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by Doug Thews.
Original Post: A's Trade for Big Bat
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The A's got their traditional mid-season shot in the arm by trading for a big bat in the outfield. No, it wasn't JD Drew or Brian Giles. The A's went the thrifty rout, and traded the Reds for Jose Guillen. In return, the A's sent Aaron Harang and 2 other AA pitching prospects (Joe Valentine and Jeff Bruksch) to the Reds.
In typical A's fashion, they didn't go for the sexy or big name trade (read: Giles and Drew), but went for the deal that wouldn't cost them much in the way of future players (like Bobby Crosby, Dave McCarty, or Nick Swisher), or take on a salary that would break the team. I was even surprised to learn that Guillen is actually batting .337, with 23 HRs and 63 RBIs - better than any of the current A's. With the absence of Jermaine Dye, his right-handed power bat will be a key to the remainder of the season.
Harang became expendable when Rich Harden was brought up to become the #4 starter (in fact, he could be a #1 or #2 starter on many of the teams in the league).
The end result is that IF Guillen leaves at the end of the season, the A's did not damage their future (what team wouldn't die for the A's big 4?, with McCarty, Crosby, and Swisher looking to be power bats in the A's near future). Lilly can serve as a #5, or they can look to upgrade. Then, the A's will look for another FA bat to fill the middle of the order. The key is keeping the big 4 in tact - a la the Braves of the 90's.
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