A’s Agree to Terms with Cabrera and

Garciaparra on One-Year Contracts

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A’s Reach One-Year Agreement With Jason Giambi

Five-Time All-Star First Baseman/DH Returns to Oakland, Where He Won 2000 MVP

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A’s Trade RHP Joe Blanton To Philadelphia For Three Players

A’s Acquire 2B Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman, OF Matt Spencer

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A’s today traded right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for second baseman Adrian Cardenas, left-handed pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matt Spencer.
Cardenas was batting .309 in 67 games with Single-A Clearwater and ranks seventh in the Florida State League in batting average.  He was leading the Threshers in batting and triples (6), ranked second in runs (44) and was tied for second in stolen bases (16).  The 20-year old second baseman was named the Phillies’ number two prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season.  Cardenas (pronounced car-DEE-ness) was originally drafted by Philadelphia as a supplemental pick following the first round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Monsignor Pace HS in Florida.  He played for the United States team in the Futures Game in San Francisco in 2007.
Outman was 5-4 with a save and a 3.20 ERA in 33 games, five starts, at Double-A Reading.  He allowed a .257 opponents batting average and just two home runs in 70.1 innings.  The 23-year old left-hander was named the Phillies’ number four prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season.  Outman was originally a 10th round draft pick of Philadelphia in the 2005 draft and has 409 strikeouts in 414.1 minor league innings.
Spencer was hitting .249 with six home runs and 41 RBI in 84 games at Clearwater in his first full professional season.  The 22-year old outfielder was drafted by the Phillies in the third round of the 2007 draft and hit .263 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 51 games with Williamsport in his professional debut last year.
Blanton was 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA in 20 starts for Oakland.  He tied an Oakland record for most losses before the All-Star Break and is tied for the Major League lead in losses.  The 27-year old right-hander also ranked third in the American League in hits allowed (145) and tied for third in runs (74), but he was tied for the league lead in games started and tied for sixth in innings pitched (127.0).  Blanton was originally drafted by the A’s in the first round of the 2002 draft and compiled a 47-46 record with a 4.25 ERA in 122 games, 118 starts, in his Oakland career.

A's Recall Devine From Sacramento; Place Harden on Disabled List
 
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's today recalled right-handed pitcher Joey Devine from Triple-A Sacramento and placed right-handed pitcher Rich Harden on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 3 with a strained right shoulder.
 
Devine has pitched in two games for Sacramento this year and has allowed no runs on one hit and one walk while striking out four in 2.0 innings.  He also went 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in four spring training appearances with the A's this year.  The 24-year old right-hander was acquired from Atlanta earlier this year on January 14 in the Mark Kotsay trade.  He made his Major League debut with the Braves in 2005 after he was selected by Atlanta in the first round (27th selection overall) of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.  Devine has spent parts of each of the previous three seasons in the majors and is 1-1 with a 6.86 ERA in 25 career relief appearances.
 
Harden was 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in two starts for the A's this year and ranks second in the American League with 15 strikeouts.  He was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday in Toronto.  This is Harden's sixth career stint on the disabled list and all have come in the last four years.  He had two stints on the DL in each of the previous two seasons and one in 2005.  Harden is 6-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 18 games, 15 starts, over the last three years and 16-7 with a 2.81 ERA in 40 games, 34 starts, over the last four seasons.
 
This marks the fifth time this year the A's have used the disabled list and Oakland currently has four players on the DL.  Last year, the A's used the disabled list an Oakland record tying 22 times.

[EDITOR'S NOTE:  The house cleaning continues with Billy Beane trading one his supposed "favorites".  This does make sense in the fact that Swisher is 27 years old and Beane is apparently instituting a rule that no one over 24 can play for the team this year. - Blez]

Swisher to the Chicago White Sox

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[UPDATE by baseballgirl]

Danny Haren has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

For those that were looking for complete details....

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On-Line Balloting Begins Tomorrow and Continues Through November

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A’s Name Tony DeFrancesco Third Base Coach

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A few items to report...

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A’s Name Don Wakamatsu Bench Coach

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