| Douglas Benton. 16th December, 2010 - 7:47 pm
 The American League West is in a state of upheaval as the Rangers were unable to keep Cliff Lee and the Angels couldn?t reel in Carl Crawford. While the recent signings by Oakland won?t highlight the ticker, they may just prove to be a step up in the division.
Over the a two-day stretch, general manager Billy Beane added outfielder Hideki Matsui (one-year, $4.25 million), right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy (one-year, $1 million) and right-handed pitcher Joey Devine (one-year, $0.5575 million).
Matsui is 36-years-old, but should fit in nicely at the designated hitter spot that has been somewhat of a weakness for the A's over the past few years. In his lone season with the Los Angeles Angels, Matsui hit .274 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI in 482 at-bats. His strikeout numbers spiked some last year and his slugging percentage dropped, but there aren?t any overt signs steep decline in overall production will come in 2011. He will also be aided in having spent a season in the division in 2009 and will prove to be a good investment for Oakland.
Grade for Oakland: B+
Devine was rushed to the majors in 2005 with the Atlanta Braves just months after being taken in the first round of the MLB Draft out of North Carolina State. After puttering with the Braves for two more years, he came to Oakland in 2008 and threw 45.2 innings out of the bullpen in tallying a 0.45 ERA with 49 strikeouts to 15 walks.
Tommy John surgery took away his 2009 season, but it was wise to bring him back as a possible strong arm in the middle of the relief core.
Grade: B-
McCarthy is more of a flier signing at this point, but a good value for another quality arm. He has shown potential at 6-foot-7 since making his Major League debut in 2005, but never the consistency to stay in the starting rotation. The A?s have the makings of a talented young rotation before the signing, so this is a low risk/medium reward pick-up for this season.
Grade: B-
Overall impact: The A?s finished last seasons with an 81-81 record and nine games behind the Rangers in the AL West.
As of now, the Rangers take a step back without Lee but are still potent on offense. The Angels should have a bounce back year and Seattle looks to round out the division with possible improvement. These moves alone don?t make the A?s the frontrunner, but another year of experience for the pitchers and a solid veteran in the middle of the order will keep them in the race all year long. |
