A's Acquire Matt Holliday

Didn't see that one coming.

Beane finally trades prospects? Wierd. I wonder if they will be able to extend him. Don't the A's have some money to throw around?

Very exciting! Hopefully the Rockies didn't get too much.

Makes sense.

I hope its for Cahill + Anderson

I dont think they extended him. Wouldnt we have heard about a 72 hour window to discuss an extension if they had? This says they got him..doesnt mention a contingency..and this really did come from nowhere.

talent wise... they aren't even close to anaheim right?

Dumb move by Beane. No chance Boras agrees to an extension before free agency next year. Holliday will have a huge year and leave and Oakland will miss the playoffs again.

This move seems to be very low-risk for the A's ... they get a marquis player, which might attract other, established talent. And, if he doesn't agree to a multi-year deal, they pick up two decent draft picks in the following year.

"Dumb move by Beane."

You have no idea who he traded for Holliday and already know it's a dumb move.

You must be a genius of some sort.

Yeah, totally out of left field...

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8770300/Value-of-Holliday,-Atkins-questioned

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/11/matt-holliday-1.html

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/11/rockies-rumor-1.html

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=3850&line=251797&spln=1

Jon Heyman is the only person that reported this, so it might not be true. He has a history of being wrong.

Finally some action. And if this is a taste a thing to come, the free agency should be fun.

I dont think Holliday or Boras will be pleased with this. Playing in a huge field like this is likely to make Hollidays numbers tail off which could result in a smaller contract next offseason

the athletics need a franchise player to open up their new ballpark and sell jerseys, they just landed him. I'm really hoping they overpaid...

Watching ESPNews right now... still nothing scrolling across

"Maybe not this year, but with that system and the young guys they have, combined with the lack of up and coming players in Anaheim, they should be competing for the division soon."

Riiiight. I don't see how Matt Holliday makes a 25 game difference.

Did he jump the gun on reporting this one?

yahoo sports is reporting a deal near done.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-hollidayAsclose111008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Angels did win a lot of close games and will likely lose k-rod.

No way Cahill or Anderson are involved. It is going to be a deal like Sweeney/Buck and a low level pitching prospect in Vince Mazarro, H. Rodriguez, or the Rockies may even want Fautino De Los Santos as a project after he recovers from Tommy John.

My prediction is Sweeney, Mazarro, and De Los Santos for Holliday

im sure its true, if not its very close and its just a matter of that fourth player or something stupid. but it still doesnt make sense, he wont produce the same amount in oakland as he did in colorado being a righty, he doesnt have a power hitter dh type to save him some atbats, unless you count cust which i dont see why people tout him so high, he will get alot of walks to get around him, his value will decrease when his numbers come down, so he wont be able to flip him, and hitting still really isnt a large problem for the A's. unless they sign giambi to bat in front of him and revamp the hitting lineup now, this makes hardly any sense...

Love this deal for the A's. I really think Holliday became almost UNDERvalued as everyone clammored over the Coors stats. I think he'll still put out a .290-25-100 line in Oakland with a .870ish OPS, which in that park is great, and worth the package as long as Beane didn't get carried away.

Does this mean Giambi could still sign or no? Cust at DH, Giambi at 1B, Holliday in LF (I assume he can't play RF), leaving Barton as the odd man out in a trade (this one?) or a Giambi signing unlikely?

I guess Colorado has no need for Barton unless they can flip Helton then as well. Could be an interesting or boring offseason in Oakland after this move. Gutsy move by Beane though. If they could somehow squeeze in Giambino, a middle of the lineup with Cust/Holliday/Giambi would be pretty formidable.

"My prediction is Sweeney, Mazarro, and De Los Santos for Holliday"

That makes a lot of sense to me. I like Sweeney a lot, would enjoy seeing him in Coors.

ESPN.com is now reporting the deal is all but done.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3694100

Athletic Domination -

Show me ONE Angels fan sweating this deal. go ahead.... i'll wait.

88 win team? try 100!

You guys are right. Matt Holliday doesn't improve the A's enough to where they are able to beat last year's Angels team. However, there is no gurantee that Teixeira or Rodriguez will be back, and the A's don't have any quality players coming for free agency. So as of right now, the A's are better than a Rodriguez/Teixeira less Angels team.

WHAT THE HELL!!!

This. Makes. ZERO. Sense. Unless. There's. An. Extension. Coming.

Peep the Angels pythag W-L, luck will always shine through, the Angels were lucky last year.

AA hates the A's and is sweating this.

if thats the haul, im warming to the deal for beane

The Angels were lucky. They far outplayed their run differential, and it's not likely to happen again.

This doesn't make sense for the A's though. Beane can't possibly believe Holliday will put up his Coors Field numbers in the cavern of Oakland Colliseum??

Gonzalez, Street and Smith is kind of awful for Oakland.

Wow. Didnt see that coming.

The A's are not better than the Angels, at all. Closers mean very little. Arradondo can step in next year and close 50 games, and Kendry Morales is a stud. Even with the less of Teixeira (pending), the Angels are still better.

About the trade: Depends on who the A's traded, this deal is incredible for them. If the sources are right, and they only lost Greg Smith, a guy who isn't all that good, and by only I mean top prospect/names, then the deal favors the A's. At the end of the year Holliday walks and Billy Beane takes his compensation picks.

Street, Smith, Gonzales, Denorfia.

Read the rosenthal piece. Like I am making fun of he basically says he knows nothing except it is rumored to be close and names random players he has heard discussed saying he has no clue if any or all of them are in the deal. So I would not put a lot of stock in those three names.

I don't think Gonzalez, Street and Smith are all involved for sure. These are just guys that were being discussed at the meetings. I think that would be too much to give up unless Beane is planning on throwing Holliday a 6/120 offer right out of the gate.

"I don't think Gonzalez, Street and Smith are all involved for sure. "

Gonzalez is too much. I could live with Smith, Street, and Sweeney/Buck, but that's about it.

Gonzalez and Cunningham go nowhere.

Just posted on the other thread about the Cards deal being dead.

My best guess was Street, Patterson, and Eveland for Holliday and a mid-level prospect.

Since Smith is being talked about so much though, I'll stick him in for Eveland, but I think the A's have to get something pretty decent back in that case.

Or maybe just Street and Smith?

However, if it's true the Rockies could have gotten Ludwick (even just straight up), then they totally blew this one. Holliday's one of the most overrated players - especially on a one-year deal where he's making $13.5M, even considering the draft picks he'll net.

I think the sun explodes before beane gives any player 20 million a year.

I don't think there's any way Beane doesn't flip him in July.

If Colorado gets two of Smith, Gonzalez and Street, theyd be getting the better deal in my mind.

"Closers mean very little. Arradondo can step in next year and close 50 games, and Kendry Morales is a stud."

Your bullpen still declines if you lose Rodriguez. Although bullpens are not the most important thing in the world, you can't just write it off as if it doesn't matter to your team's success.

Comparing a minor leaguer to a PROVEN all star first baseman is stupid. Morales can't replace Tex'.

Face facts. The older outfielders on your team will be declining sooner or later, and you are in position to lose two of your team's best players. Just face facts. Your team overperformed last season, and you are most likely going to be worse next season

my prediction for Holliday for 2009.

.270 avg
20 HR
70 R
75 RBI's

Boras has got to be twisting in the wind with this and I for one love it!!

"Closers mean very little. Arradondo can step in next year and close 50 games, and Kendry Morales is a stud. Even with the less of Teixeira (pending), the Angels are still better."

How can you say that closers are overrated. The Cardinals did not have a real reliable closer last year and because of that, our bullpen/closer committee blew 30+ saves last year. Just think what where they could have been with just a fraction of those wins. They may have been able to win the Central division.

Now we agree, the A's were nowhere close to the Angels this year. The Angels were the team to beat last year, espeically in the AL West. However, if Beane agrees Holliday and then makes another move or two smartly, the A's could be very competitive next year.

"Why would the A's give up prospects for him for a 1 year rental player? It's not like they're going ANYWHERE in 2009. What a waste of prospects if you ask me."

You do realize that the AL West is a wide open division for 2009, right? There is no favorite