My Opinion

After trading two of the best pitchers on the team, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, most people thought that Billy Beane had wrecked the team.  In those trades, the A's acquired many young players who may not have been to good in past years, but they are starting to really heat up.  Key players included in the Hudson and Mulder deals were Kiko Calero, Dan Haren, Dan Meyer, Juan Cruz, and Charles Thomas, who former manager Bobby Cox highly praises for his hard work and superb fielding.

 In another trade, in which the A's traded away reliever Justin Lehr and outfielder Nelson Cruz , they added middle infielder Keith Ginter from the Milwaukee Brewers.  In another move, they signed pitcher Keiichi Yabu and Seth Etherton. In what might have been their biggest move this off-season, they got Jason Kendall and named him their starting catcher.  I think that with Eric Chavez playing his usual outstanding offense and phenomonal defense, with their young pitchers and hitters, a lot of them fighting for a spot, will earn the A's at least second or first in the AL West Division, fighting for a spot with the newly-named Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (at Edison Field)

After a slow first half, the A's have really picked it up since the beginning of June.  The A's may have three all stars, but the one that was chosen for the all star game was Justin Duchscherer (above).  The A's added Duchscherer from the Rangers in exchange for reliever Luis Vizcaino, who is now on the Chicago White Sox.  Duchscherer, a former Rivercat and PCL pitcher of the year, came up to the majors with the A's in 2003.  He was a starter until about a year ago, when he became the "mop-up man."  This year he became the A's premier reliever.  He did a great job filling in  as closer when Huston Street was injured.  This fill-in roll may be how he got nominated in to the all-star game by Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona.