Ahead of the 2009 season, the Oakland Athletics made a big swing, acquiring one of the best hitters in baseball in Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies. A's fans have seen this deal as a huge flop and rank this deal up there with some of the worst of the Billy Beane era.
That's especially true because of the cost it took to acquire him. While some may be up in arms about losing Greg Smith, the main two pieces of the deal were closer Huston Street and a young outfielder by the name of Carlos González. With the Rockies, he would turn into the man they called "Car-Go," being named to three All Star teams, winning three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and one batting title.
Funnily enough, González came to the A's with Smith in a big trade that sent Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and also brought along Chris Carter and Brett Anderson among others.
In retrospect, the trade with the Rockies was a huge price to pay for what ended up being a few months of Matt Holliday. Most fans remember him not playing terribly well, but his OPS+ was still at a 120 (100 is league average) while hitting .278 with a .378 OBP. He also added 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 93 games before getting dealt to St. Louis.
All of this brings us to today's Daily Walkoff, which you can play here.
The board above is the scrambled up version, not the finished one.
One of the names on that board stuck out today, and that was Johny Damon, who came over from the Kansas City Royals in a time period when the A's were snagging big-time outfielders from the Royals. First it was Damon back in January of 2001, followed by Jermaine Dye in July of the same year. According to Baseball-Reference, Dye was technically traded to the Rockies first, then flipped to Oakland on the same day.
Damon was with the A's for the 2001 season, his only year with the club before reaching free agency. In that lone year he hit .256 with a .363 OBP and put up an 83 OPS+, his lowest in four seasons. In other words, Damon's production was a lot worse for the A's in his time with the team that Holliday's.
The reason that fans view the two trades differently is because of the packages it took to land each of them. Holliday's deal resulted in a haul for Colorado, yet the Damon package, even though he didn't necessarily produce as hoped, also brought Mark Ellis to Oakland, along with Cory Lidle. Both were solid for the A's, especially Ellis, who is arguably the most underrated player in Oakland history.
It's also worth noting that the feeling with Holliday and the A's fans is in some ways mutual, with the outfielder putting a clause in his contract with the New York Yankees that he could be traded to any team--except Oakland. When he visited the Coliseum in 2017, NJ.com did a piece on his time with the A's, and he was actually fairly complimentary of Oakland and the coaches, he just said that going to work everyday at the Coliseum was rough for him.
"I think if they had a nice facility this would be a good place to play," he said. "There were a lot of things that I liked about my time in Oakland. I liked Billy Beane a lot and I liked the coaching staff, which I thought was really good. I lived in Danville ... the East Bay. It was beautiful. We rented a nice place there. Again, outside of the stadium ..."
With that, here are the answers to today's Daily Walkoff:
More must-reads:
Only a week away from the July 31 MLB trade deadline, teams are starting to determine if they are going to be buyers or sellers over the next seven days. Despite a messy playoff picture, there are a few teams that have to buy at the deadline and capitalize on the season they are having. Here are four teams that should be buyers in 2025. San Francisco Giants (54-49) After already making a big splash when they acquired designated hitter Rafael Devers earlier this season, the Giants are a team that needs to go all in at the deadline. Currently six games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West and one-and-a-half games out of a wild-card spot, the Giants have a team that could be a problem to face in a playoff series. Acquiring another piece to the rotation to pair with starters Logan Webb and Robbie Ray should be the main focus, while adding another solid bat to the mix would give them one of the deepest teams in the league. Positions of need: Starting pitcher, second base and a fourth outfielder. Philadelphia Phillies (58-44) Looking to make their fourth-straight postseason appearance, the Phillies have one of the best rotations in baseball and a potent lineup, but still have weaknesses that need to be addressed. With designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, first baseman Bryce Harper and pitcher Zack Wheeler all continuing to age, the Phillies are a team that needs to make a splash at the deadline if they want to be considered a threat in the postseason. While the top of the lineup is set, the Phillies desperately need to find production at the bottom of the lineup. With their outfielders struggling and a bullpen that is among the worst in baseball, the Phillies will look to make some additions as they prepare for another long run in the postseason. Positions of need: Relief pitchers, center field and left field. Boston Red Sox (55-49) Not expected to be in this position after trading their star player away mid-season, the Red Sox find themselves in the middle of the playoff picture and should be looking to capitalize on their strong play. Home to one of the best bullpens in the league and a lineup that is a mix of young talent and veteran hitters, the one thing the Red Sox lineup is lacking is a true power bat that can put fear in opposing pitchers. With one of baseball's best pitchers in Garrett Crochet leading the rotation, the Red Sox desperately need to find him some help at the deadline. Positions of need: Starting pitchers and a power bat Seattle Mariners (54-48) With what can be considered the deepest rotation in baseball and a potential 2025 American League Most Valuable Player in catcher Cal Raleigh, the Mariners head into the trade deadline needing to be buyers to take advantage of their first-half success. While the bullpen isn't a glaring issue, adding another left-hander to pair with Gabe Speier would be a big boost to their late-game situations. Adding bats to the lineup should be the main focus for the Mariners. With the production they have received at third base and right field amongst the worst in baseball, upgrading those spots could give the Mariners a team capable of making the postseason for just the second time in the last 24 years. Positions of need: Left-handed relief pitching, third base and right field.
Damion Baugh spent his rookie season in the NBA playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old had averages of 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 32.3% from the field in 15 games. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hornets will now waive Baugh. Via Scotto: "The Charlotte Hornets are waiving two-way player Damion Baugh, league sources told @hoopshype . Charlotte is waiving Baugh to clear a spot for the addition of Antonio Reeves on a two-way contract." ESPN's Shams Charania had first reported that the Hornets were signing Reeves. Via Charania: "The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The 2024 Pelicans second-round pick averaged 6.9 points and 40% 3-point shooting in 44 games as a rookie last season."
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an interesting quarterback situation that has been monitored by NFL fans throughout the 2025 offseason. The organization was in pursuit of four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers for over three months, and the quarterback finally signed a one-year deal. He was then in Pittsburgh for mandatory minicamp. He is the unquestioned starter heading into the 2025 season, and he is coming off of a quietly good season with the New York Jets in 2024 statistically. He was bouncing back from a serious injury, so it should be expected for him to play even better in 2025. Rodgers got better as the 2024 season went along after missing all of 2023, and he is now further removed from his Achilles injury. He has a decent amount of weapons on Pittsburgh's offense, and the team is expected to rely on its run game and defense once again. Rodgers won't be asked to do too much, which should be a recipe for success for the 41-year old quarterback. Will Howard spoke to the media in Latrobe, PA on Thursday morning, and he had nothing but great things to say about the starting quarterback for Pittsburgh. The 41-year old has been heavily criticized in the media in the past for being a bad teammate, but every report that has come out of Pittsburgh has suggested otherwise. Rodgers has already expressed his willingness to mentor Howard and show him the ropes as he goes through his rookie season, which is something that has gotten a lot of the fan base in Pittsburgh excited about the addition of Rodgers. Rodgers has always been misunderstood throughout his career. He has been blamed for countless things that simply weren't his fault. It seemed that everything that went wrong with the Jets was somehow because of the quarterback, despite the fact that the Jets organization has been one of the worst in all of sports over the last decade or so. The fan base in Pittsburgh was frustrated with the way Rodgers handled his free agency, as he seemed to drag out his signing with Pittsburgh. The quarterback said he was dealing with some things in his personal life that made him want to take his time, which some fans took issue with. After these new comments from Howard, the fans should completely flip in their opinions on Rodgers. He is approaching this job with the Steelers in a positive manner, he is bought in, and he is helping the younger guys on the roster. Steelers’ Offense Has A Chance To Be The Best Its Been With Aaron Rodgers The offense in Pittsburgh has been inconsistent, and sometimes absolutely stagnant in recent years. The run game has fallen apart at times, and the quarterback play has been abysmal on occasion. That shouldn't be the case in 2025, as Rodgers' experience and talent should be able to take the unit to the next level, especially if the offensive line can take a step forward. This will open up the run game, which will only help the offense as a whole. Rodgers will have an absolute animal to throw to on the outside in DK Metcalf, as well as some speedsters in Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. Pittsburgh also rosters one of the best tight end rooms in the league with Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington. Rodgers will be able to end his career on a high note with these weapons, and the near-decade long draught of playoff success could come to a close.
Tottenham Hotspur are focused on signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, despite the delays. According to TBR Football, Manchester City were interested in signing the 25-year-old midfielder as well, but he has already informed them that he wishes to join Tottenham instead. Manchester City have now moved on to other targets. The development will come as a huge boost for Tottenham. It will be interesting to see if they can convince Nottingham Forest to get the deal across the line now. The midfielder was excellent for Nottingham Forest last season, scoring seven goals and picking up 10 assists in the Premier League. He could prove to be a useful acquisition for Tottenham, who need more creativity and technical ability in the final third. Tottenham need Morgan Gibbs-White Tottenham need to improve their squad if they want to do well in the league and the Champions League next season. Signing talented players like Gibbs-White will help them match up to elite clubs. The 25-year-old is capable of slotting into multiple midfield roles, and he will add goals and creativity to the side. James Maddison can be quite inconsistent at times, and Tottenham need more depth in that area of the pitch. Having another top-quality creator would be ideal. Can Spurs convince Nottingham Forest? Initially, there were rumours that Tottenham were prepared to trigger the £60 million exit clause in his contract, but Nottingham Forest are unhappy with the leak of the confidential information regarding his clause, and they are planning legal action against the north London club. It will be interesting to see if the two clubs can work out their differences and finalise the transfer. The player is keen for the move to go through, and Nottingham Forest will not want to hold onto an unhappy player.
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