Oakland Athletics

[yojimbo81 0]

Why does Oakland let all of their good players leave for more money? Billy Bean manages to put a solid lineup together each year but at this rate he will never win a World Series. Giambi, Tejada and now Zito have let to find big bucks elsewhere. I assume Oakland has the finances to keep high calibur players around if they wanted to. Has anyone read "Moneyball"? What does Bean hope to achieve by letting his studs flee?

[NewbieJr 540]

He also let Mulder leave.

 

Beane's strategy seems to be to raise good young talent in his farm system, and then let them leave when they develope enough to warrant superstar money.

They don't have the financial capabilty to maintain a roster full of Giambi's, Tejada's, and Zito's, so instead of having a team with two or three high-priced supoerstars and a bunch of scrubs, they choose to keep a lot of solid veterans and good young arms.

 

It's hard to argue with Beane's success. Over the last ten years, the A's have one of the major's lowest payroll and also enjoy a consistantly competetive team.

 

Even with the loss of Zito, the A's still have one of baseball's best starting rotations.

[De Novo 0]

As other poster pointed out, they can be more competitive having a number of talented, young guys who don't get paid a whole lot than by paying 3 guys a combined $50 mil a year. Zito is certainly worth $17MM to close to 1/2 the teams in the league, especially when you figure there are #3/#4 starters out there who are getting paid $8-10mil a year and performing at the level they were expected to. Playing in the watered-down NL he should have a very fine season--Cy Young type if he can get some run support.

 

By letting Zito walk, I think they get a compensatory 1st round draft pick so they didn't lose him for nothing. Can anyone confirm?

[edjr 5,567]

Oakland = Kansas City royals. a minor league team for the teams that can afford to pay players what they're worth.

 

As other poster pointed out, they can be more competitive having a number of talented, young guys who don't get paid a whole lot than by paying 3 guys a combined $50 mil a year. Zito is certainly worth $17MM to close to 1/2 the teams in the league, especially when you figure there are #3/#4 starters out there who are getting paid $8-10mil a year and performing at the level they were expected to. Playing in the watered-down NL he should have a very fine season--Cy Young type if he can get some run support.

 

By letting Zito walk, I think they get a compensatory 1st round draft pick so they didn't lose him for nothing. Can anyone confirm?

 

What I don't get is. San Fran let Schmidt go to the dodgers, who signed for 3 years, but they signed Zito for twice as long?

 

Schmidt > zito

[NewbieJr 540]

Oakland = Kansas City royals. a minor league team for the teams that can afford to pay players what they're worth.

What I don't get is. San Fran let Schmidt go to the dodgers, who signed for 3 years, but they signed Zito for twice as long?

 

Schmidt > zito

Zito is Jeter-like in the Bay area. He is a pretty-surfer boy.

The guys like him because he's a good lefty starter and the chicks dig him because he's a guitar-playing bachelor.

I think they might be looking at it from that angle.

[ILoveScratchTickets 0]

$18 MILLION a year for someone who never won 20 games???

 

 

MLB is a joke

[surferskin 30]

Zito is Jeter-like in the Bay area. He is a pretty-surfer boy.

The guys like him because he's a good lefty starter and the chicks dig him because he's a guitar-playing bachelor.

I think they might be looking at it from that angle.

hey, kinda like me.

 

also, he's never missed a start. his durability was definitely one of his selling points.

[edjr 5,567]

Zito is Jeter-like in the Bay area. He is a pretty-surfer boy.

The guys like him because he's a good lefty starter and the chicks dig him because he's a guitar-playing bachelor.

I think they might be looking at it from that angle.

 

Do you agree with my pemise though? Why not sign Schmidt for 3 years, who you already have and you know what can do for you? Instead of signing someone else that isn't as good who is younger for 6 years?

[NewbieJr 540]

Anyone who isn't confused, doesn't understand the situation.

[edjr 5,567]

hey, kinda like me.

 

also, he's never missed a start. his durability was definitely one of his selling points.

 

schmidt went to the Giants #1 rival in the same division the dodgers.

 

Schmidt is 33 and has started 151 games the last 5 years.

Zito is 28 and has started 173 games the last 5 years.

 

Schmidt is owed 47 million the next 3 years, Zito is owed 127 million the next 6.

 

Schmidt will be 36 when his contract ends and zito will be 34.

 

I think the Giants made a mistake.

[surferskin 30]

schmidt went to the Giants #1 rival in the same division the dodgers.

 

Schmidt is 33 and has started 151 games the last 5 years.

Zito is 28 and has started 173 games the last 5 years.

 

Schmidt is owed 47 million the next 3 years, Zito is owed 127 million the next 6.

 

Schmidt will be 36 when his contract ends and zito will be 34.

 

I think the Giants made a mistake.

i never said the giants didn't over pay but zito is younger and more durable.

[edjr 5,567]

i never said the giants didn't over pay but zito is younger and more durable.

 

oh no doubt. I'm just very confused.

 

Maybe they panicked after losing schmidt, so they overpaid zito?

[De Novo 0]

Oakland = Kansas City royals. a minor league team for the teams that can afford to pay players what they're worth.

What I don't get is. San Fran let Schmidt go to the dodgers, who signed for 3 years, but they signed Zito for twice as long?

 

Schmidt > zito

 

Schmidt was 33. Power pitchers generally haven't been as durable as guys like Zito. Zito should be as good in 7 or 8 years as he is today.

[dirty dug 0]

$18 MILLION a year for someone who never won 20 games???

MLB is a joke

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/awards/y...y.jsp?league=al