Nothing big happened for the A's at the Winter Meetings in Vegas, but they have made a few minor moves over the past few weeks. Here are there moves in reverse chronological order:
| 12/11/08 | Selected OF Ben Copeland from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft. |
It looks like the A's grabbed Copeland hoping he'll be able to compete with Rajai Davis for a 4th or 5th OF spot. All it cost the A's was $50,000, so I guess it'll be worth seeing if his defense is as good as Davis' and if he can be a bit more useful with the bat. His minor league numbers are fairly mediocre )(a career .281/.367/.422) but he does run well, having stolen 24 bases last year. There's probably a 25% chance he sticks on the major league roster and it's unlikely he'll ever be a starter, but there wasn't much available in the Rule 5 draft this year and the A's don't really have room in the bullpen to stash a reliever with upside (Eduardo Morlan, part of the Delmon Young for Matt Garza trade, fits this description).
The only other player that the A's maybe should have considered taking instead of Copeland was James Skelton, a catcher who the Diamondbacks took with the pick right after the A's took Copeland. Skelton, a catcher, has a career minor league line of .292/.415/.400, but only has 85 ABs above A ball. He may have made a decent backup catcher, but its hard to say if he'd be an improvement over Rob Bowen who at least has shown some power in the past.
| 12/9/08 | Signed C Joel Galarraga and RHP Jerome Williams to a Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training. |
Speaking of potential backup catchers...Galarraga played last season in the Mexican League, which I believe has the talent level of somwhere between AA and AAA. It's also pretty hitter friendly. Galarraga hit .318/.416/.440 and apparently threw out nearly 50% of baserunners trying to steal on him. This looks like a good no-risk move as the A's may have found a solid backup catcher.
Jerome Williams was a former top prospect in the Giants organization who has alternated between awful and injured ever since being traded to the Cubs in 2005 for LaTroy Hawkins. It's hard to imagine that Williams can regain his form that made him a top prospect (and he had a decent year with the Giants in 2004), but he did pitch well in 10 games in AAA last year, mostly in relief. He's not a bad guy to have around and he can battle Shane Komine for the title of Hawaiian Punchout.
| 12/1/08 | Signed RHP Kevin Cameron, 1B Tagg Bozied and OF Matt Carson to Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training. Signed RHP Jonathan Hunton to a Minor League contract. |
Cameron looks to be a pretty good option to call up from Sacramento if and when any of the A's other bullpen righties get hurt. He spent 2007 with the Padres and put up an impressive 2.79 ERA. He was hurt and/or in the minors for most of 2008, but he's shown that he can succeed in the majors (albeit in PETCO with a high walk rate).
Bozied is a former fringey propsect who also spent time in the Padres organization. His career numbers of .280/.351/.498 show that he can hit a little, though those number are a little inflated due to playing primarily in the PCL (and last year in Albequerque). He's not a bad Plan C for the A's 1B solution - should they fail to sign a free agent and Barton prove to be unacceptable, then Bozied's not a bad guy to have around. Or maybe the A's just got him because they want to make sure they stock up on South Dakota's finest talents (See also Mark Ellis, Justin Duchscherer).
Carson had a career season last year, hitting .277/.331/.545 at AA Trenton and .289/.347/.459 at AAA Scranton in his age 26 season. Like the other guys mentioned here he isn't expected to contribute to the A's. He's not particularly fast, but can play center field in a pinch. I'll be surprised (and the A's will be in big trouble) if he sees significant playing time in Oakland, and the A's have better bench options as well.
Hunton has pitched exceedingly well in the independent leagues the last two years, putting up an ERA of 2.23 in 2007 and 0.81 last year (both seasons he was in the American Association). Hunton, who is 6'9" gives the A's yet another decent option in the bullpen. He has struck out over a batter an inning in his entire minor league career and appears to have improved his control in the independent leagues. The A's may have found a new Brendan Donnelly (without the stupid eyewear), but even if he doesn't pan out, he's definitely a worthwhile pickup. The A's bullpen is proof that spending big money on mediocre relievers is pointless.
Keywords: minor league free agents, Oakland Athletics, Rule 5 draft
