What's in Billy Beane's head?

[Villain]

Is this an "everyone-must-go" offseason? Can someone who follows Oakland please explain to me why they are trading away all of their talent?

[EmpireWF]

Until they are able to move to San Jose and/or get a new stadium, he's looking to get guys who are under team control for a long stretch and are not arbitration eligible, ie. cheap.

[Villain]

I just saw Moneyball and apparently the teams from New York and Boston are very rich and Oakland is very poor.

So what you're saying is that the Magical Oakland SABRComputers are working a magic that will make these moves appear to be brilliant?

[Goober]

Right now, Oakland can't afford a big budget, everyone knows that. Their attendance is shit, and their revenue is very low. However, if they're able to move to San Jose then they would be in a better position to sign players and compete for their division. However until the revenue starts coming in from a new stadium, they aren't signing anyone.

Once you've accepted that it's easy to see the A's have two options:
1) Get rid of Gonzalez, Cahill, Bailey, etc. now
or
2) Get rid of those players right before, or when they hit free agency. Which just so happens to be right about when they should be opening the new stadium if everything goes right.

If you're the A's and planning on opening a new stadium in a few years, wouldn't you want the vibe to be in 2014, "wow the A's have a ton of great prospects ready to graduate to the major leagues," and not, "wow the A's just got rid of all their good players, they suck!"

[NAHSTE]

He is trying to sync up his system so all the kids graduate to the big leagues at the same time. His latest wave of pitchers came up with no position players (mainly because of trading Ethier and CarGo in separate trades, lol). Basically he botched the past two rebuilding efforts and is tearing it down midway through this one since the writing is on the wall that are not ever going to compete with the current nucleus.

[NAHSTE]

The move to San Jose is funny to me. I know they will get more money from a new stadium for a FEW years but the city of San Jose is hardly a metropolis and Oakland will be presented with the same problems they have now not long after a move.

Demographic is completely different though. There are more corporations and rich white people south of the bay than north of bay. Oakland is a shit hole and that stadium is a shit hole, so by not being Oakland, San Jose represents a drastic upgrade.

[Goober]

I don't know much about the kids they got from Boston but I follow the Nats somewhat and they haul they took away for Gio Gonzalez (who will probably be the #3) was huge.

That said I don't know if this franchise will be able to compete in the AL West for at least 5 years with the Angels and Rangers throwing money around like nobody's business.

The move to San Jose is funny to me. I know they will get more money from a new stadium for a FEW years but the city of San Jose is hardly a metropolis and Oakland will be presented with the same problems they have now not long after a move.

Glen the A's are going from this:

 

to this:

 

[Villain]

San Jose is 3rd most populous city in California and the 10th most populous city in the nation. Sure there'll be a ton a Giants fans there but that won't last after one good season and a new stadium.

It sounds like they are trying to pull a Miami Marlins. Save cash now and then spend wildly on furniture for the new digs.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Eh, ole Billy ain't all that...after his initial success, he's botched and/or misplayed his hand on a few of these "rebuilding" efforts and traded a few mint prospects in the process (CarGo and Ethier come to mind).

[Guest]

Eh, ole Billy ain't all that...after his initial success, he's botched and/or misplayed his hand on a few of these "rebuilding" efforts and traded a few mint prospects in the process (CarGo and Ethier come to mind).

As I've said in a couple discussions here, the only reason that Beane still has a job in Oakland is because he has a minority share in ownership.

Not many GMs survive one rebuilding opportunity. I can't recall anyone who survived two, so if the new stadium/relocation thing comes around and the Athletics still don't compete, Beane has to go, ownership or not.

And for those saying 2014 to compete. Well, I'd rather have Gio Gonzalez (two more years) and Trevor Cahill (last year) headlining my staff, and then I would have the funds to re-sign them. Those two are proven pitchers already, and still have ceilings they haven't hit (some might argue that Cahill might be there) and all they get back is prospects. I would rather have the proven pitchers.

[Senser81]

BRAIN!