Billy Beane is smart

The A's added Mike Piazza, today. He'll take over the DH role for departed Frank Thomas. I'll take that. Piazza as a DH? Heck yeah. Is he washed up? Well, remember this time, a year ago, when Big Hurt was "washed up?" I'm thinking Beane knows something that others don't. Yet again. And check the modest price tag on Piazza: 1 yr, $8.5 million. That's a savings of roughly $20 million compared to what Frank Thomas signed for when he bolted for Toronto. Springing for lefty reliever Alan Embree likely puts an end to all the rumors about Barry Bonds coming to Oakland. I mean, isn't $15 million the spending limit for the off-season?

Another Beane-y offseason

Two big items, this morning, regarding the most likable team (my team) in baseball. Neither of which feel any different than the previous few winters.

First off, Bob Geren got the bump from bench coach to manager of the Oakland A's. Congrats to him, I'm sure he deserves it. Not really at all surprising and, more to the point, kind of inconsequential. Anyone familiar with Moneyball knows that the manager role on this team has virtually nothing to do with strategy and just about everything to do with keeping the clubhouse together. Geren is a pal of Beane from their high school days and a quality character guy. Unlike Ken Macha, he obviously knows the score, here.

In player news, well, seems like we lose big names all the time. As awesome as it would've been to keep Frank Thomas (him being our team MVP last season and all), Beane took an inexpensive flyer on the aging bat just to bring him into the team. A year ago at this time, nobody wanted Big Hurt. 39 homeruns later, people are changing their tune. But consider that Oakland signed him for a deal that, all in all, was about $3.1 million for the season. So to go from that to, all of a sudden, a deal that, after incentives, will probably look like 2yrs/$21 mil (or possibly 3yrs/$28 mil) just isn't cost efficient for one of the most thrifty teams in baseball. The A's have limited financial resources. Thomas' deal isn't breaking the bank, but it's a lot to ask of a 38-year-old DH whose body is steadily breaking down. It's all about value and Beane got the best of it last season.

Trust in Billy Beane, though. Every A's fan has been down this road with him before and we've all learned that he's a man to be trusted. Smartest GM in baseball. As Athletics Nation can tell you, this isn't anything we haven't dealt with before.