A's trying to shake up the AL West

The Oakland Athletics, the team that traded away Joe Blanton and Rich Harden last year in what looked to be rebuilding moves, are ready to rebuild a little sooner than we thought. They already traded for Matt Holliday, unloading underperforming Huston Street in the process. Now reports are that Rafael Furcal - whom the A's reportedly offered a 4-year, $48-million deal - toured Oakland yesterday and had lunch with GM Billy Beane. If the Athletics can sign Furcal, he would be an upgrade over Bobby Crosby. The displaced shortstop could in turn be traded. The assumption is that there is a great chance Jason Giambi will also land with the A's, suddenly making the lineup much more formidable with Furcal, Holliday, Eric Chavez, Jack Cust and Giambi. If the Angels lose Mark Teixeira and miss out on CC Sabathia, the tide could turn in the AL West.Check out more from Tony Arnoldine at http://tonyblogs.net