-90s heater and lack of dominant breaking balls might place him better in middle relief. Thoughts?

Melvin was justified in putting him in today based on the reasoning that they wanted to force some ground ball outs. That being said, opponents are hitting .400 against him with balls in play so, clearly, he can't be counted on to get the forced outs right now. In general, middle relief in lower pressure situations would probably be best for him but I understand the justification for using him today...although I would have gone with Abad.

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How did you think the A's will do when they hit the road for the first time this season?

This is a day late but we'll answer anyway. The Astros are better than they've been in a while but they're still not as good as the A's so our boys should grab at least two of those three. The trip to Kansas City could be a nightmare considering they won their first seven games. It'd be nice to take that series but you should consider preventing a sweep a victory, too. As far as the Angels, that's a bit of a wild card. They're supposed to be great but they've started their season 3-4, have scored half the runs that the A's have and have a negative run differential. It's possible to grab a couple wins out of them before their bats get hot.
What the A's need more than anything, right now, is two consecutive wins! Every time they get some momentum they lose it the next day so it'd be nice to have at least a little winning streak at some point this week.

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How do you become a sports writer or scout?

Well, if you want to write about the A's on a blog then you just need to apply and submit a writing sample. if you want to be a beat writer, it'll take a little more work.
As for being a scout, that's a good question I have no answer to. Wish I did though!

New to the podcasts. Rank top 3 I should I start with

Oh man. Well, all of the ones with Jason are great. We're about to release the Doolittle one at 6:30. Last week's Cotroneo podcast was very informative. The one with Melissa Lockard is great if you want to learn about prospects. If you're looking for humor, Eireann Dolan provides that. Depends on your mood.

I can make a strong argument for jesse Chavez to be the 7th pitcher in the bullpen. Do you think he will be in the the rotation or pen and why?

I think we'll see Chavez in every possible place this year. My gut says he'll start in the rotation while Griffen and Parker rehab and then will be used to fill any roles that are needed, whether it be long relief, a fifth starter, or an eighth inning man.
Chavez, at fanfest, said that his role is still a question mark but in reality it could remain that way all season.

Going to the A's Fanfest 2015. Want to have my pic taken w/the 4 WS trophies. What's the best game plan for accomplishing this? Thanks. Dave

Don't try to do it with a specific player. Just get in line and wait. I've had my picture taken with Fosse and Vida Blue at the world series trophies but to get those I had to be in line for the player before. It's all about patience at FanFest.

Now that we have Clippard and you have speculated that we might be able to get a power bat for Kaz and Cook can you speculate further on who that power bat could be and what teams might be in a position to make a deal like that?

The Astros, with all of their moves of late have power bats to spare. Whether or not they would trade one of them to a divisional foe is another question. The A's would have to make it worthwhile (more than Cook and one year of Kaz). Those bats are Carter, Singleton, Preston Tucker and Domingo Santana. These are high high-strikeout guys and may not fit the Oakland model, but they could be moved.

Do you think brett lawrie will have a big first year?

Yes. Yes I do. Our medical staff kept Lowrie healthy, they can keep Lawrie healthy. If you look at his numbers from last year and double them (cuz he only played about a half season) his numbers are very good.

What is the next big trade for the A's ?

If there's two things I can't do, it's predict the next big trade for the A's.

My 13 year old daughter is very upset that Billy traded her favorite A's player, Jaso, who she picked as her favorite because she thinks he is hot. Which of the new A's players would you recommend as her new favorite? Of course he also must be hot.

We here at Swingin' A's refrain from making official statements on a player's "hotness" as it relates to the fandom of 13 year old girls.
That beings said, probably Lawrie.

Who has a better season: Vogt, Reddick or Crisp?

Reddick. I think the last half of 2014 will give him his confidence back and his new found "veteran" status with Oakland will focus him at the plate.
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what do you feel is the biggest issue with MLB that causes it to lose ground to the NFL

Focus on teams. The NFL, in recent years, has allowed the narrative to revolve around players instead of teams. Basketball has been like this for a long time, too. Baseball is still a team-centric sport so people, for the most part, are fans of teams and don't follow the players from place to place.
I don't think that's a bad thing and the MLB is doing just fine in the shadow of the NFL.

hobbies?

I'm a musician by profession so my hobbies are pretty much my work. I guess writing about baseball is the closest thing to a hobby I have. ~Tony

Are there more Rice Krispies in a box of Rice Krispies or more Grape Nuts in a box of Grape Nuts?

Trick question. Grape Nuts boxes are filled with disgusting chunks of gravel from the 1940's.

What is your favorite food

Probably burritos. There's nothing better than a good burrito...except maybe a great cheeseburger..or pizza...or pasta. I'm so hungry. ~Tony

The best teams of the Beane era 2000-2002 were built on the foundation of homegrown stars Giambi, Chavez, Tejada and the 3 aces, combined with smart trades. Why has he completely gone away from that model trading by trading away all of the best high ceiling prospects that we've had since that group?

I can think of a couple of reasons, actually.
1) He didn't get rings in that era so he may want to throw out the old system and try something new. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, after all.
2) It takes a lot of time to develop young players in your system. The way Beane is running things now, by trading developing prospects for proven big leagures, may sacrifice your depth in the minors but it keeps a competitive team on the field for more years. Sure, we could have kept Addison Russel but if he's the only player on the team who can play, what's the point?

What happens to marcus does he still start at short?

The projection is Zobrist at second, Escobar at short, and Fuld/Gentry/Canha in LF. Yet, if Zobrist plays some LF, Semien could slot right in at second. If Lawrie goes down, Semien, Zobrist or Canha can also cover third. Semien will be a utility guy, but I have a feeling he'll get plenty of ABs.- Jason

Wow that article Joseph did on coaches was really great. Probably one of my favorite reads. It made me realize how great our team is. I already knew we had a good group of people but when he says it like that I realize we can have a great line up and rotation. This year is gonna be a fun one!

I'm sure Joe would thank you dearly if you told him that. I, however, will simply thank you for the kind words and for your support of our site. T

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