The Oakland Athletics have had a strange winter when you compare it to how they generally treat their offseason. Usually they spend the winter months trading away players in return for prospects to keep the low-budget team afloat and competitive. This year they've been adding veterans and payroll. They traded for Matt Holliday and signed Jason Giambi, then on Monday they signed Orlando Cabrera and are now on the verge of signing Nomar Garciaparra as well.The latest moves seal Bobby Crosby's fate with the team. He has gone from being the starting shortstop in Oakland to a bench player the team hopes can be a "super sub." Crosby, though, is hoping to be traded.
"I was hoping to be Oakland's shortstop, and that's obviously not in their plans," he said. "I've enjoyed it here, but the best thing for me is to go somewhere I can be an everyday shortstop. They've made up their minds, and I just hope they can give me the opportunity to move on."Unfortunately for Crosby, a team source says that trading him right now is not too likely, even if the Athletics pick up most of the $5.25 million he's owed this season. Apparently the market for teams who want to spend over $5 million on a shortstop that has a hard time staying on the field, and an even harder time putting up an OBP of over .300 just isn't very strong right now.
