Since the end of the season, the A's have been linked to free agent DH Jason Giambi, and the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Oakland was preparing to begin talks with Giambi.
Giambi is looking for a three-year deal, the newspaper said, citing sources close to Giambi, and the A's are unlikely to commit to that long a deal, but might consider a two-year contract with an option. However, the former AL MVP might find another AL West suitor with deeper pockets now that Mark Teixeira has left the Angels. Giambi, 38, is from Southern California, and while he's always talked fondly about his days in Oakland, playing in Anaheim also must hold some appeal for him. The question in Anaheim would be whether he could handle first base chores on a regular basis, because Vladimir Guerrero is expected to DH fairly often.
Oakland already has missed out on one free agent target, shortstop Rafael Furcal, and is looking for an extra bat along with a shortstop, so the shopping season could extend well into the new year for the A's.
There is little doubt the team is still looking to upgrade at shortstop despite failing to land Furcal. Incumbent Bobby Crosby was recently placed on waivers, major league sources told several media outlets, and while he cleared, the fact that he was made available at all is telling. Oakland has no other everyday big-league-caliber shortstops on its projected 25-man roster.
Any team could have snagged Crosby in exchange for the waiver price and for taking on his $5.25 million salary for 2009, but there were no takers. Crosby's stock has fallen significantly since the strong second half he put up in his second big-league season, and it appears as if the A's have given up on him altogether.
