Someone explain the A's to me
Someone explain the A's to me
OK, I'm not saying the Giants are any smarter, but can someone explain why ya'll traded Eric Byrnes?
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Baseball=Life
- Baseball Deity
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Yeah, I can explain.
#1 He is more streaky than Nick Warwick!! I'm sure you recall 2 years ago, Peter, when Byrnes hit for the cycle at Pac Bell against your Giants. Well I picked him up and put him in my lineup the next day. He rewarded me by getting about 5 hits in his next 100 at-bats. Eric Byrnes is notoriously streaky; he has been his whole career.
#2 A's needed a right-handed hitter with power. The A's, as most people know, are predominantly left-handed, which has been a source of offensive problems (especially in late innings against specialist bullpen pitchers). Jermaine Dye was the last guy to really provide much from the right side. This is why the A's acquired Keith Ginter, who had 19 HRs from the right side last year, but he's hit under .200 for the A's this year. So something had to be done to get some pop from the right side of the plate.
#3 The Byrnes trade itself generated bullpen help for the present (veteran Jay Witasik) and the likely 5th starting pitcher of the next few years (Joe Kennedy, 3.98 ERA despite Coors last year). Both of these were needs for the A's. We lost reliever Chad Bradford, but for someone with the sidearm delivery like his, his back problems will possibly never go away, and that was a major concern. So, on top of the addition of right-handed power threat OF Jay Payton, the A's walk away with a stronger bullpen, and a very strong candidate for the 5th rotation spot.
#4 The finances. Byrnes was set to earn more money the A's didn't really have. Plus, the A's secured long-term rights to the youngest of the acquired players, Kennedy. So the Witasik and Payton moves are most likely short-term, ie for the 2005 campaign. To reiterate, these players made the right financial sense for the A's. For instance, they took money from Boston, and gave it to the Rockies to make the deal work. No out of pocket $$$$.
REVIEW: Payton for Bradford
REVIEW: Witasik & Kennedy for Byrnes (completed about an hour after the Payton/Bradford trade)
REVIEW: A's better off
#1 He is more streaky than Nick Warwick!! I'm sure you recall 2 years ago, Peter, when Byrnes hit for the cycle at Pac Bell against your Giants. Well I picked him up and put him in my lineup the next day. He rewarded me by getting about 5 hits in his next 100 at-bats. Eric Byrnes is notoriously streaky; he has been his whole career.
#2 A's needed a right-handed hitter with power. The A's, as most people know, are predominantly left-handed, which has been a source of offensive problems (especially in late innings against specialist bullpen pitchers). Jermaine Dye was the last guy to really provide much from the right side. This is why the A's acquired Keith Ginter, who had 19 HRs from the right side last year, but he's hit under .200 for the A's this year. So something had to be done to get some pop from the right side of the plate.
#3 The Byrnes trade itself generated bullpen help for the present (veteran Jay Witasik) and the likely 5th starting pitcher of the next few years (Joe Kennedy, 3.98 ERA despite Coors last year). Both of these were needs for the A's. We lost reliever Chad Bradford, but for someone with the sidearm delivery like his, his back problems will possibly never go away, and that was a major concern. So, on top of the addition of right-handed power threat OF Jay Payton, the A's walk away with a stronger bullpen, and a very strong candidate for the 5th rotation spot.
#4 The finances. Byrnes was set to earn more money the A's didn't really have. Plus, the A's secured long-term rights to the youngest of the acquired players, Kennedy. So the Witasik and Payton moves are most likely short-term, ie for the 2005 campaign. To reiterate, these players made the right financial sense for the A's. For instance, they took money from Boston, and gave it to the Rockies to make the deal work. No out of pocket $$$$.
REVIEW: Payton for Bradford
REVIEW: Witasik & Kennedy for Byrnes (completed about an hour after the Payton/Bradford trade)
REVIEW: A's better off
"Baseball is like church, many attend, few understand"
- Leo Durocher
- Leo Durocher
