Cahill's contract status:

2012 - $3,500,000
2013 - $5,500,000
2014 - $7,700,000
2015 - $12,000,000
2016 - *$13,000,000 - $13M Team Option, $300k Buyout
2017 - *$13,500,000 - $13.5M Team Option, $500k Buyout

Billy better get a killing.

I'm assuming the D'Backs are acquiring him to flip him to the Angels in a much less lucrative deal.

I want Bauer he looks a lot like Lincecum. Does Arizona have a close to MLB prospect that can play CF?

Bauer can't be a PTBNL until January 25th, and Parker/Cowgill doesn't seem like a great return.

Does Arizona have a close to MLB prospect that can play CF?

That's Cowgill.

Then again, his name is Collin Cowgill. How the hell can you be any good when you're named "Collin Cowgill"??

I want Bauer he looks a lot like Lincecum. Does Arizona have a close to MLB prospect that can play CF?,

AJ Pollock, although I think he's kinda "meh." Sickels gives him a "B-" grade and he should start in AAA this year.

Cowgill can play CF, although I think he's a bit stretched there full time.

Hey Billy:

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Hahahaha @ Shooty. Nice. With the Gio, now apparent Cahill trade, what's Billy up to here?

Yeah, I'm glad I'm not an A's fan. This over-rebuilding crap is ridiculous.

Endless, endless churning. I love the shirt, but they are so very boring right now. Better than the Mariners is a battle cry that can only keep you warm so long. I'm feeling like R.J. MacReady about now.

Wait, no Parker, no Bauer, No Bradley, No Skaggs - what the hell? Why would he make that deal without getting a single one of the D-Backs top 4 prospects? For 6 years of cost controlled Trevor Cahill?

Maybe there's a third team involved.

I like Billy Beane - loved Moneyball. But, man, that book is aging in dog years. I have no idea what the man is doing these days other than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Haren trade, repeated. The A's did plenty well in the first trade, am sure they'll do fine here too. I really don't understand why the Dbacks feel they have to make a trade. It's certain that one of their top 4 pitching prospects is in play; I don't think that Bauer or Bradley can or will be traded yet, and the Dbacks love Skaggs. So that means Parker is the most likely centerpiece, and the tweets from Ken Rosenthal and Nick Piecoro are aligned with this, regardless of what Nightingale says. As a Dbacks fan, I have really mixed feelings about this, as honestly Parker in 2 years can, and likely will be, as good as Cahill is now. And I don't see why Parker can't step up and give the Dbacks excellent production at the back of the rotation next year. Oh well... [Edit... at least I like Cahill better than Gio...]

Yeah, I'm glad I'm not an A's fan. This over-rebuilding crap is ridiculous.

It was probably too soon to raise the issue yesterday -- I don't think there is such a thing as an A's hijack -- but I found myself wondering what the A's would do now. It seems like they have a good core of talent (well, arms at least) and a couple smart additions could get them poised to compete in 2013-14 ... but after the day the Angels had, on top of them locking up Weaver, and with the Rangers ascendant, what would you do if you were Beane?

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Sorry--just had to see what that looked like in boldface. Carry on...

There are two wild cards now. You compete.

Isn't Cahill a FIPS mirage? He'll get pummeled in Arizona.

I think you're better off looking at Pitch/FX for Cahill than his stat line if you want to get a notion at his upside. He's got fantastic movement on his pitches and when he commands them he can be dominant. Also, he scrapped the knuckle-curve he used in the minors to rack up Ks, and developed a regular curveball at the major league level which he was using this year. He's got a great feel for getting movement on pitches and I am confident he will see a rise in strikeouts over the next several years. That coupled with increased command on his sinker could make him formidable. He's still very young and he's going to improve. As an A's fan, I hate losing him.

He got brought up too early and has had to develop at the major league level. He's smart and he's adapted, but he's by no means done in his development.

Wait, so what is the deal exactly?

It can't honestly be just Cowgill+Breslow for Cahill. That'd be a horrible, horrible laughable deal for Oakland. I'm not sure Parker+Brewlow+Cowgill is a good deal for Oakland either, but at least it isn't laughable.

But he has pretty much league average or below K rates in the majors, and must have lost his command a lot last year to have some of the games he had. The Diamondbacks are giving up an awful lot for what seems to be a younger version of Joe Saunders.

I thought Cahill looked lost at times this past year. I have doubts about him. I would much rather see the A's trade him than Gio, if the returns were comparable.

Better than the Mariners is a battle cry that can only keep you warm so long.

Well, soon we will also be able to battle cry that we are better than the Astros.

It looks like it's going to be Parker, Cowgill, and another prospect (Borchering?) for Cahill and Breslow. That's definitely not Haren territory, though Cahill's not as good as Haren was.

Haren trade, repeated. The A's did plenty well in the first trade, am sure they'll do fine here too.

The funny thing is how much worse that could have been for Arizona. Brett Anderson looked fantastic before he started getting hurt, and it seems like Chris Carter and Aaron Cunningham are busts. If those three guys had reached the upside that at one point seemed very plausible for each of them... disaster.

It can't honestly be just Cowgill+Breslow for Cahill. That'd be a horrible, horrible laughable deal for Oakland.

Especially when Oakland already has Breslow.

So Parker missed his age 21 season with an injury and then pitched 130 innings in AA at 22? Cahill had similar numbers FIP wise as a 22 year old in the big leagues with no injury past and an ERA under 3...

I'd hope they get more than a C+ (from Sickles) OF especially if they add in Breslow.

Cowgill can play CF, although I think he's a bit stretched there full time.

I haven't even heard his name before. So he's a corner OF then? AG#1F, what type of hitter is he?

Especially when Oakland already has Breslow.

Trading for players you already have is the new market inefficiency!

RHRP Ryan Cook is the third player going to the A's. Parker, Cowgill and Cook for Cahill and Breslow.

Now that I've read the scouting reports on Cowgill... meh. Sounds like Cody Ross with some speed.

That's a terrible deal for Oakland and I think Cahill is overrated.

Sickels says Cowgill is more a 4th OF and I tend to agree. He's been a stat darling though.

After looking at the A's new players...
Parker looks like a decent prospect. Just 22, had TJ surgery in 2010. Minors #s look OK, but don't blow me away or anything.
Cowgill is 25 years old, 5'9" and 185#. Some speed, I guess... can't believe there's a real high up-side, there.
Cook is 24. Converted to reliever last season, to pretty good effect.

It's at least possible those guys together could be worth > 4 WAR next season, but ain't nobody here The Final Piece.

Cowgill with a zMLE of .277/.334/.410 last year, which is much better than anyone else on Oakland's depth chart (Swingles, represent). No upside, though.

I think this is a decent deal if you think Cahill is a league average SP and a bad deal if you think he's much better than that. I think they should have held out for another decent prospect given that they have no urgency to make a trade.

Sickels says Cowgill is more a 4th OF and I tend to agree. He's been a stat darling though.

Not really. Guys who had a higher OPS than Cowgill in Reno last year with more than 100 at bats: Andy Tracy (the old one), Brandon Allen, Ryan Langerhans, Cody Ransom, Sean Burroughs and Wily Mo Pena. And before last year's season on the moon, his numbers were quite tame.

And Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic is tweeting the Diamondbacks will also get cash. Jeezum crow.

Cahill has 583 MLB innings, with pretty clearly defined GB, K, Walk, HR/FB rates...etc. The variable has been LD rate and BABIP.

So I don't know if there is so much more upside just because he is 23, going to his age 24 season.

Since 1996, Right Handers with minimum 550 IP through age 23, K/9 Less than 7. (to get King Felix and Cain off the list...different types of pitchers)




Hopefully #19 is right. But even if he isn't, Cahill should do ok...provided the Az infield defense doesn't suck. Of course the AZ infield defense not sucking means John McDonald getting over 300 PA's.......

The A's better make more trades for some HITTERS... These low scoring teams with good SP, mediocre defenses and crappy lineups are booorrring.

I guess the OF is Allen LF, Grant Green / Cowgill / Choice CF, and Michael Taylor RF? Meh...

They really need some hitters at SS, 3B and C. I think trading Suzuki makes more sense if they can get anything since he will be absolutely done in 3 or 4 years when they really need a good C.

Haren trade, repeated.

Thats an overstatement. Bottom line is they traded the high ceiling but lower certainty guy for the lower ceiling, higher certainty guy.

Parker could potentially turn into a monster of course, and make KT look really bad here. But thats no lock, and it's not like he signed Russ Ortiz or something. Cahill is pretty solid.

I think the bigger issue is what we discussed over e mail:

ROSTER CONSTRUCTION.

The only surefire above league avg bat for his position that they have locked up past 2012 is Justin Upton. They needed a upgrade offensively, especially in the infield. Instead they have to rely on Ryan Roberts not running out of pixie dust, and Paul Goldschmidt trying to figure out how to get his K rate under 25%. Drew is gone either way after 2012, whether he comes back from injury or not. Aaron Hill ? Who knows.... Montero is a FA after 2012 unless they extend him. Chris Young is up and down and more or less a league avg hitter at his best. Parra is a great defensive left fielder and the perfect 4th outfielder....but does not and probably will never have enough pop to carry a corner OF position.

There are no higly ranked position prospects coming up in the system. None. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Yet we are trading one of the better pitching prospects in the game for more pitching when we have 3 more where that came from. Why not flip Parker for a Bat ?

Cahill is fine....good pitcher, good value, good contract. No guarantees Parker will achieve his potential. But they really needed more certainty in the lineup.

Ryan Sweeney is probably starting somewhere, but yeah, meh.

Is it our turn to tell everyone on BTF we're done with this team?

Luckily, the team has been so boring for all of Cahill's career that I never had reason to start giving a #### about him. Jarrod Parker, okay. Sure. Same old, same old.

Then again, his name is Collin Cowgill. How the hell can you be any good when you're named "Collin Cowgill"??

I'm gonna have to go ask Tristram E. Speaker, Tyrus Raymond Cobb, and Napoleon Lajoie.
EDIT: forgot another good one - Carlton Ernest Fisk.

In other D-Backs news, Joe Saunders is on the trading block, and Lyle Overbay signed for a million bucks, so it looks like shoewizard's offensive concerns are about to be a thing of the past!

Is it our turn to tell everyone on BTF we're done with this team?

When I go to a San Rafael Pacifics game next year, at least I'll know the home team's management will actually be trying to win games.

Thats an overstatement. Bottom line is they traded the high ceiling but lower certainty guy for the lower ceiling, higher certainty guy.

Well, in all fairness, when I posted here earlier, I was expecting the dbacks would send 5 or 6 players to Arizona, including guys like Miley and Borchering. In the end, they gave up fewer players than I anticipated, which either should make me think that KT knows what he's doing or should make me fear that Cahill's arm is about to fall off.

I don't know, I am torn here. I think Parker in 2013 and beyond will be as good as Cahill and potentially better. The guy is still coming back from TJ surgery, can dial it up to 98 mph on the four-seamer, has really picked up a two-seamer and getting tons of groundball outs on it, and his offspeed pitches are there. He can be a star.

The thing is, the Dbacks couldn't really count on him in 2012, so they went for the established major leaguer who's cost controlled for at least four, and maybe six years. They also get a second lefty in the pen who's better than Zagurski or Zavada or Zigzagga or whatever other left handed Zebras they have in the minor leagues now.

I think Cowgill can be a good centerfielder, and hit enough to be valuable there. The Dbacks won't use him there, and they have AJ Pollock coming up, and Gillespie will be a perfectly cromulent fourth outfielder this year. The A's are gambling that if/when they have a new stadium Parker will be what Cahill is today, or better. Seems fair.

I'm gonna have to go ask Tristram E. Speaker, Tyrus Raymond Cobb, and Napoleon Lajoie.
EDIT: forgot another good one - Carlton Ernest Fisk.

Only "Tristram E. Speaker" is as bad as "Collin Cowgill". That means he has a mere 25% chance.

In other D-Backs news, Joe Saunders is on the trading block, and Lyle Overbay signed for a million bucks, so it looks like shoewizard's offensive concerns are about to be a thing of the past!

Well, Saunders was the worst hitting pitcher on the Dbacks staff last year, so this helps! Overbay is a fine addition, a left handed backup 1st baseman. Nothing to complain about. The Dbacks are also saving money between what Saunders would've gotten in arbitration (~8m) and what Cahill (3.5m) and Breslow (~2.5m) will make next year. Hopefully they use it to lock up Miggy to a long term deal, and then call it an offseason.

Hello, Cowgill in the dust.

I think this trade sucks, but then, what does it matter? The A's aren't doing anything for the next five years anyway.

I'm gonna have to go ask Tristram E. Speaker, Tyrus Raymond Cobb, and Napoleon Lajoie.
EDIT: forgot another good one - Carlton Ernest Fisk.

Denton True Young has always been my favorite along those lines.

I think Cowgill can be a good centerfielder, and hit enough to be valuable there.

Cowgill up?