Headlines

  • Bobby Jenks Passes Away
  • Braves Release Alex Verdugo
  • Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline
  • Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim
  • Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

A’s Could Extend Daric Barton

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2011 at 9:33am CDT

"It's a good bet" that A's pitcher Trevor Cahill "will be signed through at least his arbitration years soon," according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  What's more, first baseman Daric Barton "is a strong possibility" to be signed through at least his arbitration years as well.  MLBTR's Luke Adams looked at the Cahill possibility last September, so let's focus on Barton.

Barton, 25, hit .273/.393/.405 in 686 plate appearances last year, leading the American League with 110 walks.  The A's also consider Barton's defense and durability to be positives, according to Slusser.  The first baseman did deal with a few injuries in 2009, and also spent a good portion of the season in the minors due to Jason Giambi's presence.  He'll be arbitration eligible for the first time after the 2011 season.

Barton

Barton is a very unique first baseman, and new agent Dan Lozano would have a hard time getting him properly compensated through the arbitration system.  Barton's value is tied to his OBP and defense; he only has 26 home runs and 136 RBI in 1,485 career plate appearances.  How unique is it for someone to play 150 games at first base and post an OBP of at least .390 with a SLG under .410, as Barton did last year?  According to the Baseball-Reference play index, the only other player to do it in the last 30 years was Mike Hargrove for the Indians in 1980.

If my theory that a player like Barton would be a bargain in arbitration is correct, the A's should only extend him if they're getting a big discount or control of free agent years.  From Lozano's point of view a great comparable would be Billy Butler, who is a also a little short on power but still signed for $30MM over four years ($19MM for his three arbitration years, $8MM for one free agent season, and a club option for a second).  The A's might argue that Barton better resembles a healthier Nick Johnson, though Johnson's three-year extension came at a much different point in his career.  Both Butler and Johnson, though, have at least flashed 20 home run power in their careers.

Share 1 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Oakland Athletics Daric Barton Trevor Cahill

Farm System Rankings
Main
Olney On Shortstops, Juan Cruz, Mets
View Comments (21)
Post a Comment

21 Comments

  1. Lunchbox45

    14 years ago

    Money Ball!

    Reply
    • morgan melchiorre

      14 years ago

      are you calling barton a “bad body” player?

      Reply
      • Lunchbox45

        14 years ago

        Nope just a powerless walk machine!

        Reply
  2. Tko11

    14 years ago

    He would be a monster if he could develop some power.

    Reply
    • Guest 6990

      14 years ago

      Susan Slusser of the SF Chronicle reported that he lost 10 pounds of fat, and added 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason. Granted, that DOES sound a bit exaggerated. But he does look like he’s in the best shape of his career. So more power this year is definitely a possibility. They’re also not gonna let him sac-bunt on his own, anymore. So a rise in his SLG seems probable.

      I’m really glad they’re trying to lock him up before he starts getting more expensive. Because he definitely will, if he can hit 15-20 HRs this year, on top of about 40 doubles. Which is certainly within reason.

      Reply
  3. RepOak

    14 years ago

    Well deserved. Best defensive 1st baseman in AL. Shouldve got the goldglove…texeira who??!!

    Reply
  4. Guest 6991

    14 years ago

    Good! Barton is already very solid. And he still has plenty of time to develop some power. I also like that Geren has stated they won’t let him bunt on his own, anymore, because they believe he’s too good of a hitter.

    If they can lock up Barton, Cahill and Gonzalez soon, I’ll be thrilled!

    Reply
  5. Keith Hernandez Guards Lines

    14 years ago

    Barton is a very good defensive first baseman but he’ll never be as good as me.

    Reply
  6. notsureifsrs

    14 years ago

    i like barton a lot, but this post is correct in that arbitrators won’t like barton much. the a’s can probably do well going year to year with him

    Reply
    • Guest 6988

      14 years ago

      That might be true for 2012-2014. But that’s only if he doesn’t develop more power, which he’s likely to do. And any extensions that they offer will probably cover at least one free agent year.

      Reply
      • notsureifsrs

        14 years ago

        why is he likely to develop more power? he has literally never shown any, even in the minors

        Reply
        • Guest 6985

          14 years ago

          I’m not saying it’s a given. But I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. If Jose Bautista can come out of nowhere and do what he did at age 29, I think it’s fair to say that 20 HRs and 40 doubles for Barton, at age 25, is within reason. Especially since they told him not to sac-bunt anymore, unless he gets the signal.

          EDIT: The moderator(s) saw fit to delete my link, even though it wasn’t hurting anything or anybody, and it was a link to the SAME WEBSITE that there is a link to in the article above. So if anyone wants to read the article about how Barton has bulked up, and has lowered his body fat %, just google ‘Susan Slusser Daric Barton pounds’, and it should be the 4th link that pops up. It’s a good read!

          Reply
          • notsureifsrs

            14 years ago

            here’s hoping

            Reply
  7. jpshark

    14 years ago

    Barton won’t need to hit 25+ HR’s to be productive with the bat. That said, he’s only 25 years old and just had his first full season in the bigs so the power should develop a bit more as he gains MLB experience. I see no reason he can’t average around 15 per season thru his prime years, and with his plate discipline and hitting ability he should be turning in solid .280/.400/.430 type lines pretty consistently. Pair that with his elite defense and your talking about a very valuable player. Remember, with his medicore offensive showing last season he was still able to provide a 4.9 WAR.

    Reply
  8. Anthony

    14 years ago

    Barton may not be the perfect power bat you’d like to see in a first baseman, but I really like this guy. I would love to see him stay in Oakland along with Cahill and Gio Gonzalez. Maybe I’m just feeling the effects of being a diehard fan, but I am so excited about this season. It will be interesting to see how Willingham and Matsui do; plus, I’m excited about watching Ellis and Kurt Suzuki play again. Even if a great season doesn’t happen I’ll still love watching the A’s play.

    By the way, can anyone please explain to me how the WAR stat is determined? I’ve been a baseball fan my whole life but I never really payed any attention to this stat.

    Reply
    • jay the A

      14 years ago

      fangraphs.com/library/index.php/misc/war/

      Reply
      • Anthony

        14 years ago

        Thanks!

        Reply
  9. Guest 6913

    14 years ago

    edit: disqus is glitching up again. my bad

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Brandon Woodruff To Start For Brewers On Sunday

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Pirates Reportedly Have Very Few Untouchable Players At Trade Deadline

    Recent

    Giants Activate Matt Chapman, DFA Sergio Alcantara

    Nationals Reinstate Mason Thompson From 60-Day IL

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Rangers To Sign Rowdy Tellez To Minor League Deal

    Yankees Likely To Promote Cam Schlittler

    Astros Sign Hector Neris

    Dodgers Not Planning To Add Third Base Help Before Deadline

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Blue Jays Place Yimi Garcia On 15-Day Injured List

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version