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Latest MLB Player News-Athletics

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 Willy Taveras-OF- Athletics Feb. 9 - 1:14 pm et

Athletics released OF Willy Taveras.
And the $4 million that comes along with it. Nobody figured to take a bite on Taveras after he was designated by Oakland last week. He can now latch on with another club at the league minimum. Taveras, who turned 28 in December, batted just .240/.275/.285 in 404 at-bats last season. With his speed and solid defense, he could be a decent fourth or fifth outfielder on most teams at a minimal cost.
 Nomar Garciaparra-DH- Athletics Feb. 4 - 6:21 pm et

Nomar Garciaparra told WEEI.com on Thursday that he is not ready to retire.
This contradicts a Wednesday report from the San Francisco Chronicle that stated Nomar is "widely expected" to call it quits. The 36-year-old free agent has drawn little interest on the open market this winter, but he informed WEEI's Lou Merloni that he "feels better now that has in quite some time." Garciaparra had a .281/.314/.388 batting line in 160 at-bats for the A's last year and will be lucky to find anything greater than a minor league contract.
Source: WEEI.com
 Brett Tomko-R- Athletics Feb. 3 - 6:14 pm et

Brett Tomko is working towards a April 1 start date after being shut down with nerve damage in mid-September.
It's been a long road back from Tomko, as he only recently resumed throwing. The 36-year-old strained a muscle that pinched a nerve in his upper right arm, atrophying his biceps. The biceps and nerve are back to normal, but the lower part of his arm is still susceptible to "electric shocks" and may experience numbness for up to a year. He had a poor stint in the beginning of the year with the Yankees out of the bullpen, but posted a 2.95 ERA and 22/6 K/BB over six starts for the A's before being shut down. He mentioned Oakland and San Francisco as preferred destinations.
Related: Giants
 Nomar Garciaparra-DH- Athletics Feb. 3 - 6:09 pm et

Nomar Garciaparra is "widely expected" to retire, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
If true, Garciaparra completed his major league career with a .281/.314/.388 line in 160 at-bats as a backup for the Athletics and made his long-awaited return to Fenway. The 36-year-old spent two years with the Cubs, three with the Dodgers and of course, nine years with the Red Sox where he was the face of the franchise and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997. He would finish his career with a .313/.361/.521 line over 5,596 at-bats in a bright career derailed by injury.
 Gregorio Petit-2B- Athletics Feb. 1 - 6:03 pm et

Athletics designated infielder Gregorio Petit for assignment.
Petit hit just .226/.226/.258 in 31 at-bats with the A's last season and .244/.292/.336 in 357 plate appearances at Triple-A Sacramento. But he's only 25 and another organization will probably take a chance on him.
 Gabe Gross-OF- Athletics Feb. 1 - 2:34 pm et

Athletics signed OF Gabe Gross to a one-year, $750,000 contract.
He could make up to $1 million with plate appearance incentives. Gross, 30, batted .227/.326/.355 with six home runs and 36 RBI in 282 at-bats with the Rays last season. He will likely be the club's fourth outfielder.
 Adam Rosales-3B- Athletics Feb. 1 - 2:13 pm et

Athletics acquired infielder Adam Rosales and outfielder Willy Taveras from the Reds for second baseman Aaron Miles and a player to be named later.
Rosales, 26, projects as a solid bench player -- at best. He batted .213 with four homers in 87 games during his rookie season, squandering his first extended trial in the majors. The A's, evidently, wanted a utility player who could play shortstop and the club felt that Rosales was a better fit than the jettisoned Miles.
 Willy Taveras-OF- Athletics Feb. 1 - 2:04 pm et

Athletics acquired outfielder Willy Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales from the Reds for second baseman Aaron Miles and a player to be named later.
The A's, not interested in paying his $4 million salary in 2010, immediately designated Taveras for assignment. Billy Beane may be working on a trade, or Oakland could just eat the money and release him outright. Taveras batted just .240/.275/.285 in 404 at-bats last season, but he is fast and plays good defense, and would be a fine fourth or fifth outfielder for a different team. The problem in Oakland is the team already has five major league-caliber outfielders, plus designated hitter Jack Cust.
 Steven Tolleson-2B- Athletics Feb. 1 - 1:53 pm et

A's claimed INF Steven Tolleson off waivers from the Twins.
Tolleson, a five-year veteran of Minnesota's farm system, is a career .276/.368/.400 hitter in 500 minor league games. Primarily a second baseman, the 2005 fifth-round pick worked his way up to Triple-A Rochester last season, batting .270/.338/.375 in 394 plate appearances. He doesn't have much chance of making the A's big league club out of spring training, but provides infield depth from the minors.
 Willy Taveras-OF- Athletics Feb. 1 - 1:48 pm et

The A's have designated recently-acquired outfielder Willy Taveras for assignment, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee.
Interesting play. The A's jettison Taveras immediately after trading for him, no doubt hoping that another team will take his $4 million salary in 2010 off their hands via the waiver process. Don't expect that to happen, but a corresponding trade could be in the works. Taveras batted just .240/.275/.285 in 404 at-bats last season, but he is fast and plays good defense.
Related: Athletics
 Willy Taveras-OF- Athletics Feb. 1 - 1:41 pm et

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's are not expected to hold onto recently-acquired Willy Taveras for long.
This jives with MLB.com reporter Jane Lee's assertion that Billy Beane is not done making moves on Monday. The A's picked up Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales from the Reds for second baseman Aaron Miles and a player to be named later earlier in the day. The deal was curious in that it further jammed an already crowded Oakland outfield, but a follow-up transaction involving Taveras would solve that. Stay tuned.
Related: Athletics
 Willy Taveras-OF- Athletics Feb. 1 - 12:23 pm et

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the Reds have traded outfielder Willy Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales to the Athletics for second baseman Aaron Miles and a player to be named later.
Billy Beane adds another fine defensive outfielder to his collection, but we're not sure how they'll all fit. The Reds really soured on Taveras after he batted just .240/.275/.285 in 404 at-bats last season. Miles was acquired from the Cubs along with Jake Fox in December. He'll continue to be worthless on Cincinnati's bench, if he makes the club at all.
 Gabe Gross-OF- Athletics Feb. 1 - 8:43 am et

According to Jane Lee of MLB.com, the Athletics have signed OF Gabe Gross to a one-year, $750,000 contract.
He could make up to $1 million with plate appearance incentives. Gross, 30, batted .227/.326/.355 with six home runs and 36 RBI in 282 at-bats with the Rays last season. He figures to be the club's fourth outfielder, leaving former first-round compensation pick Travis Buck possibly on the cutting block. The Athletics will need to make a corresponding roster move in order to make room for Gross.
Source: MLB.com
Related: Athletics
 Gabe Gross-OF- Athletics Jan. 30 - 9:12 pm et

The A's and Gabe Gross are discussing a one-year deal, according to the FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.
Poor Travis Buck just can't catch a break. He already might have faced an uphill battle to make the team. If Gross comes on board, that'd leave just two bench spots open, with Eric Chavez destined for one if he shows up healthy. The other would go to Jake Fox, Eric Patterson or Aaron Miles.
 Michael Wuertz-R- Athletics Jan. 29 - 8:13 pm et

Athletics signed RHP Michael Wuertz to a two-year, $5.25 million contract with a $3.5 million club option for 2012.
He'll make $2.2 million this season and $2.8 million in 2011. The Athletics can buy out the club option for $250,000. Wuertz, 30, was arguably the best set-up man in the majors in '09, posting a 2.63 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 102/23 K/BB ratio in 78 2/3 innings. It's a well-deserved boost from the $1.1 million he made last season.
 Michael Wuertz-R- Athletics Jan. 29 - 6:58 pm et

Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Athletics have signed right-hander Michael Wuertz to a two-year extension with a club option for 2012.
Hey there, big spender. Terms aren't yet available, but Wuertz asked for $2.9 million and was offered $1.9 million when arbitration figures were exchanged last week, so they likely compromised somewhere in the middle. Wuertz, 30, amassed a 2.63 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 102/23 K/BB ratio in 78 2/3 innings last season. Only Joakim Soria, Rafael Soriano and Jonathan Broxton topped his 11.67 K/9 among relievers.
 Ben Sheets-S- Athletics Jan. 26 - 4:05 pm et

Athletics signed RHP Ben Sheets to a one-year, $10 million contract.
Incredibly, he could earn up to $12 million with incentives, quite a nice haul for someone who didn't throw a pitch in the major leagues last season after elbow surgery. Of course, if everything breaks right for Billy Beane, the Athletics won't be responsible for all of the cash, since he'll most likely swap Sheets to a contender in July. The 31-year-old right-hander is 86-83 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over eight major league seasons -- all with the Brewers -- and is one of the game's best when healthy. The problem is that those days have been few and far between. For now, he's part of an exciting staff that includes Justin Duchscherer, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, among others.
 Ben Sheets-S- Athletics Jan. 26 - 1:36 pm et

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Ben Sheets will receive $10 million plus performance bonuses from the Athletics.
If the Mets had guaranteed him $10 million, everyone would call them desperate, but Billy Beane does it and he keeps his genius hat. It's the way of the world. Sheets, a former first-round pick of the Brewers in 1999, will wear another team's uniform for the first time in his major league career this season. He's scheduled to be introduced at a press conference this afternoon.
Related: Athletics
 Ben Sheets-S- Athletics Jan. 26 - 1:07 pm et

Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com reports that the Athletics will introduce right-hander Ben Sheets at a 1 p.m. PT press conference on Tuesday.
There are conflicting reports whether the deal is worth $8 million or $10 million, but either way it's a tremendous opportunity for both sides. Sheets will find the Oakland Coliseum quite cozy, while general manager Billy Beane will get a chance to swap him to a contender in exchange for prospects at the trade deadline. It doesn't come without considerable risk given his injury history, but it's a risk Oakland can afford.
Related: Athletics
 Ben Sheets-S- Athletics Jan. 26 - 12:55 pm et

According to CBSSports.com, the A's have agreed to terms with right-hander Ben Sheets on a one-year contract worth around $8 million.
CBS' Danny Knobler hears that Sheets has already passed his physical and a deal will be announced Tuesday afternoon. The 31-year-old righty missed all of 2009 due to elbow surgery but he was impressive in a throwing session last week and carries a 3.72 career ERA. He'll surely enjoy reestablishing his value in the spacious confines of Oakland's home ballpark.
Related: Athletics
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