He’s been known to sign players like Scott Hatteberg and Jeremy Giambi among others for their ability to wear down pitchers and get on-base. For him, the ultimate offensive statistic is the OBP.

The A’s are not getting positive results, and other teams like the Red Sox have adopted a similar approach to building a team, making it harder for the A’s to get cheap, but productive players. So why doesn’t Beane gives Gregor Blanco and Luis Jimenez a shot to make the team?

You might think that I’ve gone crazy, and yes, I have gone crazy, but in situations like this one, you have to think outside the box. Maybe you guys are not familiar with these two young players, but I’m going to tell you why I think they could work up in Oakland. It would be a low risk investment that would cost the team only a Minor League deal.

First there’s Blanco. A 28-year old center fielder with an incredible talent for wearing down pitchers and a keen eye for drawing walks. In three Major League seasons his career OBP is .358, or .100 points above his career batting average. I believe this numbers can still go up. In 2010 he played 36 games with the Braves where he hit .310/.394/.362. He was then traded to the Royals and in 66 games hit .274/.348/.369. In 237 AB’s in 2010 between the two teams he walked 29 times and struck out 50. Nothing impressive, but I’m sure he can improve.

This winter in Venezuela, Blanco hit .337/.478/.520 with 4 HR’s, 14 2B and 5 3B in 196 AB’s. He also walked 47 times and struck out 46. Impressive numbers that earned him the MVP award in the Venezuelan Winter League this year. In the semi-finals, Blanco kept his torrid offensive output up hitting .347/.484/.714 with 5 HR’s, 1 2B and 1 3B in 49 AB’s. He also has walked 13 times and struck out 11. Now tell me why doesn’t Beane gives him a Minor League deal with a ST invitation to see if he can makes the team? After all the kid fits perfectly in the OBP-driven offensive/cheap player category.

Jimenez is another case study. He has incredible power and is a left handed hitter. The other day, he hit two 450+ ft home runs in the same game in Venezuela. And one of them was well beyond the 500 ft mark. The ball left the stadium, and was apparently the longest hit in the “Estadio Universitario” (Caracas, Venezuela) history. In 10 Minor League seasons Jimenez has a hitting line of .284/.367/.468 with 121 HR’s in 2,876 AB’s. This year in Venezuela, Jimenez hit .300/.417/.486 with 10 home runs in 220 AB’s. He also walked 44 times and struck out 47.

For Beane and the A’s, these two players are not going to be pricey. Just a couple of Minor League deals with invitations to Spring Training. I think they will prove their value to a team that is always looking for bargains.

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Damon, 38, is a career .286/.353/.435 hitter with 231 career home runs and 2,723 career hits. In his 17 year career thus far, he has played for the Royals, Athletics, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Rays.

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Gomes hit .209 last season with 14 home runs in 372 plate appearances for the Reds and Nationals. Gomes could be used as a platoon player as he has a career .311 avg against left handed pitchers.

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Reports had surfaced that Colon had agreed to a deal, but the team was unknown. At the time, the Diamondbacks were interested as well as the Yankees at some point this offseason.

The 2005 AL Cy Young winner went 6-2 with a 2.71 ERA in his first 11 starts last season but faded down the stretch after experiencing knee problems. After the All-Star break, he went 2-6 with a 4.98 ERA.

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According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown team. Colon is not announcing the team that he signed with yet until after the physical.

According to John Heyman of CBSSports.com, the team that has an agreement in place with Colon is not the Diamondbacks or the Yankees. This leaves the A’s as the only other team, besides the “mystery team” that we know Colon has had discussions with.

The 2005 AL Cy Young posted a 4.00 era with the Yankees last season.

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Crisp will earn $6mm in 2012 and $7mm in 2013. The team option has a salary of $7.5mm for 2014 or a $1mm buyout. If Crisp is traded, he gets a one-time bonus of $250K.

Yesterday, Crisp made his decision to sign with the A’s, his agent Steve Comte told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Basically, we just have to let that team know.” At the time, the A’s, Blue Jays and Orioles were rumored to have interest, along with the Cubs.

If he signed with the Cubs, he would re-joined another A’s outfielder, David DeJesus who signed a two-year deal earlier in the offseason.

Crisp hit .264 with 140 hits, 49 stolen bases and an OBP of .314.

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The deal will provide the Red Sox a proven closer which was needed when Papelbon signed with the Phillies. Bailey posted a 3.24 ERA in 41 2/3 innings while saving 24 games for the Athletics. The Sox also have recently acquire  right handed pitcher Kyle Weiland who was acquired from the Astros as a set up man for Bailey.

Reddick who was finally given a chance to play everday, hit .254 in 278 plate appearances while accumulating 7 home runs.

The decision is not official and sources close to the San Jose Mercury News (as reported by Joe Stiglich and Tracy Seipel) say that “nothing has changed. No decision has been made.”

A’s owner Lew Wolff says that he’s “very confident” that the league is close to clearing the way for his team to move to the South Bay.

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The move was done to accommodate the trade that sent Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals for right-handed pitcher A.J. Cole, right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock, left-handed pitcher Tom Milone and catcher Derek Norris.

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Rosenthal says that the team’s financial flexibility isn’t as “significant” as everybody expected, and that’s why they are exploring “more cost-effective moves” like trading for pitchers such as Matt Garza, Gio Gonzalez and Wade Davis.

With Fielder on his way to commanding at least a $150 million contract, and Darvish about $100 million including the posting fee and his contract, the Rangers have cheaper options by trading for any of the above named pitchers.

Garza was 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA in 198 innings with the Cubs in 2011.

Gonzalez went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA in 202.0 innings with the A’s in 2011 and Davis went 11-10 with a 4.45 ERA in 184 innings with the Rays in 2011.

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All of those pitchers are available for trades. Floyd, Danks and Gonzalez would probably cost the Red Sox top prospects, but to land Rodriguez, the team would probably have to eat most of his salary.

Danks went 8-12 with a 4.33 ERA in 170.1 innings and Floyd went 12-13 with a 4.37 ERA in 193.2 innings with the White Sox in 2011. Gonzalez went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA in 202.0 innings with the A’s in 2011. Rodriguez went 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA in 191.0 innings with the Astros in 2011.

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Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was the first to report the likely trade.

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– The Houston Astros have hired Jeff Luhnow as their new general manager. (Brian McTaggart, MLB.com)

– The Pittsburgh Pirates have released Ross Ohlendorf. (Jenifer Langosch, MLB.com)

– John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants are out on Carlos Beltran. Jon Heyman adds that Beltran’s market appears thin.

– Jimmy Rollins’ agent, Dan Lozano, and manager Charlie Manuel are saying that a deal between the Phillies and Rollins will get done.  (Jim Bowden, ESPN XM Radio).

– Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says the Washington Nationals are now targeting Roy Oswalt.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports reports that the Detroit Tigers are considered front runners to land veteran right hander Octavio Dotel. Rosenthal also adds that a NL team is also in the mix.

– The New York Mets are shopping Jonathon Niese according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He adds that the Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in him.

– Mark Buehrle has narrowed his choice to three teams and according to Juan Carlos Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel the Marlins are one of them.

– The Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in Hiroki Kuroda according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds that the right hander may go back to Japan.

– According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Athletics will not move left handed pitcher Gio Gonzlaez during the Winter Meetings.

– The Kansas City Royals are looking for an utility infielder, and according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, they are considering Edgar Renteria and “several others.”

– The Cleveland Indians are interested in first baseman Derek Lee, and according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, they are waiting until after Lee decides if he’ll accept the arbitration offer from the Pirates.

– The Colorado Rockies are interested in trading for Edinson Volquez or signing free agents Hiroki Kuroda or Kevin Millwood according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He adds that the teams has the money to make the next move.

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres are talking about a deal involving Huston Street.

– First baseman Carlos Pena said that he will not accept the Cubs’ arbitration offer according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.

– Sussan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms that the Phillies are indeed interested in Gio Gonzalez, and adds that they are also interested in reliever Craig Breslow.

– According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, Gio Gonzalez’s “known suitors” are the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Reds and Phillies.

– Veteran short stop, Miguel Tejada, is working out in Fort Lauderdale and is hoping to get a Major League deal according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He adds the the Orioles have no interest in signing him.

– According to the New York Post (via Guillermo Celis of ESPNDeportes), the New York Yankees are listening to offers for A.J. Burnett. He adds that the Yankees are willing to eat about $8 million of the $33 million owed to Burnett.

– The Detroit Tigers are apparently trying to make a strong push for left handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the Angels and Brewers are among the teams interested in Aramis Ramirez. He adds that the Phillies are no longer interested in the third baseman.

– Peter Gammons says that the Oakland Athletics are considering Josh Reddick and propects for Andrew Bailey.

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–According to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com, Pujols is down to choosing between the Cardinals and Marlins. The Angels, Cubs and all other mystery teams appear to be out.

– The Phillies are no longer shopping Placido Polanco and they’re “backing off” Aramis Ramirez, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

– A deal for Albert Pujols may be done tonight with the Marlins.  A 10-year, $220 million deal is believed to be on the table and the Cardinals are asked to match it.  (Andy Martino, New York Daily News)

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Cardinals are making Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook available for a trade.

– The New York Mets are closing on a late-inning reliever, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports.

– The Cleveland Indians are willing to trade a reliever in order to get a right handed bat at first base or in the outfield according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.

– The Colorado Rockies continue to shop Huston Street according to Jayson Stark of ESPN. He says that the Rockies are willing to eat the reminder of his contract in exchange of prospects. He also adds that the Padres could be a possibility.

– The San Francisco Giants are attempting to move Jeff Keppinger, Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports. He adds that the team is planning to keep left handed pitcher Jeremy Affeldt

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Kansas City Royals are interested in A’s starters Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, but Olney says that the A’s will ask for Mike Moustakas, Will Myers or Eric Hosmer in any deal.

– The Cincinnati Reds are looking for a number two starter, and according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports, they are “very interested” in Braves’ Jair Jurrjens.

– The St. Louis Cardinals are apparently shopping right handed pitcher Kyle Lohse in order to make room for left handed pitcher Mark Buehrle according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune

– The Mets talked to Jason Isringhausen about a possible return according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds that the Mets will offer “less than the stars and the moon.”

– The Miami Marlins have offered a ten-year deal to free agent Albert Pujols. (Jon Heyman, CBSSports)

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The A’s are “very willing” to trade him this winter. Yesterday, we learned that the Angels were inquiring about him, and last week, we learned that the Reds, Blue Jays, Mariners, Rangers and Red Sox were among the teams interested in him.

Bailey was 0-4 with a 3.24 ERA and 24 saves in 41.2 innings for the A’s in 2011.

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– Five teams (including the Texas Rangers) are in the hunt for C.J. Wilson and one of them has made a six-year offer.  (Jeff Wilson, Star-Telegram)

– The Twins, Nationals, Marlins and Rangers are in on Mark Buehrle. (Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports)

– The Royals, Marlins, Twins, Athletics and Mariners are interested in Carlos Guillen. (Enrique Rojas, ESPNDeportesLosAngeles)

– According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, the Miami Marlins (formerly Florida Marlins), plan to tender Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez).

– The Tigers, Blue Jays and Padres have inquired about Daniel Murphy from the Mets. (Joel Sherman, The New York Post)

– The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking for a starter, and according to Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports, they’re targeting right handed pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

– Josh Willingham have been contacted by nine teams according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. That list includes the Twins, Red Sox, Indians and Reds adds Crasnick.

– Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says that the Philadelphia Phillies are “strong players”for third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

– The Los Angeles Angels have been inquiring about Andrew Bailey according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.

– The St. Louis Cardinals have been talking to Octavio Dotel according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.

– The Pittsburgh Pirates “may add another outfielder” according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports. And according to sources close to him, they are interested in former Pirate Nate McLouth.

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–According to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com, the Nationals have recently talked to the representatives for Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, though the level of their interest is not known.

– The Marlins have offered a six-year, $111 million offer to free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. (Enrique Rojas, ESPNLosAngeles.com)

– Manny Ramirez filed for reinstatement and teams including the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics WILL NOT be interested (our apologies). (Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Buster Olney of ESPN.)

– The Mets have contacted Francisco Rodriguez.  (Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated).

– The Reds have offered a managing position to Double-A Pensacola to Jim Riggleman.  He’s likely to accept.  (Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated)

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Earlier this month, we learned that the Tigers were interested in DeJesus to be their lead off hitter. DeJesus hit .240/.323/.376 with 10 HR’s and 46 RBI’s in 442 AB’s with the A’s in 2011.

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