For the few of you who cannot spell, this article is about A’s pitcher Justin Duchscherer and not the feminine method of cleansing for women.
Duchscherer is scheduled for a visit and second opinion because of a problem he’s having with his elbow. This worry’s me tremendously because the A’s pitching staff is what will make the season, (with an already established offense) and Duchscherer is the only proven pitcher in the rotation.
So what should the front office be looking for in terms of pitching? Free-agents, trades, or an in-house fix? If the injury is only a minor setback, the in-house method will do. Long-term they will have to go outside their organization but who?
The only free agents worth a shot to me are Mark Mulder and more expensive (probably not worth the $$) Pedro Martinez. I would take Mulder over Martinez . The money Pedro’s looking for is too much and Mulder won’t command much at all.
The third option is to trade for a pitcher. As we all know, the A’s have Crosby on the block and they will be looking hard for a suitor.
So what do they A’s do if Duchscherer is out lng-term?
March 5th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I know few will agree with me, but I would opt for an in house solution to the Duchscherer problem…reguarding him, last year i was hoping we would have traded him before the all star break, old news… we have so many guys that we could use a few have to stick, and there is Jerome Williams and Gonzalez from AZ. who have a shot as well.
I would not mind Moulder though, as long as he’s healthy and not a guy we are going to pay to sit on the DL. I have always liked the guy, super nice too. Met him a few times, and he’s really tall too.
I am really excited to see the young guys turn a lot of heads, when this season is all over, Bean is going to look like the genius he is
March 6th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Trevor Cahill should now make the opening day roster as an SP.
As far as Duch, I really think we’ve seen the best of him. Too prone to injury to have any faith in at this point. I too am dispointed we didn’t move him last season.
I don’t dislike Duch, just think the writing’s on the wall.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I think a Crosby-Barton trade package for a seasoned SP would be a pretty solid plan.
March 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I would have to disagree about the barton/crosby trade, I really hope we don’t move barton, we have giambi and nomar who can play first, but barton is good with the glove over there, and is still very young. He is still an amazing prospect, and people around the league value him highly. I do too, and would hate to see him leave, and who are we looking at as the first baseman of the future…pretty much no one but barton
March 9th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Well in response to the first baseman of the future, it’s clear the A’s have a guy buy the last name of Carter almost developed in the minors. He might be the first baseman next season.