OAKLAND -- The A's rebuilding plan may appear to be progressing quickly with the team's hot streak, but don't expect GM Billy Beane to make any big splashes on marquee players this winter to fill out the picture.He tried that last winter. Didn't work.
Only after the A's got rid of Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi and Orlando Cabrera, essentially handing the wheel to the young players, did the team start to win. So the youth movement will continue.
"We'd look to add some guys, but we're going to be very disciplined," Beane told FanHouse. "We're trying to build something. We're not going to go crazy in the offseason."
That means the big power bat -- or bats -- that the A's seem to need to get to the next level are probably not going to come from outside the organization. It means they'll probably be waiting for guys like Ryan Sweeney and Kurt Suzuki to develop some more pop, or waiting for minor-league star Chris Carter (67 homers in his two seasons in the minors) to make his mark in the big leagues.
The A's also think Brett Wallace, acquired in the Holliday trade, can be a middle-of-the-order power hitter someday.
In the meantime, Beane is taking satisfaction in that a miserable season seems to be closing on a good note. The A's, who have been in last place every day since May 3, started turning it on slowly in the second half, and have been on fire for most of September.
They have won 12 out of 15, the best record in the majors in that span. Since June 29, the A's are 40-36.
"It's very encouraging," Beane aid. "I think it says a lot to have a young team in last place playing the way they are. I think it says a lot about the environment and the staff."
Is this really a sign of good things to come? Or simply a mirage? The Reds, you'll recall, won 13 out of 14 a few weeks ago.
Two of the A's rookies who give them hope that this is the start of a franchise turnaround are pitchers Brett Anderson and Andrew Bailey, the latter is among the front-runners for Rookie of the Year. Bailey, an All-Star, has 25 saves and a 1.95 ERA, after pitching only one game above Double-A.
"If you'd told me in spring training that this is what he'd be doing, we'd all tell you we'd be surprised," Beane said. "But once he got in a couple major league games at the beginning of the year, we all realized we had something pretty special. The second half he's been phenomenal."
Anderson is 10-10 with a 4.21 ERA, and he has a 3.72 ERA in the second half.
"He just keeps getting better and better," Beane said. "We think he's got a chance to be one of the better guys in the league."
Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Vin Mazzaro have been a cut below Anderson. Each has shown flashes of potential, mixed with some rough games. Josh Outman and Dallas Braden were the two best starters in the first half, but both got hurt. Outman had Tommy John surgery and will be out until the middle of next season.The A's seem to have enough quantity of arms that they'll likely let the same group roll into next year. The tough issue for Beane is going to be deciding which of the position players that have carried the team in September are going to be here for the long haul.
Shortstop Cliff Pennington, who took over after the Cabrera trade, appears to have won a job for 2010. Suzuki, a potential All-Star, also has his spot locked up next year, as does veteran second baseman Mark Ellis.
The most interesting case is center fielder Rajai Davis. He's 29 years old, having been a fringe big-leaguer for the past two years, but he's hitting .316 with 40 stolen bases. Over the past 25 games he has hit .381. The A's will go into the winter planning on bringing Davis back as the center fielder in 2010.
"He's taken the opportunity and, for lack of a better term, has run with it," Beane said. "He's a major reason we've played so well in the second half."
