The Oakland Athletics seem to be returning to their Moneyball roots. They love to send away quality talent in order to find young prospects who could deliver some hope for the team in the near future. And this seems to be one of those ultimate trades.
The A's have fleeced the Washington Nationals of much of their young pitching talent in their farm system. Gio Gonzalez was dealt to the Athletics for four pitchers -- RHP A.J. Cole, RHP Brad Peacock, C Derek Norris and SP Tom Milone. All of these pitchers are under contract through 2015, meaning the A's can develop them into a hopeful starting triumvirate down the line.
This is a solid haul for the Athletics. Although Gonzalez is a solid pitcher, by himself he wasn't really going to put Oakland on the map. Landing all these players could prove to be a more sustainable strategy for Billy Beane and give Oakland a better shot at contending sooner rather than later. And Washington becomes better-suited to contend in the NL East. Everyone appears to win.
If the A's can trade Andrew Bailey for more pitching talent, Oakland could be back on the rebuilding road, but their road back might not be quite as perilous.
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