David Price to the Tigers!

[purguy12]

Yes, I don't get this from a Rays perspective. Smyly is a good young lefty with upside, and they get an SS prospect (Willie Adames) from Detroit as well. But sheesh, Price is only 28 and he's an anchor that you build a team around.

I mean damn Cubs got more for Jeff Samardzija.

 

[SoPortland]

He is going hit bombs at Fenway.

Cool. That's good for them. He is a 0.250 hitter with 0 homeruns @ Fenway. Smaller sample size sure... but not sure why you think he's suddenly going to be an MVP caliber player by moving from one ballpark to another. He has power sure... but he definitely has some terrible plate discipline too.

I mean damn Cubs got more for Jeff Samardzija.

Well of course... Samardzija also included Hammel (albeit a complete failure so far)... and the A's offered Russell for Price, but the Rays refused.

 

[purguy12]

Cool. That's good for them. He is a 0.250 hitter with 0 homeruns @ Fenway. Smaller sample size sure... but not sure why you think he's suddenly going to be an MVP caliber player by moving from one ballpark to another. He has power sure... but he definitely has some terrible plate discipline too.



Well of course... Samardzija also included Hammel (albeit a complete failure so far)... and the A's offered Russell for Price, but the Rays refused.

Never said MVP. Just saying the A's traded a good player for a rental, that rental looks like he will go back to Boston so Boston will have both players next year. Great trade for Boston and I hate Boston.

 

[SoPortland]

Never said MVP. Just saying the A's traded a good player for a rental, that rental looks like he will go back to Boston so Boston will have both players next year. Great trade for Boston and I hate Boston.

What makes you think he's going back to Boston? Because the Boston homer media thinks so? If he was coming back, he wouldn't have been traded and they would've made him a quality offer. Willingness to come back and actually signing again are two different things. I think he ends up with a different team altogether.

Cespedes is a free agent after next season. Let's not forget this. The A's needed an ace to lock things down and they got one.

 

[jdwills126]

Lester/Gray/Kazmir/Samardzija is a pretty big improvement over Gray/Kazmir/Samardzija/Hammel/Chavez (who had never pitche 100 innings prior to this year) if you ask me.

If the A's made the trade in anticipation of meeting Detroit in the playoffs...and thats a big if.... Detroit puts a better right handed order in the field. As well as Kazmir has pitched I would think he would be the #4 guy.

Lester vs Detroit this year is 0-2 with a 5.79 era.

I get he is better but for a 1/2 season rental I would have kept Cespedes.

 

[navamind]

If the A's made the trade in anticipation of meeting Detroit in the playoffs...and thats a big if.... Detroit puts a better right handed order in the field. As well as Kazmir has pitched I would think he would be the #4 guy.

Lester vs Detroit this year is 0-2 with a 5.79 era.

I get he is better but for a 1/2 season rental I would have kept Cespedes.

I wouldn't put much into head to head stats in a season, especially only two starts. Lester was good in his first start against them (though a high pitch count limited him to 5 innings, rain delay probably didn't help matters). He got shelled in his 2nd start though (12 hits and 5 runs in 4.1 innings). Since then, Lester's been absolutely dominant.

From June 12 to July 25:
8 starts, 58.2 IP, 43 hits allowed, 54 K, 9 BB, 1.07 ERA, .496 OPS allowed

 

[jdwills126]

I wouldn't put much into head to head stats in a season, especially only two starts. Lester was good in his first start against them (though a high pitch count limited him to 5 innings, rain delay probably didn't help matters). He got shelled in his 2nd start though (12 hits and 5 runs in 4.1 innings). Since then, Lester's been absolutely dominant.

From June 12 to July 25:
8 starts, 58.2 IP, 43 hits allowed, 54 K, 9 BB, 1.07 ERA, .496 OPS allowed

I mentioned in another thread I think the A's would have been better to load up on Right Handers if they plan on facing Detroit. I think a better deal would have been a situational lefty like Andrew Miller and keeping Cespedes. That way they use Miller for an inning or less and probably are as effective against Detroit's Left hand deficit offense.

 

[SoPortland]

I mentioned in another thread I think the A's would have been better to load up on Right Handers if they plan on facing Detroit. I think a better deal would have been a situational lefty like Andrew Miller and keeping Cespedes. That way they use Miller for an inning or less and probably are as effective against Detroit's Left hand deficit offense.

A's don't need bullpen help. Their bullpen is stout. They also get to move Chavez to the bullpen with this move.

I think you're overvaluing Cespedes and undervaluing Lester and Gomes. I don't think they made this trade because of Detroit. They made this trade because they're tired of not having the horses to win in the post-season and they wanted to maintain their grip on the AL West.

 

[jdwills126]

A's don't need bullpen help. Their bullpen is stout. They also get to move Chavez to the bullpen with this move.

I think you're overvaluing Cespedes and undervaluing Lester and Gomes. I don't think they made this trade because of Detroit. They made this trade because they're tired of not having the horses to win in the post-season and they wanted to maintain their grip on the AL West.

I think A's fans are undervaluing Cespedes. The guy had power and was a decent OF. Lester is a very good LH Pitcher but they have been knocked out by Detroit so IMO they are building a team to go head to head with Detroit. The Tigers needed left handed hitting so why get a guy that allows Detroit to put it's best lineup out there?

Gomes is a throw in. That Cespedes pop will be missed.

 

[SoPortland]

I think A's fans are undervaluing Cespedes. The guy had power and was a decent OF. Lester is a very good LH Pitcher but they have been knocked out by Detroit so IMO they are building a team to go head to head with Detroit. The Tigers needed left handed hitting so why get a guy that allows Detroit to put it's best lineup out there?

Gomes is a throw in. That Cespedes pop will be missed.

Gomes is a monster against lefties. He's far from a throw-in.

Is it going to hurt when you guys lose to a platoon team in the ALCS?

 

[StanMarsh51]

Gomes is a monster against lefties. He's far from a throw-in.

Is it going to hurt when you guys lose to a platoon team in the ALCS?

Last 2 seasons he's got an .831 and .795 OPS vs lefties....pretty good, but "monster" would certainly be an overstatement.

 

[navamind]

Gomes is a monster against lefties. He's far from a throw-in.

Is it going to hurt when you guys lose to a platoon team in the ALCS?

Oh, but didn't you hear? The Tigers beat the A's in the 2012 and 2013. Clearly that means the A's shouldn't even bother showing up. Who cares if both those series could have gone either way and that both teams are much different this year?

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

. I don't think they made this trade because of Detroit. They made this trade because they're TIRED of not having the horses to win in the post-season and they wanted to maintain their grip on the AL West.

Detroit has faced Oakland the last three times they made the playoffs -- In 2006, 2012 and 2013. All three years, they knocked Oakland out of the playoffs. OF COURSE they made the move in anticipation of facing the Tigers, as they are the team who has knocked them out of the playoffs.

And Oakland making the deals to add the two Cubs starting pitchers and then Lester is the reason Detroit went out and traded for David Price.

Oh, but didn't you hear? The Tigers beat the A's in the 2012 and 2013. Clearly that means the A's shouldn't even bother showing up. Who cares if both those series could have gone either
way and that both teams are much different this year?

I didn't read every post in this thread, but who is saying Oakland shouldn't bother showing up? If a Detroit fan is saying this -- they aren't very smart. Oakland is arguably the best team in the MLB and they only became better with the addition of Lester, IMO.

When you get to the playoffs -- elite pitching is the best weapon to have against good offenses. Detroit's issues has been the bullpen though. Adding Price is a HUGE addition, but if our bullpen pitches like it did against Boston last year -- we could be in trouble.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Really?!? That's a little messed up

Austin Jackson had to be removed from the game. They said on sports talk radio here, Dombrowski was yelling to Ausmus right when the trade was approved he had to get AJax off the field immediately. They said they believe it can nullify a trade if a player involved in a trade is still on the field at the 4:00 pm deadline.

AJax was pulled off the field at like 3:58. It was just a last minute deal. No other reason to pull a guy with 2 outs and 2-2 count on the hitter at the plate.

 

[SoPortland]

No one needs a history lesson on the A's. They've lost to other teams in the Beane era as well. They wanted studs for their starting rotation. They had decent ones, but they wanted lock down pitchers to win series. They might not even be facing the Tigers in this post-season.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

No one needs a history lesson on the A's. They've lost to other teams in the Beane era as well. They wanted studs for their starting rotation. They had decent ones, but they wanted lock down pitchers to win series. They might not even be facing the Tigers in this post-season.

You obviously must -- Oakland has made the playoffs the last two years and in the last two years, they lost to the Detroit Tigers and they lost because of Detroit's starting pitching.

It isn't like it is a big secret on why they added starting pitching. IF they end up facing the team who has sent them home to past 3 times they've made the playoffs -- they want to have the arms to match Detroit's starting pitching.

The other reason why they added a couple bigger arms is -- Beane, himself, admitted that his 'moneyball' approach works well in the regular, but it has a tough time in the playoffs when they face top pitching staffs. So they went out and got a couple of their own top end starting pitchers.

 

[jdwills126]

Gomes is a monster against lefties. He's far from a throw-in.

Is it going to hurt when you guys lose to a platoon team in the ALCS?

If Detroit doesn't hit they won't be in the ALCS. Detroit has holes right now on the left side of the plate and in the pen so I would not presume Detroit will make the ALCS. I find it funny Gomes is a monster against Lefties and Cespedes is a bum????? Kool aid alert.

Oh, but didn't you hear? The Tigers beat the A's in the 2012 and 2013. Clearly that means the A's shouldn't even bother showing up. Who cares if both those series could have gone either way and that both teams are much different this year?

If you think the A's didn't make these moves with Detroit in mind then i got nothing for you. It is a iffy move to get a lefty that will play 1 in every 5 days vs a #4 hitter. Especially when he is a 2 month rental.

 

[da55bums]

Oakland made the moves to give Beane a real shot at winning a Ring, they didn't do it to face Detroit, they can't face them in the WS. If they have to play Detroit to get there, so be it.

Tigers fans you can't be so narrow minded to think that every team is just trying to make moves to beat you. The A's could have made the moves to be better than SF and LAD pitching.

You Tigers fans can't think winning the ALCS is the like winning it all.

 

[navamind]

Oakland made the moves to give Beane a real shot at winning a Ring, they didn't do it to face Detroit, they can't face them in the WS. If they have to play Detroit to get there, so be it.

Tigers fans you can't be so narrow minded to think that every team is just trying to make moves to beat you. The A's could have made the moves to be better than SF and LAD pitching.

You Tigers fans can't think winning the ALCS is the like winning it all.

Giants pitching really isn't that good. They're only 7th in the NL in ERA+ (15th in MLB). Giants only have two starters with an ERA+ of 100 or higher (and Bumgarner is sitting around 100). Lincecum hasn't done anything since 2011 and Cain's been struggling over a year now and he's giving Dr. Andrews a visit (not someone you ever want to visit). Vogelsong's nothing more than a back-end starter.

 

[da55bums]

Giants pitching really isn't that good. They're only 7th in the NL in ERA+ (15th in MLB). Giants only have two starters with an ERA+ of 100 or higher (and Bumgarner is sitting around 100). Lincecum hasn't done anything since 2011 and Cain's been struggling over a year now and he's giving Dr. Andrews a visit (not someone you ever want to visit). Vogelsong's nothing more than a back-end starter.

but they tend to show up around post season time but I agree they are struggling. The point was about who they might face in the WS. The A's struggled more with offense the last few years which they seemed to have addressed well before the deadline. Beane didn't do the dancing to win an ALCS.