Oakland Athletics – Prospect Report (Revisited)

Wow!

That’s all I an say after Billy Beane, deciding that he had gone the distance with the club he had, decided to blow the whole thing up and start afresh.  Trading two of his most valuable commodities (Dan Haren and Nick Swisher), Beane went and traded them both for a load of prospects, many of which will be arriving at Oakland’s front door within the year.

What this has done is re-energize a Athletics farm system that was shallow in terms of talent and was arguably in the bottom third of baseball and elevated it to the middle of the pack. 

So, let’s take a look at how the system would rate now.  Those that made the original Oakland list are in green.  The new arrivials are standard black.  Some of these prospects you have seen before (Arizona’s Prospect Report), but overall, there is some new content to check out here.

Athletics Top 15

1 – Daric Barton (1B)

• DOB: 8/16/85
• Drafted: 1st round, 2003, California High School (Cardinals)
• 2008 Club:  Oakland Athletics (MLB)
• Height/Weight: 6-0/205
• Bats/Throws: L/R
• The Skinny:  Barton was regarded, at the time of the Mark Mulder deal, to be the real centerpiece of the deal.  Since then, Barton hasn’t disappointed, but with the emergence of Dan Haren as the ace of the staff, Barton is strictly a side piece that could make the entire deal a slam dunk winner for Oakland (considering that Kiki Calero also came in the deal.)  He was called up late in the year and left a good enough impression for people to be hopeful for the future.
• The Good: The gifted natural hitter was holding his own as a 20-year-old at Triple-A before breaking a bone in his elbow in a freak collision on a pickoff throw. Both his approach and his pitch recognition are above-average on a major-league level, and he can make contact on pitches of any type in any location.
• The Bad:  The biggest power potential that was once seen in Barton has never arrived, meaning that Barton is going to be a rather unconventional first baseman.  Many believe that while he’s got the power to hit 30+ homers annually, he may never do so.  As far as his defense, Barton was originally drafted as a catcher, but no one thought he’d be able to stay there.  Oakland hoped to develop his bat faster, so they moved him to first base.  Because of the power outage, Barton was moved to third, where he profiled better, but his terrible fielding resulted in a move back to first.  Hence, he’s awful defensively.
• Projection:  Low.  Barton has nothing left to prove and is ready to start contributing to the big league club this season, so this is likely the last year we’ll see him.
• What He Can Be:  A First Baseman that will get on base and hit twenty Homers.
• 2008 Course Of Action:  The job is Barton’s starting next year, and with Jack Cust now installed as the everyday DH, this will likely force Oakland to trade Dan Johnson.  That said, Barton probably isn’t a player I would be thrilled to have as my everyday first baseman, but he’s serviceable and in time would allow Oakland to take it’s time with a better power option in Chris Carter. 

2 – Faustino De Los Santos (RHP)

• DOB: 2/15/86
• Signed:  2005, Dominican Republic (White Sox)
• 2008 Club:  Stockton Ports (High A)
• Height/Weight: 6-0/205
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny:  Seeming to come out of nowhere, De Los Santos has dominated the American minor leagues and gave Low A Kannapolis an ace at the top of it’s rotation last season.  He appeared in the Futures Game and game up a homer to uberprospect Justin Upton before a promotion to High A, where he remained until the trade for Nick Swisher.
• The Good:  De Los Santos has a neat fastball, sitting in the low 90’s and touches 96 with some sinking action.  He’s got a very good curve with late movement that is a plus pitch.  He’s also begun work on improving his changeup.
• The Bad: The usual.  De Los Santos needs to continue building his durability in order for him to continue logging some more innings, along with work to improve his arsenal of tools.  He’s also a bit overaggressive, which costs him velocity and command over his stuff.
• Projection:  High.  De Los Santos needs more experience, which could only come with time, as well as refinement.  He also needs to improve that changeup, lest he be limited to a bullpen role.  Whatever he is, he should do it well.  This is a potential All-Star talent the Athletics have gotten, a arm that rivals many of those that are in the Rangers’ system, and they’ll do their best to make sure De Los Santos comes to fruition.
• What He Can Be:  A Rotation Strikeout Artist
• 2008 Course Of Action:  De Los Santos was going to start in High A for the White Sox until the trade went down.  I don’t see anything that would change, except that he’ll be heading to the California League instead of the Carolina League, and hence going to a hitter’s league instead of a pitcher’s league.  I don’t think it’ll affect him too much, as with his stuff, he should handle the change with no problem.

3– Carlos Gonzalez (RF)

• DOB: 10/17/85
• Signed: Venezuela, 2002 (Diamondbacks)
• 2008 Club:  Sacramento River Cats (Triple A)
• Height/Weight: 6-1/200
• Bats/Throws: L/L
• The Skinny:  Gonzalez’s stock is took a bit of a tumble early one, but he was able to adjust to the more advanced level of pitching in Double A and earned himself a promotion to Tucson.  All in all, it was a good season, but the emergence of Chris B. Young and Justin Upton in Arizona, plus the extension given to Eric Byrnes resulted in Gonzalez lacking a place to play.  Hence, he became an extremely attractive player to acquire and was the centerpiece of the Dan Haren trade.
• The Good: Gonzalez has some of the best tools in the system.  Gonzalez has a smooth, fluid stroke, above-average power, good range in right field.  He hits to a decent average and has a cannon for an arm.  He’s got some wheels on him as well.
• The Bad: Gonzalez is a bit aggressive at the plate, leading to high strikeout totals.  There have been some concerns over his work ethic at times, but Gonzalez kicked it up a notch when competition arrived in the form of Aaron Cunningham.
• Projection: Average.  Gonzalez has the tools, the youth and some success in the upper minors, but he still needs some seasoning.  In my opinion, Gonzalez should remain in Triple A for the meantime, where he could put up some monster numbers in the Pacific Coast League next year, before allowing him to take Swisher’s old place in right. 
• What He Come: An All-Star Right Fielder
• 2008 Course Of Action: I feel Gonzalez should be sent to Triple A, where he can finish his development process, but the amount of trades and lack of warm bodies to fill up the major league bench in Oakland (which consists of, right now, Travis Buck, Mark Kotsay and Jack Cust, respectively), Oakland could be tempted to promote him early and have him skip the level. 

4 – Gio Gonzalez (LHP)

• DOB: 9/19/85
• Drafted: 1st round, 2004, Florida High School (White Sox)
• 2008 Club:  Sacramento River Cats (Triple A)
• Height/Weight: 5-11/185
• Bats/Throws: R/L
• The Skinny:  After a year with the Phillies, Gonzalez was sent back to the White Sox in the Freddy Garcia deal.  His 2007 season was pretty good and has merited the trade back.  However, in Kenny William’s delusion of contention, he was sent to Oakland as a part of the Nick Swisher trade..
• The Good:  Gonzalez is a K machine, pure and simple.  However, what’s really special is that he has increased his groundout totals, always a plus at the Cell.  His fastball has good velocity for a southpaw, but his curve is a filthy pitch that is his out pitch.  His changeup, once a work in progress, is becoming a solid pitch as well, giving him a complete starters arsenal.
• The Bad:  Command is still and issue and will result in him getting some tough nights in the bigs.  Despite a reduction in his flyball tendancies, they nonetheless will be a concern moving forward.  His build also doesn't lend much to durability and ESPN’s Keith Law has reported that Gonzalez gets rattled on the mound and doesn’t respond to adversity right now.
• Projection:  Low.  Gonzalez should be a factor for the A’s in a year’s time after some time spent in Triple A.  He should be much better as an Athletic due to their stadium than he would have ever been with the White Sox.  Still, there seems to be a sense that Chicago sold high on Gonzalez and he might not be as good as I feel he is.
• What He Can Be:  A Number Two Starter.
• 2008 Course Of Action:  Gonzalez isn’t ready to be a part of the Oakland rotation just yet, meaning he’ll be a Rivercat to begin the year.  However, he should be up with the big league club come August, and should be a rotation fixture come 2009.

5 – Aaron Cunningham (OF)

• DOB: 4/24/86
• Drafted: 6th round, 2005, Everett Junior College (White Sox)
• 2008 Club: Midland Rockhounds (Double A)
• Height/Weight: 5-11/195
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny:  Cunningham has been involved in a pair of trades now as well, as he was originally traded by the White Sox to the Diamondbacks for second base prospect Danny Richar, in order fill the hole in second base for 2008.  However, the Diamondbacks were able to develop Cunningham further from the raw product he was when he arrived, as Cunningham jumped three levels and ended the year in Double A.  He was then a part of the trade for Dan Haren, giving more outfield depth to the A’s.
• The Good: Cunningham doesn’t have something that he does best, but he does most things well.  He’s got a great swing and makes solid contact with the ball, plus some solid power potential, possible 20 bomb potential.  He hits to all fields and he’s got solid speed on him as well.  Many were wondering if Cunningham could play anywhere other than left field, but it turns out that he’s not half bad in center or right field.  All in all, he’s a good prospect.
• The Bad:  Cunningham's pitch recognition still needs work, as he doesn’t draw enough walks. 
• Projection:  Average.  Cunningham is still developing as a player, but he's got a good tool set.  Many are divided as to how they seem Cunningham long term.  I may have overrated him originally, but I believe he’s better than the fourth outfielder projection many are tabbing him with already.  Give him two years and you’ll have a solid player, depending on what you want to do with Travis Buck, you could shop one of the two at a later date for something nice.
• What He Can Be:  A average left fielder.
• 2008 Course Of Action:  Cunningham will be headed to Midland for the year, with a possible promotion to Sacramento in the future if he continues to hit.  Don’t expect to see him anytime soon in Oakland however, as he’s got a bit to go.

6 – Chris Carter (1B)

• DOB: 12/18/86
• Drafted: 15th round, 2005, Nevada High School (White Sox)
• 2008 Club:  Stockton Ports (High A)
• Height/Weight: 6-4/220
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny:  Carter is already looking like a late round steal, and has been mashing ever since the White Sox drafted him. However, the White Sox, under the delusion that they are close to contention, traded him for Carlos Quentin (which in itself isn’t bad, as Quentin is a solid young player who filled a need), but Carter didn’t stay long in the desert and was a part of the Dan Haren trade.  He was very nearly a Texas Ranger, however, as a deal for Akinori Otsuka that would have sent Carter to Texas was all but done until the White Sox pulled out due to Otsuka’s medicals.
• The Good: Carter is quite simply the best power prospect in the Athletics’ system.  He’s got great strength and power to all fields and has improved on his plate recognition, which was good to begin with.  Now, Carter is able to draw a lot more walks while reducing his strikeouts and is able to choose his pitch to drive it out of the park.
• The Bad:  Carter is limited to first base due to limited athleticism and is a bad defender even there.  While he may eventually be a passable defender, he’s a long term DH in the making.  He’s also a below average runner.
• Projection:  Average.  Carter is still a very unpolished prospect, but he has the potential to be the first pure power bat Oakland has had since Jason Giambi was wearing green and gold.  He’ll take some time, but he’s a long term middle of the order run producer in the making and that is nothing to sneeze at.
• What He Can Be:  A Slugging First Baseman
• 2008 Course Of Action:  Carter will likely take it one level at a time and will spend the year in Stockton, where he should have plenty of opportunities to put up some impressive power numbers this season with all the small parks in the California League. 

7 – Trevor Cahill (RHP)

• DOB: 3/01/88
• Drafted:  2nd Round, 2006, California High School
• 2008 Club:  Stockton Ports (High A)
• Height/Weight: 6-3/195
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny:  A surprise pick for the Athletics last year, Cahill had a solid senior season in high school as a first year pitcher, but fell after illness caused him to tail off.  Oakland took him and thus far, Cahill has continued the tradition of Kane County pitching dominance.  But his big coming out party was when he made a spot start for Sacramento at the end of the season and carried a perfect game and a no-hitter once the perfecto was gone until the 8th.  Now that’s awesomeness. 
• The Good:  Cahill’s biggest strength is his command and control, which are surprisingly good for a young pitcher.  He’s able to locate the ball low and induce groundballs.  He throws in the low 90’s and can touch 90’s, but his best pitch is a spike curveball that has wicked break.  He's a solid athlete and is regarded to be an excellent character guy.
• The Bad:  Cahill doesn't over-power anyone.  He also needs to refine a third pitch.
• Projection:  High.  Cahill is still developing as a pitcher, as he was only pitching for a year after he was drafted, but the promise is there for him to be a capable major league starter. 
• What He Can Be:  A Number 3 starter, maybe a two.
• 2008 Course Of Action:  Cahill will be heading to the California League, where his groundball tendencies should help him survive the year in the extreme hitters league.

8 – James Simmons (RHP)

• DOB: 9/29/86
• Drafted:  1st Round, 2007, UC Riverside
• 2008 Club:  Midland Rockhounds (Double A)
• Height/Weight: 6-3/205
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny:  Simmons was regarded to be one of the most polished pitchers in the draft and was rated as one of the closest pitchers to the majors.  After going 11-3 with a 2.40 ERA in his junior season at UC Riverside, the Athletics took him in the 1st round, where he has already reached Double A. 
• The Good:  Simmons’ game is all about command and control and he has it in ####s.  His stuff is okay, but not overwhelming, with a fastball that sits around 90-92, complimented by a plus changeup and an average breaking ball. 
• The Bad:  Simmons isn’t overpowering and while he may be close to the majors, he’s not a sure fire star or anything.  He’s pretty much what I would call a right handed Joe Saunders, a guy that takes the ball every fifth day and gives you a shot to win.  He also loses speed on his fastball late in a game.
• Projection:  Low.  Simmons will rise quickly once he’s assigned to repeat Double A again.  Again, he’s got limited upside, which is the only thing you can really hold against him as far as his tools go.
• What He Can Be:  A back of the rotation starter.
• 2008 Course Of Action: Look for Simmons to repeat Double A this year before he gets an assignment to Triple A, where Oakland hopes he might be able to be a factor for a September call up.

9 – Kevin Melillo (2B)

• DOB: 5/14/82
• Drafted: 5th round, 2004, University of South Carolina
• 2008 Club:  Sacramento River Cats (Triple A)
• Height/Weight: 6-0/190
• Bats/Throws: L/R
• The Skinny:  Melillo’s 2007 campaign is pretty much the same for what you would expect for him.  He really is just what he is, an average second baseman that could be a steady regular in the majors. 
• The Good: An offensive minded second baseman, Milillo has a short, quick swing that has suprising pop.  He works the count well, gets on base, and all the usual things that Oakland likes it’s players to do.  His defensive fundamentals are good.  All in all, he’s near ready for the show and could be a producer in the 6 or 7 hole. 
• The Bad: Melillo has had some minor knee issues in the past and when he falls in love with the long ball, he gets pull happy.  He also has below average range and hands, and is nowhere near the Gold Glover type defense Oakland has come to expect from it’s second basemen.
• Projection: Low.  Melillo is ready for the show and with this year looking like a rebuilding one, Oakland would be wise to see what they have.
• What He Can Be: An average second baseman.
• 2008 Course Of Action: Ellis has recently had his $5 million club option for 2008 exercised, but that doesn’t mean he’ll remain on the team, especially now that Oakland is in full scale rebuilding mode.  Ellis is pretty attractive right now as a cheap date and could fetch a decent prize while allowing Melillo to play everyday.

10 – Sean Doolittle (1B)

• DOB: 9/26/86
• Drafted: 1st Round (S), 2007, Virginia
• 2008 Club:  Stockton Ports (High A)
• Height/Weight: 6-3/190
• Bats/Throws: L/L
• The Skinny:  Doolittle was on the rise after a year in Virginia and was projected to be picked somewhere in the lower end of the first round.  However, Porcello’s fall along with some other shenanigans with the Pirates resulted in Doolittle falling into the supplemental round, where Oakland took him.  He had a pretty good debut for Oakland.
• The Good: An athletic first baseman, Doolittle makes good, consistent solid contact from the left side and should hit for average in the future.  He has an above average arm, which was seen from his days as a two way player at Virginia, plus he shows decent range and can even run a bit too.
• The Bad:  Doolittle lacks any sort of power potential at first base, which isn’t what you want out of a power position. 
• Projection: Average.  Doolittle may rise quickly and while he may not have home run power, doubles power may exist within him.
• What He Can Be: A average first baseman that hits for average, but not for power.
• 2008 Course Of Action: Doolittle has the talent to be a productive major leaguer, but it won’t be for Oakland.  Barton is now the Athletics’ first baseman and the A’s now have a stronger   but unfortunately for him, he’s also blocked by both Dan Johnson and Daric Barton, meaning that in the future, Doolittle’s likely value to Oakland is trade bait.

11 – Henry Rodriguez (RHP)

• DOB: 2/25/87
• Signed: 2003, Venezuela
• 2008 Club:  Midland Rockhounds (Double A)
• Height/Weight: 6-1/175
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny: A big signing out of Venezuela a few years ago has taken a big step forward with the Cougars this year, though his record doesn’t show for it.  Still, it’s pretty impressive considering how raw he was last year when he was torched in the Arizona Rookie League.
• The Good: Rodriguez has the best raw stuff in the organization, as his fastball sits in the low to mid 90’s and has been clocked as high as 100.  His curveball and changeup look like they could eventually be plus pitches, which could give him a potentially lethal arsenal if he’s able to put it all together.  All in all, he’s a project, but one that could pay off big.
• The Bad: Rodriguez is, as I’ve said, a raw product, and he’s had some issues with control that have resulted in some ugly outings for him.  There are also maturity issues with Rodriguez, but that really isn’t unexpected.
• Projection: Very High.  Rodriguez could become a beast if he continues to work on his stuff.  He’s more than just an arm strength type of prospect and he’s got the skill set to be a solid middle of the rotation K machine if he continues to develop on schedule.  Still, he’s got a long way to go.
• What He Can Be: A middle of the rotation strikeout machine.
• 2008 Course Of Action:  With another season under his belt in Double A, Rodriguez could very well help his cause to eventually become a option for Oakland come 2009 or 2010, joining some of the other young athletics in the rebuilding effort.

12 – Ryan Sweeney (CF)

• DOB: 2/20/85
• Drafted: 1st round, 2003, Iowa High School
• 2008 Club:  Sacramento River Cats (Triple A)
• Height/Weight: 6-4/215
• Bats/Throws: L/L
• The Skinny: The former first rounder did nothing to shake his bust tag and didn’t earn a late season call up, even with Chicago’s less than stellar outfield situation.  Chicago was shopping him furiously and finally got to get rid of him in Swisher deal. 
• The Good: Sweeney is big, athletic, and has some offensive skills.  He has a quick swing, some power and makes good contact.  He doesn’t’ strikeout often and has enough wheels to play center, along with a strong arm. 
• The Bad: Sweeney was always to projected to hit for power.  That obviously haven’t happened and most don’t see him as a centerfielder long term.  He’s also got issues against lefties as well. 
• Projection:  Low.  Sweeney may be able to stick with Oakland as a centerfielder in the short term, if they feel he might be able to be adequate in center, and he may be able to tap into that long dormant power potential with the right coaching.  I kinda doubt it, though.
• What He Can Be:  A starting centerfielder
• Timetable: While Sweeney has clearly stagnated, it’s hard to see him avoiding a third year at Triple-A without a monster spring training. This next year is absolutely pivotal for him.

13 – Jermaine Mitchell (CF)

• DOB: 11/2/84
• Drafted: 5th round, 2006, UNC-Greensboro
• 2008 Club:  Stockton Ports (High A)
• Height/Weight: 6-0/200
• Bats/Throws: L/L
• The Skinny: . Taken from a small school, many felt that Mitchell would only be organizational filler, a fourth outfielder at best.  He's since proven to be potentially better than that after another solid season, this time for Kane County.
• The Good: Mitchell could be one of the latest Oakland scouting department steals if he continues to produce.  Mitchell is a solid centerfielder with a good arm, good range and solid speed.  He’s also got a quick bat and some excellent plate discipline. All in all, he’s a good package of tools that could really blossom into something good.
• The Bad: Mitchell’s swing is complex and needs to be simplified.  The power that was thought to have been in Mitchell hasn’t manifested himself.  He’s also murdered by right handers and had some extreme home-away splits as well, meaning that he’s got some work to do unless he wants to be a platoon centerfielder.
• Projection: High.  Mitchell took a step forward in his development, not as big as Oakland may have expected, but it’s a start.
• What He Can Be: An everyday big-league outfielder.
• 2008 Course Of Action: I expect Mitchell to be the Ports' starting centerfielder this season.  Oakland eventually sees him to be a centerfielder for the future option, though at the moment, he's still got a long way to go.

14 – Brett Anderson (LHP)

• DOB: 2/1/88
• Drafted: 2nd round, 2006, Oklahoma High School (Diamondbacks)
• 2008 Club:  Visalia Oaks (High A)
• Height/Weight: 6-4/215
• Bats/Throws: L/L
• The Skinny:  Last year, Anderson was one of the more difficult high school pitchers to evaluate, and his bonus demands resulted in him falling out of the first and supplemental rounds.  The Diamondbacks were intrigued enough to pull the trigger on him, even though he wasn't a power pitcher and never will be.  His final line was 11-7 with a 3.07 ERA between Low and High A, but Arizona won’t realize the returns on their investment, as he’s now an A.
• The Good: The son of Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson, Anderson's mechanics are solid and he has remarkable control of his breaking stuff and off-speed pitches.  He's got a very deep repertoire, with three solid pitches, the best being a changeup that he can throw for strikes.   He’s got a good pitcher’s build and could even add a little more mass.
• The Bad:  Anderson is also not very athletic and his fastball clocks in the high 80's, touching 91 on occasion.
• Projection:  Average.  Anderson still has a lot of work to do in terms of improving himself, but his ability to induce groundballs and log in innings should result in some success in the majors.  I feel he’s been overrated some due to his results, which are misleading, but his stuff isn’t fantastic and in the American League, he should fit in as a Number Three or Four starter.  But hey, Barry Zito was able to last for a while with less than impressive repertoire and one major money pitch.
• What He Can Be:  An innings eater.
• 2008 Course Of Action:  Anderson got hit hard in the California League and likely will repeat there to begin next year.

15 – Javier Herrera (OF)

• DOB: 4/9/85
• Signed: 2001, Venezuela
• 2008 Club:  Sacramento River Casts (Triple A)
• Height/Weight: 5-10/160
• Bats/Throws: R/R
• The Skinny: After missing a year thanks to Tommy John Surgery, Herrera had a mostly average comeback season.  While it’s not pretty, it’s still a promising development and should be expected form a guy coming off TJ.
• The Good: Herrera He has above-average hitting skills to go with plus power and speed, as well as good range to both sides in centerfield and an above-average arm.
• The Bad: Herrera's conditioning is a bit of an issue, as he did put on some weight during his inactivity, but he was able to drop most of it.  He’s also a bit reckless on the field, plus his power potential hasn’t manifested itself quite yet.
• Projection: High.  Herrera is still working to come all the way back from TJ, but so far so good. 
• What He Can Be: A above average centerfielder
• 2008 Course Of Action: Expect the Athletics to push Herrera a bit by promoting him to Triple A, where he could work well if he’s finally able to get his tools together.

Final Thoughts

With the rebuilding effort now in full swing, Oakland has a good deal of prospect depth to develop to form the core of their next championship core.  With little in terms of long term contracts other than those that are immobile (Chavez, Crosby) and one major one leaving the books after this year (Kotsay), Oakland has the financial flexibility to work with to get this set of prospects going and locked up to some near term deals when the time comes.  All in all, Oakland has enough to field a contender with what they have in their system, though the pitching won’t be as explosive as it once was, back in the day when the Big Three roamed MacAfee Coliseum.

One thing to note, however, is that Oakland hasn’t done a particularly good job of drafting high ceiling, star level talent.  Much of their new top 15 is from outside of the organization, with 8 of the total top 15 and 6 of the top 10 being drafted by other squads.  While much kudos needs to be given to Oakland for getting them, they do need to do a better job of drafting their own star players and not always playing it safe.  Spending some more money on later round talents would be a start and revamping the international scouting system would be another way to help keep the pipeline to talent flowing to Oakland.

Sources, Scouting Reports, and Thanks to:  Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus), Keith Law (ESPN), Soxprospects.com, B.J. Medrano, Jim Callis And The Rest Of Baseball America, Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com), MiLB.com, Sam Corral and Erica Belmontes, Ernie Carlson, Lonestarball.com, Jamey Newberg (Newbergreport.com), Brewerfan.net and Mike Hindman (Rangers Farm Report)

Another day,  another member of the Oakland Athetics dealt.

Oakland just traded Nick Swisher to the White Sox for Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, and Ryan Sweeney.   This is a solid trade for both parties, but it taps the rest of the farm system for Oakland, leaving Aaron Poveda the lone prospect in Chicago's farm system.

So what does Oakland get?

• Faustino De Los Santos (RHP) - A very good, high ceiling player for the Athletics, De Los Santos is a stud pitching prospect that could be a Number Two for Oakland, given three years or so.  He's the gem of his deal.
• Gio Gonzalez (LHP) - A little lefty with solid stuff that should be a middle of the rotation presence for Oakland.  He'll slot right in on Opening Day and should fit comfortably behind Joe Blanton, provided he doesn't get traded first. 
• Ryan Sweeney (CF) - Another centerfield option, I felt that the Rangers should give Sweeney a shot.  He's got massive power potential, but hasn't translated it into performance.  Kevin Goldstein from Baseball Prospectus feels he's a fourth outfielder, but ESPN's Keith Law believes a change in organizations could be beneficial.  He'll also likely open with Oakland's Opening Day squad.

Oakland now is in full fledged rebuilding mode and with all of their outfield talent and first base locked up, Swisher was likely the next one to go after Joe Blanton, due to his service time and reasonable contract ($3.5 Million in 2008, $5.3 Million in 2009, $6.75 Million in 2010, $9 Million in 2011, and a $10.25 Million club option for 2012 with a $1 Million buyout.)

With Swisher, who will be the White Sox's starting centerfielder, the Pale Hose get a very good player who can handle center, steal some bases, draw some walks, hit some homers and strikeout a whole lot.  Still, getting him for cheap for five years makes the losses of Gonzalez and De Los Santos managable.

However, is it wise for the White Sox to try and contend this season?  Their ballclub is much improved, but the lack of pitching and bullpen depth for the White Sox, plus the fact that the Tigers and Indians are going to be kick #### means that Chicago, at best, is a third place team and at worse will be battling the Royals again for fourth place in the division and for the Number Two overall pick.

Good move for both sides, however.  Oakland gets more prospects (and an updated Top 15 Prospects List Next Week) and Chicago gets a good player signed at a long term price.

Oakland Grade - A

Chicago Grade - A-

On a side note, does it seem that Oakland and Florida will be competing next season to see who can field the cheapest team?  Both squads seem to be moving anyone making more than the Major League Minimum, though Oakland has several bad contracts (Chavez, Kotsay, Crosby) weighing them down.