A's playing like MLB's best teamBy Joe Morgan
ESPN Insider
Archive Related Video:
Gammons: Oakland in good position for Wild Card run.
• Chat with Joe Morgan: Friday, 11 a.m. ET
In case you hadn't noticed, the Oakland Athletics have the best record in baseball since the All-Star break (11-3).
Going further back, the A's are 38-14 (a winning percentage of .731) since they lost eight straight toward the end of May. Earlier in May, the team had suffered another eight-game losing streak. Oakland went 7-20 in May, including a 4-20 stretch lodged between a May 1 victory and wins on May 30 and 31.
At that time, everyone was saying the A's were done -- except one guy who e-mailed during my weekly ESPN.com chat. He said the A's were still a good team and would recover when they got healthy. That's the only guy I know of who still believed in the A's in May.
At the moment, the A's appear to be the best team in the baseball.
I don't know, maybe that was actually GM Billy Beane who e-mailed -- but whoever it was, give him credit, because now everyone is on the A's bandwagon ... including me!
The St. Louis Cardinals are the most complete team in baseball, but they've been hit by some injuries lately. So, at the moment, the A's appear to be the best team in the game. They've gone from the struggling A's to the amazing A's in two months. Clearly, they're playing better than any other team.
Two months ago, it looked as though Oakland had no chance to catch the first-place Angels. But the A's are proving that their 7-20 May was an aberration. Now they are in second place, only four games behind the Angels, and they lead the wild-card race.
How have the A's bounced back?
It has been a team effort, and let's start with the pitching staff. Rich Harden will be a superstar as long as he stays healthy. He's the anchor of the staff, even with Barry Zito still in the rotation as the last remaining member of Oakland's old Big Three.
After Harden and Zito, the rest of the rotation features Danny Haren, Joe Blanton and Kirk Saarloos. Zito, 27, is the oldest of the group.
This is a good nucleus, though the last three aren't better than Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson (the departed members of the Big Three). The jury is still out on those three young pitchers, but they're pitching well this season.
But the jury isn't out on Harden. He's the same caliber pitcher as the Big Three, and he'll be an ace.
Meanwhile, I've been surprised at how productive the offense has been. Since the All-Star break, the A's have scored more runs than any other team. Offense has been a weakness for Oakland since Miguel Tejada became a free agent and signed with the Baltimore Orioles before last season.
When I look at the A's offense, I don't understand how it's generating all those numbers with the personnel available. The only proven RBI guy is Eric Chavez (17 HRs, 60 RBI), but the A's are scoring runs. It's a perfect example of the whole being better than the parts.
Between the surprising offense and the solid pitching, Oakland has been winning in different ways. The A's can beat you 2-1 or 12-11. They took seven of eight recently from the Texas Rangers by outscoring them, and they took two of three from the Angels by shutting them down (because the Angels' pitchers threw well). The A's are getting good pitching when they need it, and they're scoring runs when they have to.
As Sunday's trade deadline approaches, I don't see the A's making any big deals. But the big-market teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, who might end up battling Oakland for the wild card, could make some big deals that would shift the balance of power in the AL.
If Deal Is Right, Marlins Should Trade Burnett
Even though the Florida Marlins have played well lately and are back in the NL wild-card race, I believe they should trade starter A.J. Burnett if they can get what they're asking for.
If the Marlins can get someone to take Mike Lowell's salary along with Burnett, they ought to make the deal. As far as I'm concerned, people tend to overrate the talent of the Marlins' starters. They have great potential and great stuff, but they've been injured and inconsistent, so they haven't established a track record of success yet.
The question is, will they ever realize their potential? In Burnett's case, he never has won more than 12 games in a season.
Or look at Josh Beckett. He hasn't yet had a 10-win season, but supposedly he's a superstar because he won the clinching game in the 2003 World Series? That's impressive, and it makes him a World Series hero, but he hasn't been a regular-season hero yet. We in the media have a tendency to bestow superstardom on players too quickly.
If I could get value for Burnett and unload Lowell and his salary, I would trade them.
Wondering Why Nevin Stayed in San Diego
I was surprised that Phil Nevin of the San Diego Padres vetoed a trade for the second time in two years. He stopped a trade that would have brought Ken Griffey Jr. to San Diego last year, and now he has turned down a trade to Baltimore for Sidney Ponson.
When a team tells you it doesn't want you, not just once but twice, I would find it difficult to stay. Otherwise, your teammates might start to look at you strangely. But, in his contract, Nevin has the right to veto a trade, so he hasn't done anything wrong.
I just find it hard to believe that he'd want to stay where he isn't wanted -- where they've proved that by trying to trade him at least twice (and likely more times than that).
What Difference Will Garciaparra Make?
Nomar Garciaparra began his minor-league rehab stint Wednesday after an April groin injury required surgery and sent him to the DL. When the shortstop returns, the question for the Chicago Cubs is: Which Garciaparra will they get?
Last year, a different injury sidelined Garciaparra and prevented from being the superstar he was before. The longer you sit out, the harder it is to return to being a superstar again.
It's difficult to sit out as much as he has these past two years and come back after two weeks in the minors and play like a superstar. It will take Garciaparra time to get back into the swing facing major-league pitching. He could have an impact in September, but I don't see him having a big impact in the next month.
Can Garciaparra's return help the Cubs make a run at the wild card? I don't believe he alone can carry the Cubs to the playoffs, but he can be part of the equation that helps them get there. If Garciaparra can come back and play the way he's capable of playing, his offense can help offset the loss of Kerry Wood and the Cubs' other pitching problems.
An analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan won World Series rings with the Reds in 1975 and '76.
ESPN Insider
Archive Related Video:
Gammons: Oakland in good position for Wild Card run.
• Chat with Joe Morgan: Friday, 11 a.m. ET
In case you hadn't noticed, the Oakland Athletics have the best record in baseball since the All-Star break (11-3).
Going further back, the A's are 38-14 (a winning percentage of .731) since they lost eight straight toward the end of May. Earlier in May, the team had suffered another eight-game losing streak. Oakland went 7-20 in May, including a 4-20 stretch lodged between a May 1 victory and wins on May 30 and 31.
At that time, everyone was saying the A's were done -- except one guy who e-mailed during my weekly ESPN.com chat. He said the A's were still a good team and would recover when they got healthy. That's the only guy I know of who still believed in the A's in May.
At the moment, the A's appear to be the best team in the baseball.
I don't know, maybe that was actually GM Billy Beane who e-mailed -- but whoever it was, give him credit, because now everyone is on the A's bandwagon ... including me!
The St. Louis Cardinals are the most complete team in baseball, but they've been hit by some injuries lately. So, at the moment, the A's appear to be the best team in the game. They've gone from the struggling A's to the amazing A's in two months. Clearly, they're playing better than any other team.
Two months ago, it looked as though Oakland had no chance to catch the first-place Angels. But the A's are proving that their 7-20 May was an aberration. Now they are in second place, only four games behind the Angels, and they lead the wild-card race.
How have the A's bounced back?
It has been a team effort, and let's start with the pitching staff. Rich Harden will be a superstar as long as he stays healthy. He's the anchor of the staff, even with Barry Zito still in the rotation as the last remaining member of Oakland's old Big Three.
After Harden and Zito, the rest of the rotation features Danny Haren, Joe Blanton and Kirk Saarloos. Zito, 27, is the oldest of the group.
This is a good nucleus, though the last three aren't better than Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson (the departed members of the Big Three). The jury is still out on those three young pitchers, but they're pitching well this season.
But the jury isn't out on Harden. He's the same caliber pitcher as the Big Three, and he'll be an ace.
Meanwhile, I've been surprised at how productive the offense has been. Since the All-Star break, the A's have scored more runs than any other team. Offense has been a weakness for Oakland since Miguel Tejada became a free agent and signed with the Baltimore Orioles before last season.
When I look at the A's offense, I don't understand how it's generating all those numbers with the personnel available. The only proven RBI guy is Eric Chavez (17 HRs, 60 RBI), but the A's are scoring runs. It's a perfect example of the whole being better than the parts.
Between the surprising offense and the solid pitching, Oakland has been winning in different ways. The A's can beat you 2-1 or 12-11. They took seven of eight recently from the Texas Rangers by outscoring them, and they took two of three from the Angels by shutting them down (because the Angels' pitchers threw well). The A's are getting good pitching when they need it, and they're scoring runs when they have to.
As Sunday's trade deadline approaches, I don't see the A's making any big deals. But the big-market teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, who might end up battling Oakland for the wild card, could make some big deals that would shift the balance of power in the AL.
If Deal Is Right, Marlins Should Trade Burnett
Even though the Florida Marlins have played well lately and are back in the NL wild-card race, I believe they should trade starter A.J. Burnett if they can get what they're asking for.
If the Marlins can get someone to take Mike Lowell's salary along with Burnett, they ought to make the deal. As far as I'm concerned, people tend to overrate the talent of the Marlins' starters. They have great potential and great stuff, but they've been injured and inconsistent, so they haven't established a track record of success yet.
The question is, will they ever realize their potential? In Burnett's case, he never has won more than 12 games in a season.
Or look at Josh Beckett. He hasn't yet had a 10-win season, but supposedly he's a superstar because he won the clinching game in the 2003 World Series? That's impressive, and it makes him a World Series hero, but he hasn't been a regular-season hero yet. We in the media have a tendency to bestow superstardom on players too quickly.
If I could get value for Burnett and unload Lowell and his salary, I would trade them.
Wondering Why Nevin Stayed in San Diego
I was surprised that Phil Nevin of the San Diego Padres vetoed a trade for the second time in two years. He stopped a trade that would have brought Ken Griffey Jr. to San Diego last year, and now he has turned down a trade to Baltimore for Sidney Ponson.
When a team tells you it doesn't want you, not just once but twice, I would find it difficult to stay. Otherwise, your teammates might start to look at you strangely. But, in his contract, Nevin has the right to veto a trade, so he hasn't done anything wrong.
I just find it hard to believe that he'd want to stay where he isn't wanted -- where they've proved that by trying to trade him at least twice (and likely more times than that).
What Difference Will Garciaparra Make?
Nomar Garciaparra began his minor-league rehab stint Wednesday after an April groin injury required surgery and sent him to the DL. When the shortstop returns, the question for the Chicago Cubs is: Which Garciaparra will they get?
Last year, a different injury sidelined Garciaparra and prevented from being the superstar he was before. The longer you sit out, the harder it is to return to being a superstar again.
It's difficult to sit out as much as he has these past two years and come back after two weeks in the minors and play like a superstar. It will take Garciaparra time to get back into the swing facing major-league pitching. He could have an impact in September, but I don't see him having a big impact in the next month.
Can Garciaparra's return help the Cubs make a run at the wild card? I don't believe he alone can carry the Cubs to the playoffs, but he can be part of the equation that helps them get there. If Garciaparra can come back and play the way he's capable of playing, his offense can help offset the loss of Kerry Wood and the Cubs' other pitching problems.
An analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan won World Series rings with the Reds in 1975 and '76.