The Arms Race

As I am sure many are aware, the A's have been in talks with the Rockies in regards to Joe Kennedy.

Let's chronologically look at the trade parameters, first with this Denver Post article:

Colorado, however, would be seeking to fill multiple needs with a powerful bullpen arm like prospect Jairo Garcia and possibly a major-league outfielder.

The Rockies are intrigued enough by Oakland's calls that they are expected to scout the Athletics' Triple-A team in the coming days.

After the two teams furthered their discussion, the deal became 1 to 1:

A deal for Oakland minor-leaguer Jairo Garcia and Rockies pitcher Joe Kennedy sits on the table as each side mulls whether to pull the trigger.

Before Kennedy's 5 IP, 5 run stinker on Tuesday, even after 6 days of rest and a mechanic-workout/bullpen session, the Rockies began to drive up the price based on the amount of interest from other teams:

The Rockies asked for Triple-A closer Jairo Garcia, whom they continue to scout, and at least one other prospect from Oakland. Said Oakland general manager Billy Beane on Tuesday about a potential trade, "The A's are always looking for starting pitchers."

Now, in today's Rocky Mountain News, the A's have apparently pulled the deal off the table:

But Oakland does not want to take on the additional salary and has indicated it only would be interested if it could put outfielder Eric Byrnes in the deal instead of Garcia. Kennedy and Byrnes are making $2.2 million this year.

The thing to keep an eye on is whether the Rockies cave in from their initial demands of Jairo Garcia for Kennedy...

In conjunction with the Kennedy trade front, take note that the A's are going to send Juan Cruz to Triple-A to start. Macha was quoted as saying that the A's wanted to extend Cruz, however, it is not in the same way a guy like Thomas gets placed at the top of the hitting order to get more AB's; the idea here is to make Cruz a starter, period.

It should come at no shock that Cruz seems to be a mental gidget, as he has had this label attached on him since his days with the Cubs. Yesterday, he bolted out of the clubhouse in order to avoid the press, but in today's papers, they were able to get to him anyways. Among the different articles you will read today, John Suchon's article in the ANG newspapers has a very telling stat: The A's are 2-19 when Juan Cruz pitches

What I wonder is whether the A's are making him start as a way to keep him and get him in a comfortable role, or if it's to pad his numbers and rebuild trade value. This year was his first year of arbitration eligibility and while he lost his arbitration hearing, he is going to make 600-k. It is quite possible that the A's are trying to make sure that he can be dealt if need be or start to justify paying him a nice chunk of change in '06.

Of course, he may not make it in this organization; from the first day he arrived to spring-training, he had a chip on his shoulder about not starting. He talked to the media about how the A's barely communicated to him and that he was not sure about his role.

Now, to tie this in with the conquest for Kennedy, the A's are pretty well-stocked with starting pitching at the Minor League level: LHP John Rheinecker, LHP Dan Meyer, Cruz, LHP Dallas Braden, RHP Jason Windsor are the top SP prospects the A's have. If Beane is truly trying to trade for Kennedy, this raises a brow. Why would the A's want to add a LHP, especially a starter?

Either the A's are planning to stock up in preparation for a offseason move of Zito, are not comfortable with Saarloos being a starter, or they are unsure of Meyer and Rheinecker's ability to come-back from injuries.