SFGate

Haren, Chavez could be trade bait

It's been a while, but the A's are finally back to .500 and beat writer Susan Slusser is back with a podcast that may cause A's fans to gasp.

With the team out of contention this year, Susan tells Sports Editor Glenn Schwarz that she expects wholesale changes in the off-season with the A's already in "full rebuild mode.'' She explains why she wouldn't be too surprised if the A's traded longtime third baseman Eric Chavez and ace starting pitcher Danny Haren if the right deal came along.

She also says the deals could start within the next week if contending teams feel the need for players like DH Mike Piazza or starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who just came off the DL.

Also, Susan says streaky DH Jack Cust could be better than scouts think and she talks about the A's plans for highly touted minor league first baseman Daric Barton.

Posted By: The Sporting Green (Email) | Aug 23 at 07:28 AM

Looking forward

Esteban Loaiza is stellar in his return from the disabled list and the A's claw their way back to .500. What is the best that can be expected for the last 34 games of the season?

Posted By: The Sporting Green (Email) | Aug 23 at 04:57 AM