Beane Opens Floodgates in Oakland

Originally, I commended the A's eccentric GM for having the balls to trade a Cy Young candidate just entering his prime. Now I wonder if he's gone too far. Unloading an All-Star caliber player like Nick Swisher, a fan favorite in Northern California, is definitely cause for concern, particularly from a financial standpoint.

Even when the A's were perennial AL West contenders, attendance was sparse. Who knows what those figures would have looked like without Giambi, Tejada, Zito, Mulder, and Hudson. Now the team is bad and its two biggest stars are gone. The limited budget Beane has to work just got more limited. I respect Billy for his resilience and stubbornness to hold strong to the Moneyball philosophy. However, too much change can lead to complete disinterest.

Take the Florida Marlins for example. The Wayne Hyzenga fire sale philosophy has done severe, possibly irreversible damage to the local fan base in South Florida. The Marlins-Nationals game last summer that drew 200 people was not a fluke; it was growing trend that should serve as a lesson to owners and GMs who mistakingly believe a high turnover leads to a quick turnaround.

Be careful, Billy. For your sake, I hope at least one of the 9 prospects you got for Haren and Swish can make an immediate impact and stick around long enough to become popular. Winning with no-names is impressive, but unfortunately not as beneficial to the whole organization as being somewhat competitive with star power.