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Post date: Jan 10, 2010 12:51:40 PM
Matt Wieters becomes the new A's long term catcher
It was expected to be a largely uneventful off-season for GM Matt Veasey and the Philadelphia Athletics FBC. After the team narrowly lost out on both the Owens/East pennant and the WFBL championship in 2009, not much needed to be done in order to be strong contenders once again. Then the Winter Meetings opened, and the A's stunned many of their fans with a pair of huge deals that brought in incredible young talent, but sent out veteran players in their prime who were expected to be key pieces in a run at the 2010 title.
First, the A's sent a big package of ace Cliff Lee, catcher Victor Martinez and closer Billy Wagner to their top rivals, the Montreal Expos. In exchange the A's received catching phenom Matt Wieters and closer Huston Street. Next the A's sent centerfielder Grady Sizemore out west to California in exchange for top prospect outfielder Mike Stanton, a first round pick in the coming 2010 Amateur Draft, and a 2nd rounder in 2011. The A's also dealt outfielder Jeff Francoeur to Omaha for another 2nd rounder in 2011 while trading a 2011 pick in the 2nd round to Carolina for prospect 3rd baseman Kris Bryant.
In the end, the deals signal a move to youth by the A's. Street (26), Wieters (23), and Stanton (20) are all high-end young players who the team hopes will be key pieces to the club nucleus for most or all of this new decade.
"We still believe that we are good enough to contend for the pennant and the WFBL championship in 2010" said Veasey. "Our infield of Tex, Chase, and Longoria with Jose Reyes looking fully healthy should be as good as any in the league." That is definitely true, but it will be the outfield which likely tells the tail.
Manager Buck Showalter addressed his outfield: "Jayson Werth is the leader out there now. He took a big step up to 30-20 status last year and should enjoy his best years in his prime. We have no doubt that Jay Bruce is going to be a star here, hopefully beginning this season." In addressing the 3rd outfielder slot, Buck stated the obvious: "The job is Rajai Davis' to lose" said the coach. "He was excellent after we picked him up late last season, and if he can come close to that speed production we will be happy with him. Quite obviously we will be watching Stanton's progress. He is expected to be a key player for us down the road, which could be a short road."
Wieters was the top prospect in baseball a year ago, and got a cup of coffee in Montreal this past season. He should be the mainstay behind the plate that the A's have been seeking for some time. Street joins KRod and Joakim Soria to form a strong bullpen made up of true closing arms all under 30 years of age. The A's starting rotation will see Jake Peavy, obtained in a trade last season while injured, step in to the top slot vacated by Lee, with Tim Lincecum and Cole Hamels providing young, ace-level support behind him. In a 2nd-week trade at the Meetings, the A's reacquired veteran lefty Andy Pettitte. He, Brad Penny and Ted Lilly (when ready following off-season shoulder surgery) will provide veteran depth. The rotation also hopes to get key contributions from phenoms Rick Porcello and Chris Tillman, each of whom got a cup of coffee in 2009. And there is a strong probability that top pitching prospects Stephen Strasburg and Kyle Drabek will see their first action at the Majors level in 2010.
All in all the trades were indeed stunners that sent key veterans away and brought in high-end youth. Some fans of the club vented negatively that the team was looking too much to the future at the expense of what they expected to be a strong championship run. The A's believe that they got the best of both worlds, continued contending status both now and well into the future.
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