The Oakland Athletics kicked off their latest roster makeover Friday by trading pitchers Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Oakland received pitchers Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook and outfielder Collin Cowgill, three prospects who could play significant roles in 2012.

Cahill’s name surfaced Wednesday as a trade possibility. Until then, it was fellow starter Gio Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey who were most heavily rumored to be leaving Oakland. Both remain strong candidates to be dealt, with the Rangers interested in Gonzalez.

“It’s never easy to trade a guy who was a focal point of your team for three years,” A’s assistant general manager David Forst said of Cahill. “But we understand every so often you need to shuffle the deck.”

Cahill broke into the A’s rotation in 2009, a 21-year-old who appeared part of the foundation upon which the team would build. He went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 2010 and was an All-Star. In April, he signed a five-year, $30.5 million contract extension with club options for 2016 and 2017.

That affordable, long-term contract was attractive to the reigning NL West-champion Diamondbacks, who will add Cahill to a rotation that includes Daniel Hudson, Josh Collmenter and Ian Kennedy.

“We think we’ve got four young starters who are as good as anybody in the N.L. West,” Arizona GM Kevin Towers said.

The A’s are looking to stockpile prospects — cost-controllable and with little big league service time — who can develop together as the team hopes to build a new ballpark in San Jose.

Cahill took news of the trade hard. He said he was happy with Oakland and looked forward to being reunited with pitching coach Curt Young, who returned to the A’s after one season with Boston.

“Maybe another piece or two and we would have had that core thing and been good for a long time,” Cahill said. “You kept thinking in the future, and then, all of a sudden, it passed you up, and now you’re on a new team.”

In Parker, 23, the A’s get a right-hander rated as Arizona’s No. 4 prospect by Baseball America. He was their top prospect before missing the entire 2010 season because of elbow surgery.

He went 11-8 with a 3.79 ERA last season for Double-A Mobile.

DALLAS — The Oakland Athletics have a decision to make regarding their outfield.

They’re in rebuilding mode but aren’t convinced that a highly touted, yet unproven, prospect such as Michael Taylor is ready for an everyday job.

So they’re open to signing low-cost free agents, but playing those types of veterans might block Taylor or other prospects from getting a legitimate opportunity.

It’s clear the A’s must acquire some outfield depth because they could lose all three starters from last season to free agency. David DeJesus already is gone, and Josh Willingham and Coco Crisp [stats] could soon be.

How they sort out their final mix of outfielders will be one of their biggest chores come spring training.

“There’s an opportunity for them to prove (themselves),” A’s general manager Billy Beane said of his young outfielders.

Oakland could target outfielders via trade, but as the second day of the winter meetings wrapped up Tuesday, they were not close to completing any deals.

“There’s nothing imminent,” said Beane, who was scheduled to catch a flight out of Dallas on Tuesday night.

The meetings end Thursday.

The A’s have four outfielders on their 40-man roster, and only Ryan Sweeney has more than 28 games of major league experience. Taylor and Jai Miller have combined for 39 games, and Jermaine Mitchell — who might be sidelined at the start of spring training because of knee surgery — has yet to make his big league debut.

As the roster stands, Beane said he envisions Sweeney as his right fielder but is less certain who will play left and center.

Taylor, who will be 26 later this month, is the most puzzling candidate. The A’s raved about his tools upon acquiring him from Toronto in December 2009, but he has hit .272 and averaged 11 homers and 71 RBIs over two seasons with Sacramento, hardly dominant numbers. He made his big league debut in September and hit .200 with one homer in 11 games.

“I think he might be more of a fourth outfielder,” said one scout who has watched Taylor extensively. “I’m not sure they know what they have yet.”

Beane said the A’s won’t rush outfielders Grant Green or Michael Choice, the team’s first-round picks in 2009 and 2010. But manager Bob Melvin spoke highly of Choice and said he thinks it’s possible Choice could taste the majors in 2012.

In trade news, the Boston Red Sox [team stats] and San Diego Padres were among the teams the A’s held discussion with Tuesday regarding closer Andrew Bailey. It’s thought that Boston would part with outfielders Ryan Kalish or Josh Reddick as part of a package for Bailey, but it will likely take higher-profile prospects for the A’s to pull the trigger.

Word is the A’s have talked with Texas and asked for one of the Rangers’ top three prospects — shortstop Jurickson Profar, left-hander Martin Perez or third baseman Mike Olt — whom the Rangers weren’t willing to part with.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 22, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. — With one swing of the bat, Jemile Weeks stopped the constant ribbing he had been taking from teammates.

Weeks’ first career home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning, sparked Oakland’s comeback as the Athletics rallied past the Texas Rangers 4-3 Thursday. He was 3 for 3 with a walk and scored three runs.

Coco Crisp hit a go-ahead single in the eighth to help avoid a series sweep.

“That is awesome to see,” A’s starter Trevor Cahill said. “We’ve been joking with him quite a bit about it and he finally got it. He’s a guy we depend upon to score runs.”

Grant Balfour (5-2) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the win, then Andrew Bailey finished for his 21st save in 23 chances as the A’s snapped Texas’ four-game winning streak and handed the Rangers just their second loss in 10 games.

Pinch-hitter Scott Sizemore hit a tying RBI groundout in the seventh against Darren Oliver. Crisp’s hit came against Mike Adams (1-3) and helped stop a three-game skid.

Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba left in the eighth after experiencing some nausea following a foul tip that hit his mask.

Adrian Beltre hit an RBI double, Nelson Cruz added a sacrifice fly and David Murphy also drove in a run for the Rangers, who couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead.

Colby Lewis went 4-0 in six starts against his former A’s team this year but missed a chance to join Ferguson Jenkins in becoming the only Rangers pitchers to win five games against Oakland in a season. Jenkins had been the lone pitcher in Texas history to beat an opponent five times in one year — against the A’s and Minnesota in 1974.

Lewis struck out the side in order in the fourth and finished with seven Ks and two walks. He allowed three runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Weeks, who also doubled ahead of Crisp in the eighth, showed rare power for a speedy 5-foot-9, 160-pound leadoff man. His drive to right came in his 379th career at-bat.

“If I’m leading the league in home runs then it might as well be me who gives it up,” Lewis said. “His first one.”

Weeks snapped a 90-game homeless streak, the second-longest to start a career in Oakland history behind Mike Bordick’s 132 games without a longball before connecting on May 10, 1992.

“When I hit it, it was like a relief but I wasn’t surprised,” Weeks said. “My game is not to be a home run guy. If I try to hit home runs, it lessens my chances to get on base.”

Oakland avoided falling a season-worst 18 games below .500, which would have been its lowest since finishing the 1997 season 32 games below.

The A’s completed their home schedule a day after manager Bob Melvin received a new three-year contract to be the permanent skipper. Oakland went 43-38 at the Coliseum for its second straight winning season at home. The A’s finish with three games in Anaheim, then three in Seattle.

Crisp crashed his left side hard into the center-field wall trying to make a play on Beltre’s second-inning double. He went down briefly but stayed in the game.

Notes

Sizemore didn’t start as he nurses shoulder tendinitis. … Actor Danny Glover threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … A’s LHP starter Gio Gonzalez received this year’s “Good Guy” award from the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Gonzalez (14-12) starts Friday night against the Angels trying to become Oakland’s first back-to-back 15-game winner since Mark Mulder in 2003-04. Gonzalez is 5-1 with a 3.20 ERA over his last six starts.

Read More: Rich Harden (P – OAK), Josh Willingham (LF – OAK), Bobby Abreu (DH – ANA), Jered Weaver (P – ANA), Jordan Walden (P – ANA), Mark Trumbo (1B – ANA), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, Sep 14, 2011 12:35 PM PDT

Mark Trumbo hit a go-ahead, two-run home run off Rich Harden in the top of the sixth inning, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon at Overstock.com Coliseum in Oakland. Jered Weaver allowed one run in seven innings to pick up his 17th victory of the season. The Halos are now two and a half games behind Texas in the American League West, with the outcome of the Rangers’ game against Cleveland Wednesday night pending.

Josh Willingham hit his second home run of the series, a two-run shot off Weaver in the third inning, to give Oakland a 1-0 lead. Bobby Abreu tied the score with an RBI double off Harden in the top of the sixth, and Trumbo followed with his team-leading 27th home run of the season, giving the Angels a 3-1 lead. The Halos added an insurance run in the eighth inning.

Weaver threw 115 pitches in his seven innings of work, allowing just one run, but he also had just one strikeout against two walks. The 17 wins are a new career high for Weaver. Jordan Walden pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 31st save of the season.

The Angels are off Thursday, but open a three-game series in Baltimore on Friday against the Orioles.

For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The math made it certain Sunday: The Oakland Athletics have missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

The A’s were eliminated from postseason contention with an 8-1 loss to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin said his focus remains on finishing strong and pointing toward next season, and his players agree.

“We’re here playing to get into the playoffs and win a World Series, so it’s a learning experience,” said Eric Sogard, whose ninth-inning homer accounted for his team’s lone run. “Anything we can get from here on out we can take into next year and hopefully get into the playoffs.”

Player evaluation has been the A’s focus for quite a while, and that will continue over the last 16 games. But the A’s also have games left against playoff contenders, and Melvin knows he must strike a balance.

“You want to evaluate talent going forward, but you’ve got to put forth your best lineup and continue to play your veterans,” he said. “Pretty much everybody we play is a contender — the Rangers, Angels and Tigers.”

The A’s managed only five singles in eight innings against C.J. Wilson (16-6). The left-hander struck out 11 and walked one, following up on his first career shutout — an 8-0 win at Tampa Bay last Tuesday.

Adrian Beltre homered twice for Texas to reach 301 for his career. Beltre has seven homers in his last eight games against Oakland and 15 RBIs against the A’s this season.

Josh Outman (3-5) got a spot start for Oakland, replacing Rich Harden, whose turn in the rotation was pushed back to give him extra rest. Outman allowed four runs and eight hits over 4 2-3 innings.

Outman, whose previous three appearances came in relief, was making his ninth start of the season, first since July 2.

The Rangers broke up a scoreless game in the fifth when Craig Gentry led off with his first career triple and Ian Kinsler drove him in with a single.

Kinsler advanced to second on his 23rd straight stolen base, tying his club record, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Josh Hamilton’s sacrifice fly.

Michael Young reached on an infield single and Beltre followed with a two-run homer to left field. Beltre also doubled in the second to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.

“It’s always a good-hitting lineup, especially in this park, no matter what nine they throw out there,” Outman said. “I battled through the first four innings, then in the fifth I was a little leg-weary. I felt like every mistake I made, they capitalized on.”

Beltre led off the seventh against Andrew Carignan with his 23rd homer for his 22nd career multihomer game.

NOTES: The A’s open a three-game home series against the Angels on Monday night with LHP Gio Gonzalez (12-12) getting the start against RHP Joel Pineiro (6-6). … Oakland called up OF Jai Miller from Triple-A Sacramento and had him in the starting lineup. Miller spent the season with Sacramento, batting .276 with 32 homers and 88 RBIs in 110 games. He was acquired by Oakland off waivers in April from Kansas City. … X-rays showed no fracture in Oakland OF Coco Crisp’s lower leg injury. He was out of the lineup for the second consecutive day, and Crisp probably won’t play in the Angels series. … Oakland 1B Brandon Allen is in an 0-for-18 slide and was hitless in three at-bats, all strikeouts against Wilson.