I'm new to this message board thing and I just wantd to get some of your opinions. Would you guys rather see the A's keep going with the rebuilding completly or would you like them to make a few trades and spend a little money so they can be contenders next year?

I just want to see the A's win :)

I think that the real way to go about that is sticking with the young guys.

We've had horrible luck with impact free agents, from Jermain Dye, to Milton Bradley, to Holliday and Cabrera this year. We've yet to get a short term free agent who really paid off except for Frank Thomas, but he was in the "Legendary Veteran" category like David Justice and Nomar.

If I felt we could get a guy who could actually come an and perform at a high level, I'd say we should look for a starting pitcher, a shortstop , and a 3rd basemen. I'm not sure if that's the way to go though. This team has seemed to do well when the kids had their chance to play every day, and I think that it would probably cost 50 million dollars to build a better team than we'd get by playing the young guys every day. So, I'm basically saying, if we're going to get free agents, we need to go for hot-shot sure things rather than our typical bargain basement acquisitions. Otherwise, let the kids play. If Wallace and Careter pan out, we should be looking pretty good in 2012.

Agree, stick with the rebuild, our free agent acquistions have for the most part been players on the down side of good careers, not first tier players who make meaningful impacts. Just look at Giambi, Piazza, geeeeeeeez, a joke. Frank Thomas was the exception, but I believe that was just blind luck. The rebuild is working, we need to stay with it.

If it were up to me, I'd most definitely stick to our guns, right now. And focus on the youth movement.

For the most part.

We definitely need to cool it with the 'blockbuster trades' for a while. But I would dangle Scott Hairston, Daric Barton, Vin Mazzaro, Gio Gonzalez, Eric Patterson, and Travis Buck. And hope to get some value out of them. We're absolutely loaded with '4th outfielders', first basemen, and young starting pitchers (who may, or may not have star potential). So those six guys are definitely expendable, in my opinion.

I'd also look to trade Jack Cust and Santiago Casilla. And if we can't trade them, I'd place them on outright waivers. No disrespect to either one of those guys. But we simply have better, cheaper designated hitters (Powell, Everidge, Carter) and relief pitchers (Gray, Meloan, Cameron, Patterson) who can occupy their roster spots.

I WOULD open up the checkbook, though. And sign a stud left fielder, solid utility infielder, and veteran starting pitcher (or two). We could spend up to $30 million in free agency this year, and still keep the payroll at right around $60 million. Which should be very doable. And even if we take on one huge contract, it shouldn't kill us too much in the long run. Because after 2010, we can opt out of Chavez' contract.

In a perfect world, I'd like to see us re-sign Duchscherer, Tomko, and Scutaro. And get a guy like Jason Bay to man left field (I know. I know. It will never happen. But, hey. I can dream!).

That would make for a STELLAR lineup! How does this look?

C: Kurt Suzuki
1B: Chris Carter
2B: Mark Ellis
SS: Cliff Pennington
3B: Eric Chavez
LF: Jason Bay
CF: Rajai Davis
RF: Ryan Sweeney
Landon Powell (backup catcher and DH)
Tommy Everidge (backup 1B and DH)
Marco Scutaro (backup SS, 2B, and 3B)
Hairston, Patterson, Buck, or Cunningham (backup OF)

SP: Justin Duchscherer
SP: Brett Anderson
SP: Trevor Cahill
SP: Dallas Braden
SP: Brett Tomko

CL: Andrew Bailey
RP: Joey Devine
RP: Brad Ziegler
RP: Mike Wuertz
RP: Craig Breslow
RP: Brad Kilby
RP: Jeff Gray
RP: Meloan, Cameron, or Patterson

Now granted, A LOT can happen between now and April. And you always have to account for injuries. But with guys like Brett Wallace, Sean Doolittle, and Adrian Cardenas in AAA - along with a slew of young pitchers, decent outfielders, and a rehabbing Josh Outman - and I think we're set for a few years!!!

If Scutaro comes on the cheap, fine. Not prob.

I'd like Jermaine Dye in LF or even in RF, Sweeney to Cf and Raj to LF.

Keep Cust. For the time being at least. He led the A's in Hr's cna't over look that. And the K's are so minimal its not a big deal.

Deal Hairston (prob is right now he has no value), maybe land Melvin Mora if AK can't be brought back.

Carter, Everidge and Wallace start the yr in AAA to establish some consistency. But the catch, any of them blow up, they can be brought up.

A guy like Rick Ankiel might be available too?! He's a FA and the CArds may dump too much $$ on Holliday and Derosa.

Maybe land a vet arm. I like Contreras (High K to walk ratio) and Tomko and maybe even NOah Lowry.

C: Suzuki
1B: Barton
2B: Ellis
SS: Pennington
3B: Chavez
DH: Cust
RF: Dye
CF: Sweeney
LF: Raj

BackC: Powell
BackINF: Kennedy
BackOF: Hairtson &/or Cunningham

Starters:
Anderson
Cahill
Tomko
Braden
Contreras/Gio/Mazzaro/Tomko/Duke/Lowry/Outman (later on)

Pen:
Kilby
Meleon
Ziegler/Grey
Wuertz
Breslow
Devine
Bailey

Ya don't spend that much on Dye and he's familiar with this place, plus he's a local guy on the tail end of his career. Offer up a no nothing deal to Noah Lowry. Give a descent deal to Duke. Throw up a no nothing deal to Contreras just a a what the heck gesture, same with Tomko.

Let Barton ride..he struggles, insert Everidge. He struggles, insert Carter or Doolittle.

Let Chavez ride..if he falls apart, give it to Kennedy and bring up Wallace.

If Dye stinks, deal him and give the spot back to Hairston, call up Doolittle and let Cunningham start for a bit. See if he has the goods. Even amid all this the Halos could lose Lackey, Vlad, Figgins and will very much overpay for Abreu. The A's can hang with that group.

I know that we'll never get Scutaro back. Because there are several teams looking at him to be their everyday SS. So we'll definitely be outbid (if we even make a play for him). I'd just love to have him back, cause I believe he's the best utility infielder in the game. And we have no decent backup shortstops. I'd hate to have to settle for Gregorio Petit again as backup SS.

I'd be happy having Kennedy in that spot again, too. It's just a shame that he can't play shortstop very well (that I know of).

I've always liked Jermaine Dye a lot, too. But I still worry about his health. I wouldn't mind having him for the right price, though.

I like Jack Cust a lot more than most people do. I just think that we have too may other guys that could DH just as well, if not better. And those three guys - Carter, Everidge, and Powell - can play their positions much better, if needed.

I agree with you about Daric Barton, also. I'm definitely not ready to give up on him. And if we can't trade him, I'd definitely make him our Opening Day starter. I'd just like to move him, if we can - since we have so many other 1B candidates: Everidge, Doolittle, Carter, and maybe even Wallace or Chavez.

I'm with you on Chavez, too. Definitely make him the Opening Day 3B (if he's miraculously healthy). And if not, insert Scutaro, Kennedy, or Wallace. Or maybe even move Pennington over there, depending on what the roster winds up looking like.

Sounds like we're on the same page, for the most part! :)

Jerry Hairston Jr. is another guy I think we should strongly consider for utility infielder. He's an affordable, Type B free agent (Scutaro's a Type A). And can play SS, 3B, 2B, plus all three outfield positions.

He'd be a perfect fit, in my opinion.

I would like to see the A's to stick to mostly young guys, however a veteran is needed to guide these guys. The 1999 A's brought up a young core and Billy Beane filled in the rest of the team with veterans such as Tony Phillips and John Jaha. Adam Kennedy could be that guy if he returns, but the A's need an everyday guy, if Kennedy doesn't man third, that will be an impact player, and I only see that position coming from the outfield as only Sweeney seems to be the lock, ( I know Billy has praised Rajai Davis, but with Beane that means nothing for your security a an Athletic). 3rd base, Shortstop, Second, Catcher, and maybe even first ( Barton, Carter) may be occupied. However, I would try and trade Barton for a SP if I was Beane. I would also drop Cust and see how Wallace could fit in as a DH.

Scutaro could be a valuable commodity this winter, the Yanks are looking to spell Jeter who will be 36 and A-Rod who will be 35 next season, who better to fill that role than Scutaro? And he certainly is affordable for the Yankees. I would hate to see that happen but it is a realistic possibility.

Yeah. If the Yankees set their sights on him, they'll be almost impossible for anyone to outbid. But he might prefer going somewhere where he'll have a chance to remain an everyday SS. If that's the case, I think he may wind up in Boston, Minnesota, or back in Toronto.