Orlando Cabrera to Oakland
by Rev Halofan on Mar 2, 2009 1:21 PM PST
in News
26 comments
The Oakland Athletics have signed former Angel Orlando Cabrera to a one-year, four million dollar deal. OC will be the starting shortstop for the A's, replacing automatic out Bobby Crosby and offering a major defensive upgrade for a young pitching staff that is focusing its Spring activities in Arizona on finishing junior high and potty training before the season starts.
ANALYSIS: OC is a smart, smart guy, but he misjudged the economic impact on baseball salaries this offseason, declining arbitration on what would have been an assured $8 million deal with the Pale Hose. Now he faces life in never-neverland as the post-Fremont tarp-covered hangover is sure to disappoint the 1,200 hardcore fans of Michael Smith's Philly/KC nomadic Republican Elephants.
An animated corpse would be an upgrade over Crosby at SS so this is a massive improvement and only costs Mister Constant Rebuilding a 2nd round draft pick. OC can up his market value as long as the Great Depression #2 doesn't last into the next offseason.
SLIVER LINING: OC will be playing 38 games against Texas and Seattle combined this season and perhaps that is a good thing for the Angels if this division is tighter than we imagine. With or without Cabrera, Joakland is at best a 5 games below .500 team in 2009, but go ahead and overachieve, maybe even sell 10,000 extra tickets to a bobblehead game you scrappy Brett-Favre-Colored walk-takers...
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Looks like they want to keep in the race till early september.......
They are looking more like a .500+ team on D and Offense but they need their pitching to step up.
Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by acuda27 on Mar 2, 2009 2:13 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Bummer. Didn’t like him when he was a Red Sock and now I don’t like him as an Athletic.
Loved him as a Halo, even though I was quite hesitant at first due to his coming over from the Red Sox. He is a great guy and I wish him well. Hopefully, he goes 4-4 w/4HR’s against the Halos in a 16-4 blowout win for the Angels that helps set the Angels right with Pythagorus in 2009.
by Downing Rules on Mar 2, 2009 2:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Guy on the left
in the photo…is that Tim Mead? It kind of looks like him.
If it is actually Rev Halofan, I apologize, having never met you. :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 2, 2009 2:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Guy in the middle is Orlando Cabrera. (that was a joke mind you).
by Downing Rules on Mar 2, 2009 2:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
two of the guys who sit behind me in section 240
they are cool.
by Rev Halofan on Mar 2, 2009 4:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Noooooooooo
Damn it… I don’t want to see him in green.
by thetooth on Mar 2, 2009 5:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Madness
I am not a fan of this signing. Mind you, I don’t want O-Cab back for the Halos again, as his time with the team has come and gone. But I am NOT a fan of improving Choakland. Boo. Now they might actually be good….good thing it’ll take a former Halo to bring them up that far.
Light Up That Halo!
by Clutch on Mar 2, 2009 10:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Oakland Just Got Better...
A LOT better. Cabrera is so ridiculously undervalued, and replacing Crosby is a HUGE upgrade on top of that. It’s getting to the point where you have to hope O-Town’s pitching falters, becuase the offense is starting to shape up pretty decent.
by Kernel on Mar 3, 2009 7:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
This move and adding Nomar make me feel as if the A's are the favorite in the division now.
The lineup dramatically improved with the additions of Giambi, Holliday, OCab, Nomar. If Chavez comes back this year even a shadow of his former self at 3rd, and Cust maintains his baby-Dunn like bat, then they could have a very dangerous lineup.
Im scared, someone hold me.
I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....
by PhiSlamma on Mar 3, 2009 12:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
There, there
How soon we forget about the A’ss dismal rotation
by Higz on Mar 3, 2009 1:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Please. Division favorite?
Their pitchers wear diapers.
Play Wood already. Willits sucks.
by hauldog on Mar 3, 2009 1:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
So ...
Giambi/Cust/Barton alternate at 1B/DH.
Ellis is at 2B.
SS is Cabrera with Crosby as back-up.
Chavez is 3B.
Where do they put Garciaparra (when he isn’t injured)? He most likely will be a backup to Chavez. Are they concerned about Chavez’ shoulder?
Besides Ellis, is there anyone else named above you would want to see on the Angels?
by sothball on Mar 3, 2009 9:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
You forgot the outfield
but Cust at DH, or Giambi at DH/1st and Holliday would all be offensive upgrades.
I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....
by PhiSlamma on Mar 4, 2009 5:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
How did you work out that Oakland were a 76 win team before this signing???
That seems exceptionally pessimistic.
I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.
by EnglishMariner on Mar 3, 2009 1:57 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I’m not a stat-head, but in absence of any credible pitching for 2009, the A’s should finish in similar fashion as last year.
RE: Mariners … Looks like a potential statement game this Thursday, eh?
by Downing Rules on Mar 3, 2009 3:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
difference between 2008 and 2009
oakland has a better offense and better bullpen.
"It's like déjà vu all over again." -yogi berra
by Cheezombie on Mar 3, 2009 5:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
"Statement game"
That was priceless, dude
by Higz on Mar 3, 2009 5:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Hmm.
“I’m not a stat-head, but in absence of any credible pitching for 2009, the A’s should finish in similar fashion as last year.”
The A’s have added Giambi 1 win], Holliday [3 wins], OC [1.5 wins] and Nomar [0.5 wins]. Couple this with the added experience that their rotation gained last year as well as potentially more PA from Chavez and you are looking around 83-84 wins.
The Angels are still favourites, but with their impending regression thanks to the scary-bad outfield defence and BABIP-vulnerable singles hitting offence this will be a lot tighter than you guys believe.
I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.
by EnglishMariner on Mar 4, 2009 5:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Um........sure.
Play Wood already. Willits sucks.
by hauldog on Mar 4, 2009 10:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
i recall in early 2008
how matthew at Lookout Landing had all of our guys regressing and the Mariners pulling out the division — he used those giant difference makers (sarcasm) like BABIP, singles-hitting and Outfield-D instead of runs scored, et cetera.
Keep using anything you want, traditional sabremetrics does not accurately measure Soth-Ball.
Oh, and you should be paying Value-Added-Taxes to Gerry Adams.
by Rev Halofan on Mar 4, 2009 2:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
There's a lot of upside in that rotation though
It’s a little early to get cocky. A pitching friendly stadium and improved defense might help those pitchers develop very quickly, and they’ve got some good guys at AAA.
by rghan on Mar 4, 2009 3:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
They have to safeco eventually
Play Wood already. Willits sucks.
by hauldog on Mar 4, 2009 4:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
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