http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/team/20 Recent articles about the Oakland Athletics en-us More photos » by Eric Risberg - AP The Pirates are interested in injured pitcher Justin Duchscherer this offseason. Browse more photos » Is it just me, or do the numerous reports of the Pirates pursuing injured or damaged-goods players remind anyone of the 2002-2003 offseason, when Dave Littlefield grabbed Reggie Sanders, Matt Stairs, Kenny Lofton and Jeff Suppan on the cheap? Frank Coonelly is e... Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:07:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Pull_Yourself_Together_in_Pittsburgh/1672268 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Pull_Yourself_Together_in_Pittsburgh/1672268 Incredibly, this post is not an exaggeration:Justin DuchschererRich HardenMarco ScutaroJason BayBobby CrosbyMark DeRosaAdam KennedyAdam EverettPlacido PolancoHideki MatsuiJose Julio RuizMatt HollidayRick AnkielMike GonzalezAdrian BeltreJermaine DyeRafael SorianoKelvim EscobarAroldis ChapmanJohn LackeyWow. Talk about kickin' the tires. It's gonna be a fun winter in Boston.****** ******(Jorge Says No! on Facebook)(Follow Jorge Says No! on Twitter) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:19:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Red_Sox_are_Interested_in_Every_Free_Agent/1670343 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Red_Sox_are_Interested_in_Every_Free_Agent/1670343 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Joey Devine for next season. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:26:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/As_agree_to_one_year_deal_with_reliever_Devine/1670058 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/As_agree_to_one_year_deal_with_reliever_Devine/1670058 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/As_agree_to_one_year_deal_with_reliever_Devine/1670058 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/0/60354bf72422f029cdb1e8bd37ebe463044fdb71/small/75.jpg The Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Joey Devine for next season. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:37:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/As_reliever_Devine_come_to_terms_on_1_year_deal/1669862 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/As_reliever_Devine_come_to_terms_on_1_year_deal/1669862 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/As_reliever_Devine_come_to_terms_on_1_year_deal/1669862 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/0/60354bf72422f029cdb1e8bd37ebe463044fdb71/small/75.jpg The A's agreed to terms on a one-year deal with right-handed reliever Joey Devine. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:36:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Oakland_As_reach_one_year_deal_with_reliever_Joey_Devine/1669699 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Oakland_As_reach_one_year_deal_with_reliever_Joey_Devine/1669699 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Oakland_As_reach_one_year_deal_with_reliever_Joey_Devine/1669699 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/0/60354bf72422f029cdb1e8bd37ebe463044fdb71/small/75.jpg OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Joey Devine for next season. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:30:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/A_039s_agree_with_Devine_to_1_year_deal/1669951 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/A_039s_agree_with_Devine_to_1_year_deal/1669951 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/A_039s_agree_with_Devine_to_1_year_deal/1669951 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/0/60354bf72422f029cdb1e8bd37ebe463044fdb71/small/75.jpg More photos » by Kevin P. Casey - AP Another Dirtbag could be joining Troy Tulowitzki in 2010. Browse more photos » As discussed in yesterday's Rockpile, Baseball America has put together their Rockies top 10 prospects, with four 2009 draftees cracking the list, including Tyler Matzek at number one. The Rockies made the decision to offer arbitration to Jason Marquis and Rafael Betancourt, bu... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:17:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Wednesday_Rockpile_Rockies_interested_in_Bobby_Crosby_and_others_plus_some_other_thoughts/1667210 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Wednesday_Rockpile_Rockies_interested_in_Bobby_Crosby_and_others_plus_some_other_thoughts/1667210 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Wednesday_Rockpile_Rockies_interested_in_Bobby_Crosby_and_others_plus_some_other_thoughts/1667210 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/0/1087c7fce4f2f47d0f11f42f39708053ff68fc9d/small/07.jpg More photos » by Eric Risberg - AP Browse more photos » In case you missed yesterday's news, the A's have offered Justin Duchscherer arbitration.This means that Duke has until Monday to accept or decline the offer. Should he decline, the A's will receive a compensatory pick in the 2010 draft. According to Urban: It's highly unlikely that Duchscherer, a two-time All-Star who made the American League team as a reliever in 2005 ... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:00:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_One_Where_The_As_Likely_Lose_Duke_and_Have_A_Holiday_Caravan/1667249 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_One_Where_The_As_Likely_Lose_Duke_and_Have_A_Holiday_Caravan/1667249 Blogging the Offseason is a 30 team series in which I ask a blogging representative from each MLB team a series of ten questions about their desires and thoughts surrounding the offseason. Check out all of them here. Today's AL team is the Oakland A's and our guest is Nico from the A's Blog, Athletic's Nation. 1. The A's essentially completed a three team trade last year in which they rented Matt Holliday for 3 months in between the deals. What pieces from the Cardin... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:08:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Blogging_the_Offseason_Oakland_As/1666879 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Blogging_the_Offseason_Oakland_As/1666879 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Blogging_the_Offseason_Oakland_As/1666879 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/5/05520d112d1d175e09c59fba4ec4608a1073ee82/small/Rockies_Gonzalez_Singles_b711.jpg In the past 24 hours or so, Dejan at the Post-Gazette has reported that the Pirates are interested in Justin Duchscherer, while the Kansas City Star is reporting that the Pirates are interested in Jamey Wright. Duchscherer would be a great pickup for the Pirates if he's physically healthy and all of his lingering injury and depression issues coupled with the potentially slow market could mean that he's a little more realistic than some of our past offseason targets. That will be dicta... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:30:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Justin_Duchscherer_and_Jamey_Wright/1665730 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Justin_Duchscherer_and_Jamey_Wright/1665730 Daric Barton plays first base for the Oakland Athletics. Called up at seasonal age 21, he impressed in his cup of coffee, posting great OBP and power numbers in a limited number opportunities. It was enough for him to get the first base job at age 22. That season was a disaster. [...] Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:36:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Players_A_to_Z_Daric_Barton/1656282 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Players_A_to_Z_Daric_Barton/1656282 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Players_A_to_Z_Daric_Barton/1656282 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/5/158edafbae17f95a3531a5fd925e6cfe18546e22/small/8c.jpg More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP In this April 30, 2009 photo, Center fielder Andruw Jones fields a fly out for the Texas Rangers during a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Arlington, Texas. If Jones can prove he can still do this, Jones' new emplyer, the Chicago White Sox, should be fairly happy with their investment.. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) Browse more photos » The Hot Stove offic... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:52:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Beyond_the_Hot_Stove_Opening_Edition/1654090 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Beyond_the_Hot_Stove_Opening_Edition/1654090 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Beyond_the_Hot_Stove_Opening_Edition/1654090 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/8/b8759239ac07c314cab8d8568f67726fb7241094/small/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f88610555.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF1937776ED92A93314C890E069F45EF6B472.jpg Doug shared his list of possible Rule V candidates last week. Given the lack of catching depth in the Reds upper minors, I find Oakland A’s AAA catcher Anthony Recker most intriguing. He has a career minor league line of .270/.344/.451 and last year’s performance was in line with that .267/.342/.462. It appears that he’s had a problem with passed balls in the past, but last year cut that rate in half (6 in 77 games.) He also has a good CS% of 33% each of the past two season... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:14:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Three_Catchers_or_Willy_Taveras/1653319 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Three_Catchers_or_Willy_Taveras/1653319 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Three_Catchers_or_Willy_Taveras/1653319 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg ""> Alas no, this post is not about Angel Villanova. Or Lincecum. Or Loaiza. Goodness gracious, does anyone play baseball and still obey the law? You know you jaywalk, Mark Ellis. Admit it -- just admit it! I'd make a terrific district attorney. Are you currently in the process of trying to avoid thanksgiving leftovers? The best way is to quit cold turkey. That's not funny on so many levels. Don't jump! OK do, and we can talk about scouting, not "metrics... Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:53:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Musings_From_The_Scou_Ting_Dynasty/1649369 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Musings_From_The_Scou_Ting_Dynasty/1649369 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Musings_From_The_Scou_Ting_Dynasty/1649369 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/a/aa99c3984814227c29b3ab4e80dcb98363f86b13/small/Athletics_vs_Royals_8d61.jpg More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP "Chloroform? Oops." Browse more photos » Imagine playing "musical chairs" at a party, where the music stops and there's an empty chair but nobody standing looking for a place to sit. That's more like the "musical chairs" problem the A's could find themselves with at the one position commonly thought to be over-crowded: 1B. ... Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:27:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/First_Base_A_Glut_With_No_Players/1645050 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/First_Base_A_Glut_With_No_Players/1645050 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/First_Base_A_Glut_With_No_Players/1645050 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/5/158edafbae17f95a3531a5fd925e6cfe18546e22/small/8c.jpg More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP Aaron Cunningham gets ready to show Bobby Crosby what it means to make contact. Browse more photos » The trouble with "eyeball scouting" is that sometimes you see things but that doesn't mean you can explain them. I'm curious to get the community's take on two especially puzzling major league samples, those turned in by Aaron Cunningham and E... Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:21:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/On_Cunningham_Patterson_And_My_Lying_Eyes/1633052 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/On_Cunningham_Patterson_And_My_Lying_Eyes/1633052 More On Jose Canseco's Saturday Night Incident Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:49:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/More_On_Jose_Cansecos_Saturday_Night_Incident/1627161 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/More_On_Jose_Cansecos_Saturday_Night_Incident/1627161 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/More_On_Jose_Cansecos_Saturday_Night_Incident/1627161 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/d/adbc1ed18c659e5e3bc87703ac2b10701e6452ca/small/Jose_Canseco_v_e969.jpg I'm sure nobody cares, but I found this story funny. Mainly because it's amazing how pathetic Jose Canseco has become.Canseco, who has taken to the celebrity boxing matches in his post-baseball career, called out the Yankee slugger while in Springfield, Mass., to promote his match Friday night against Pittsfield, Mass., fighter Todd Poulton.Canseco has long professed a dislike for Rodriguez, who Canseco wrote about in his 2008 book "Vindicated," the followup to his 2005 ster... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:53:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Canseco_Challenges_A_Rod_to_a_Fight/1517143 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Canseco_Challenges_A_Rod_to_a_Fight/1517143 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Canseco_Challenges_A_Rod_to_a_Fight/1517143 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/f/df57b8424572a9380822112123151ccbe86227bb/small/Jose_Canseco_v_35fb.jpg Perhaps the best return in the Jason Giambi signing was the return to Oakland of Bob Alejo. (And let's face it, it certainly wasn't Giambi's bat or glove.) Bereft of impressive "slash lines" or high "3-letter acronyms" (UZR, WAR, ERA, take your pick), Alejo is easy to overlook. But remember... Brett Anderson is a hugely important, as well as a not naturally well conditioned, piece in the A's rebuilding plans, who reportedly doubled his upper bod... Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:45:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Hidden_2010_MVP_Bob_Alejo/1343640 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Hidden_2010_MVP_Bob_Alejo/1343640 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Hidden_2010_MVP_Bob_Alejo/1343640 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/4/0470907bb4d6622975b235db84f2257eb9738500/small/Jason_Giambi_16_4b20.jpg