Ever spend a day going to the Salvation Army store, or to your neighbor’s yard sale up the street? 

Believe it or not, beyond the vintage Alf lunchboxes and out of style multi-colored polyester suits, you can find some pretty good stuff there.  Just ask the Oakland Athletics, who as both fans and outsiders could tell you, have always been the thrift store shoppers of Major League Baseball.  For much of the A’s roster is comprised of those like Marco Scutaro who early on were perceived to lack the talent to make it in the majors.  The A’s also have their fair share of players who seemingly are “has-beens,” or into the twilight of their careers like Mike Piazza.
 
Yet somehow the A’s always end up paying for SPAM and serving up filet mignon.   The Los Angeles Dodgers were so eager to get rid of notorious bad boy Milton Bradley, that they traded him to the A’s for two minor leaguers.  The result?  Well let’s just say that the home of “Raider Nation” has turned out to be the perfect place for Bradley, who apparently isn’t such a bad boy after all, at least for the A’s. While he l was prone to the occasional cold streak last season and did not have overwhelming numbers (.276/14/52), he provided exactly what Oakland needed (mainly an above average hitter and outfielder) without any of the expected off-field issues.

The biggest coup of last season though?  How about a shot-in-the-knees, over-the-hill, allegedly on his last legs Frank Thomas for one year and $500,000?  Done and done: how do 114 RBI’s and 39 home runs sound?

Unfortunately after MLB teams realize what suckers they were for letting the A’s get away for their bargain basement deals, the realization hits the A’s hard, and the big boys once again go back to doing what they do best.  Overpaying.  The rejuvenated Frank Thomas signed with the Blue Jays for 2 years and 18 million dollars, a valuation the A’s had no interest in matching.

And this is the way it’s always been done, yet somehow Oakland is able to get away with it.  For the A’s truly are the anti-New York Knicks of the sports world, as they simply get the most out of their players for the least amount of money.

Unfortunately, when you have to be thrifty to survive, sometimes you have to take your lumps, which this team will having lost its most productive hitter and pitcher from last season in Thomas and former ace Barry Zito who signed a monster contract with the Giants. Nevertheless even with both players gone, and Ken Macha no longer managing, the A’s should at the very least contend for the AL West title, with a wildcard spot likely if they don’t take the division.

Why?  Well even with the loss of Zito, the club’s pitching, in the starting rotation and bullpen, remains strong.  How many teams out there had a season in which every pitcher in the starting five (counting projected number five starter Joe Kennedy) had a winning record?  

With Zito gone, this year’s ace will be Rich Harden. Though he has yet to pitch a full season without injury, Harden is more than capable to be any team’s ace, using a variety of pitches including a powerful fastball that moves late and a deceptive slider to fool batters.  Without Zito this year, Harden’s health will be even greater concern for the A’s, as he will be extremely important to the staff.  

Following Harden, Dan Haren is good pitcher who once in a while shows flashes of brilliance can be counted on for five or six innings every time out. Haren is a solid, if not great number two starter, but the third and fourth starters for Oakland are very strong.  After a rough start, the well-traveled Esteban Loazia regained his form and, more importantly, his cut fastball and the results were remarkable.  Loazia ended the year 11-6 with a 4.42 ERA in 22 starts after coming back from injury.  That included a stretch in August in which Loazia would go 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA, good enough to be named AL pitcher of the month.  Not bad for a third starter.

As the 4th starter, Joe Blanton has quietly become one of the better young pitchers in the league.  Inconsistent at times, Blanton always battles, even when his command is lacking, and produced a solid 16-12 record with 107 strikeouts last season.

For the 5th starter position, there is some grumbling that Joe Kennedy isn’t a good choice.  Kennedy throughout his career has been known to throw the occasional stinker, and on some nights looks flustered, perhaps due to the long-term trauma of having once been a starter in Colorado.  Still, Kennedy was solid last year in middle relief, and though he’s the biggest question mark among the starters, the A’s have plenty of arms that they could try out in the rotation if he falters.

Indeed, the A’s have a number of middle relievers that could probably be starters in this league.  Despite monetary limitations the A’s have consistently had some of the best relievers in the game over the past couple years, and that is no different this year. Hard throwing Chad Gaudin and control artist Justin Duchscherer are two of the better setup men in the game, and Kiko Calero can also be called in to set batters down.  

Finally we get to Huston Street.  While Street was inconsistent at times last year, blowing a number of saves, he still is one of the finest younger closers in the league and should be even better this year.