Has an A's trap sprung in spring?
SAN FRANCISCO - There likely will be many occasions this season when the A's play will earn Fs.
Yet after a split of two regular-season games against Oakland in Japan, the Red Sox, who take on the A's again tomorrow night in the re-opener, understand if you face quality pitchers like Rich Harden or Joe Blanton, the potential is there to be beaten.
You might have checked these games in the win column for the Red Sox when you first laid eyes on the '08 schedule. I must admit, when it was learned Josh Beckett wouldn't be ready to open the season in Tokyo, I uttered, "So what? They're playing the A's."
But the A's had an 18-8 spring training record (the best spring winning percentage in team history), split against the Sox, and have a little zip in their step with the revival of veterans Keith Foulke and Mike Sweeney, the promise of a healthy Bobby Crosby, and maybe if they're lucky, Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez.
In trading Dan Haren to Arizona for prospects, they acquired young lefty Dana Eveland, 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA in spring training and the winner in yesterday's 7-2 triumph over the Giants in the finale of the Bay Bridge Series at AT&T Park. Eveland will be one of Oakland's five starters and looks like he could have some success.
A's assistant general manager David Forst smiled when asked about the organization's proficiency at replacing good major league pitching with good, young major league pitching.
"We've been fortunate in that regard," said the Harvard-educated Forst. "With [Harden], it's a case of after a couple of years of injuries he's healthy now and he's pitching the way he did before the injuries hit him. With Justin [Duchscherer], who did a very good job in the bullpen for us, we felt that in the rotation we'd be able to put him on a more routine situation where we could monitor him better. He's thrown very well for us in spring training."
As for ex-Red Sox Foulke, manager Bob Geren said, "He's given us so far exactly what we thought we'd be getting out of him." Really, though, who knew what they'd get out of Foulke, who mowed the Sox down in Japan and seems to have revived his career after a year off.
Same for Sweeney, who stroked a three-run homer yesterday and made the team as a non-roster invitee following 13 years with the Royals.
Sweeney will give the A's righthanded thump, basically replacing Mike Piazza, who was not brought back as the designated hitter. Sweeney, who finished the spring with a .302 average with two homers, also will see some time at first base.
Beset with injuries, including back issues, the last three seasons, Sweeney pocketed more than $73 million playing for the Royals, who never had a sniff of the playoffs. Sweeney, still only 34, knocked in 144 runs in 2000.
Always a pretty powerful bat and good clubhouse guy, Sweeney hopes to revive his career in Oakland. He said he feels like "the old Mike Sweeney" and not the one who has played in 134 games the last two seasons.
"If I get the at-bats, I know I can still swing the bat," Sweeney said. "I don't feel any of that has diminished or gone away. Hopefully I can achieve my goal here and play in the playoffs, because I've never done that. I'm gonna be the best I can be whether I'm the 25th guy or the guy hitting third or fourth in the lineup."
When general manager Billy Beane and Forst look for these reclamation projects they search for guys who agree to re-launch for a smaller sum. They did it with Frank Thomas three years ago, and the slugger went on to sign a big deal with Toronto. The one player many thought the A's might go after was Barry Bonds, but they didn't want the disruption on what is a very young lineup, and didn't want the attention focused on one player.
"I've poured my heart and soul into this team from Day 1 of spring training, and to actually receive the award of being a part of this team on Opening Day was very gratifying," Sweeney said. "It never stopped me from being who I was, even though there was the chance I might not be around. There are a lot of talented men in this clubhouse, but there's nobody who wants to be the face of the franchise. There's nobody putting themselves above the team."
"There's a still a fire burning inside me," added Sweeney. "I love baseball. I know in the past I put up some pretty big numbers in the big leagues, and the last couple of years I have not. The majority of that is due to injuries. I spent a lot of time this offseason getting into a form of yoga. It really straightened out my back. If my back is healthy, I know I can still be a productive player. I'm hoping and praying my daily routine will keep me healthy. Hopefully I'll get the at-bats I need to keep me productive."
Geren is also crossing his fingers on Crosby, the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year who had a strong spring but who hasn't had a healthy season since '04. There's less optimism on Chavez, who has recovered from double shoulder surgery but just can't lick a back issue. Yet Jack Hananhan, a Tigers castoff who had a .422 on-base percentage for Toledo in 2007, has been impressive as Chavez's replacement.
It is a team that will have its moments. They'll be the A's, and other times they'll be the Fs. But perhaps there will end up being fewer failures than we expected.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.
