The answer to that question should be pretty self-explanatory: the guy’s a damn good player. Matt Holliday’s an All-Star, an MVP candidate. He’s going to help any lineup in which he’s hitting. He’s going to play good defense in left field and even steal you a good amount of bases. And for his extraordinary skills, he’s going to be paid a boatload of money after the season when he becomes a free agent. So if that’s the case, then why the heck would the Oakland A’s want a piece of him? I think there are three reasons why the A’s feel it was worth their while to trade for Matt Holliday.
First of all, as previously outlined, Holliday’s an exceptionally talented player. Perhaps the A’s feel that adding Holliday’s bat will allow them to compete for the AL West crown, especially if the Angels fail to retain Mark Teixiera. Secondly, the A’s dismantled their team last year and traded away their top players despite having a good record at the time of the deals. Maybe the A’s wanted to make a move that would renew fan interest and help the fans regain confidence in the club. Lastly, maybe the A’s want to see how good they are with Holliday in the lineup. If they’re not as good as hoped, then Beane will have a strong bargaining chip at the trade deadline — someone for whom he feels he can get as much in return as he initially gave up (or close to it). That scenario is entirely possible.
Or maybe just maybe getting Holliday out of Coors will make both his numbers and free agent demand drop off. Maybe Billy Beane just wants to cost agent Scott Boras and his client major bucks. Oh yeah, and I think this is a great move for the Rox. Get some quality players (Greg Smith, Huston Street, Carlos Gonzalez) in return for a guy you know you won’t be retaining after the year. This is a deal that should benefit both sides.
