If you like Sabermetric Articles, here's one at Beyond the Box Score about Yoenis Cespedes. My mom always said that if you can't say anything nice...

Ron Washington thinks the A's have an infinite supply of pitching phenoms to which I respond: Jesse Chavez and Tom Milone. Backed up by Arnold Leon and Drew Pomeranz. I don't think Ron has a Baseball America subscription.

Ryan Cook and Craig Gentry: still presumably not going to be ready for Opening Day. And yes, I do read "50-50" as "not going to be ready."

Fortunately, at that last link there's always a note that Bob Melvin isn't stretching out Joe Savery to start but to be a long reliever. I whined about this in my last post.

The A's filled the 40-man roster spot created by Jarrod Parker's absence by claiming Kent Matthes from the Rockies. Here's Chris Kusiolek's take. Matthes has already been optioned because there's no way he's pushing past Michael Taylor, let alone Sam Fuld, let alone Craig Gentry, for a reserve role. Research project: do the Rockies draft more southerners than most northern teams?

Here's Alex Hall's take on Matthes, including a note that he's had a lot of injury issues.

Based on Slusser's second-to-last paragraph here, I'm getting mighty excited about what the A's might get for Michael Taylor. It's a bidding war! I think they should get the Nationals' Michael Taylor.

Drew Pomeranz ditches the windup and becomes an All-Star pitcher.¹ Doug Thorburn pops a bottle.

Jane Lee mailbag!

Jake Elmore plays a lot of defensive positions.