I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but I think the A’s (and most of Major League Baseball) missed out on a good deal. But I emphasize the Athletics because they signed Mike Piazza for $8 million for only one season. No matter how well Mike does, he is bolting back to the NL (knowing Brian Sabean’s track record there is a good chance of seeing him in a Giants uniform for the 2008 season) so even in the best case scenario, Piazza is a one-year loaner for $8 million. First of all, Mike Piazza is no Frank Thomas, and in my opinion there was a better bargain out there.

The reasoning for no earlier mention of this is because with the current market you never know how much money a guy is going to make, but now that he has been signed and his value has a number on it I really don’t know why Billy Beane passed on Aubrey Huff. Piazza is eight years older than Huff, $2 million more expensive, but Huff can play first base, left field, right field and third base when Eric Chavez gets hurt (oh, and he will get hurt). Both have similar power numbers, strike out roughly the same number of times, and when they get into a slide its not a little kiddie slide… its one of those monster slides will all kinds of twists and turns. So instead of the A’s, the Orioles picked up what is to me one of the better bargains by signing Aubrey to a 3 year, $20 million contract ($6.66 million per year average).

So I’m not quite sure why the A’s passed on a younger, versatile and more permanent solutions to their problem. Huff would have been a nice hitter in the 5th or 6th slot and their lineup would have a great lineupl as long as either Dan Johnson or Daric Barton stepped up their game to the major league level. So looking back on it all, Piazza is the Roger Dorn to the 2007 Athletics, and I’m not sure if A’s owner Lewis Wolff has watched Major League a few too many times, but he doesn’t actually have to lose to move the team to Freemont (okay so my computer is telling me that the correct spelling is Fremont, but I’m hooked on the phonics baby, and I needed a hit of the good stuff).