Category: A’s
Farewell To Eric Chavez
Eric Chavez, a six-time Gold Glove winning third baseman announced his retirement Wednesday in the same way he spent the bulk of his career – with very little limelight and a bit under the radar.
Chavez won six straight Gold Glove Awards while excelling defensively for the Oakland A’s, where he played for 13 seasons. Chavez then went to New York as a role player for two seasons and finished up his 17-year career with the Diamondbacks.
While Chavez was most known for his glove, he old had nine 20 or more home run seasons before he turned 30 and was on pace for a really good MLB career before injuries derailed his later years.
The 36-year old played in 100 or more games once just past eight seasons after having done so for eight straight years.
Chavez’s retirement likely flew under the radar and was missed by plenty, but all baseball players, reports and fans fall in love with the sport at some time grow up watching either a team or a few favorite players.
For me, Chavez was one of those players.
My mom used to take my brother and I to Oakland A’s games in the late 90s and early 2000s (Chavez debuted late in the 1998 season) and those fun, youthful “Moneyball” teams were my introduction to the sport.
While Tim Hudson, Jason Giambi and perhaps a few others from those teams are still playing, every time someone for that era retires it is a little reminder that those teams from your childhood don’t always last and not every player that you admire will have a long, accolade-filled career.
Chavez had a really good career. Sure, he would have loved to be healthier toward the end, but a 17-year career with a .268 batting average and six Gold Gloves is certainly nothing to scoff at.
As excited as I am about the new wave of stars entering the sport, it’s a bit strange every time a player I grew up watching fades off into the sunset.
2014 Trade Deadline Recap
Roughly a month ago the A’s and Cubs jumpstarted the trade season with a blockbuster deal that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A’s. About a week ago, the Red Sox traded Jake Peavy to the Giants.
The wheels were rolling and could tell it was going to be an exciting trade season, but nothing could have prepared everyone for all the excitement the July 31st deadline provided.
Here’s a quick recap on the days action:
The Athletics acquired Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash from the Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes. Then, the A’s traded Tommy Milone to the Twins in exchange for Sam Fuld.
The Cardinals acquired John Lackey from the Red Sox for Joey Kelly and Allen Craig.
The Brewers traded a pair of minor leaguers (outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Banda) to the Diamondbacks for Gerardo Parra.
The Padres continued selling and traded Chris Denorfia to the Mariners for Abraham Almonte and minor league pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen.
A day after trading Justin Masterson to the Cardinals, the Indians traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals for Zach Walters.
The Red Sox traded Andrew Miller to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez.
Boston was very active at the deadline and concluded its day after trading Stephen Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson.
In addition to Drew, the Yankees acquired Martin Prado. In order to get Prado, the Yankees sent Peter O’Brien and either cash or a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks.
The Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell and cash from the Cubs in exchange for minor league catcher Victor Caratini.
The Marlins sent outfielder Jake Marisnick to the Astros in return for Jarred Cosart and Kike Hernandez.
In perhaps the biggest blockbuster trade of the day, the Tigers acquired David Price, the Mariners picked up Austin Jackson and the Rays received Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin.
Today’s Trade Deadline was one of the most exciting in recent memory as there was not only a plethora of moves, but moves with very significant pieces.
At first glance, the Red Sox, A’s, Cardinals and Tigers appear to be the “Trade Deadline winners.” However, a lot will be determined by how teams fare in October.
When all is said and done and one team is hoisting the World Series Trophy in October, today will be a fun one to look back at.
Side note:
It is not a total shock, but it is a bit surprising that the Dodgers didn’t trade Matt Kemp or any of their outfielders.
Quick Roster Breakdown of the A’s And Angels
With the Trade Deadline looming and a lot of talk about roster construction, I though it’d be interesting to take a look at the rosters of the top two teams in baseball – the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Using info obtained from baseballreference.com I looked at the current 25-man rosters of each team and put the numbers – in a variety of categories – side by side.
| Category | A’s | Angels |
| Average Age | 28.96 | 28.88 |
| Players 30+ | 9 | 11 |
| Players Acquired Via… | ||
| Trade | 12 | 9 |
| Free Agency | 6 | 6 |
| Draft | 2 | 10 |
| Waivers | 3 | 0 |
| Purchased | 1 (Jesse Chavez) | 0 |
| Conditional Deal | 1 (Stephen Vogt) | 0 |
| Making $3 million + | 7 | 10 |
| Highest Paid | Yoenis Cespedes ($10 Million) | Albert Pujols ($23 Million) |
| Average Experience | 5.96 | 6.48 |
| Average Attendance | 24626 | 38121 |
What do all these numbers mean? I guess we will find out at the end of the season when one team has won the American League West and the other is likely playing in a Wild Card game.
While this data may not necessarily mean all that much I thought it was interesting to look at and a few things jumped out at me:
- I was not surprised that the Angels had more players over 30 than the A’s, but I was surprised to find the Angels average age slightly below Oakland’s.
- It was also surprising to see how much of the A’s roster is the result of trades. Of course a lot of these trades take place in the lower levels when Billy Beane is wheeling and dealing prospects, but nearly half the roster has been acquired via trade which I found interesting.
- Everyone knows the A’s don’t have a big payroll and the Angels certainly haven’t been shy about throwing money around to coveted free agents. Albert Pujols is the Angels highest paid player, but CJ Wilson ($16 million), Jered Weaver ($16 million) and Josh Hamilton ($17 million) are all making more than the A’s highest paid player – Yoenis Cespedes.
Boor on Baseball 