Oakland Athletics 2003 Finish: 96-66, 1st AL West	Select Team Angels Astros Athletics Blue Jays Braves Brewers Cardinals Cubs Devil Rays Diamondbacks Dodgers Expos Giants Indians Mariners Marlins Mets Orioles Padres Phillies Pirates Rangers Red Sox Reds Rockies Royals Tigers Twins White Sox Yankees

Eric Chavez Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Batting Order
CF	Mark Kotsay The A's hope he's the catalyst they badly needed last year.
2B	Mark Ellis He looked lost at the plate at times.
3B	Eric Chavez The A's would love him to be more selective.
RF	Jermaine Dye After two injury-riddled seasons he looks like a big-money bust.
DH	Erubiel Durazo A walks machine, but not as powerful as they'd hoped.
LF	Bobby Kielty This is the biggest opportunity of his career.
1B	Scott Hatteberg How many first basemen hit seventh?
C	Damian Miller Old-timer just needs to contribute at the plate from time to time.
SS	Bobby Crosby The rookie is a tall, rangy kid with a similar build to Cal Ripken's.
Rotation
RHP	Tim Hudson Take away Foulke's blown saves, and Hudson wins the Cy Young.
LHP	Mark Mulder Avoiding injuries is key for one of the league's best talents.
LHP	Barry Zito He'd love to prove last year was a hangover from the Cy Young.
LHP	Mark Redman He's your typical soft-tossing lefty, but he's scrappy.
RHP	Rich Harden Added muscle over the winter.
Bullpen
LHP	Arthur Rhodes $9 million a big investment in a man who's never closed regularly.
RHP	Chad Bradford Nobody understands it, but he keeps getting guys out.
RHP	Jim Mecir His leg injuries mean he's only available sporadically.
LHP	Ricardo Rincon The A's signed him for two more years as a specialist.
LHP	Chris Hammond He could be a spot starter if either Harden or Redman struggle.
Prospects
RHP	Joe Blanton 1.26 ERA in seven games at Double-A.
1B	Graham Koonce Dominating at Triple-A, but there's a backlog at first base.
CF	Nick Swisher .230 at Double-A doesn't scream for a promotion.

The A's were again ravaged by free agency, losing the American League's best 2003 closer, Keith Foulke, along with the heart and soul of the A's clubhouse, shortstop Miguel Tejada. But again, general manager Billy Beane found a way to restock a team that every year has to be seemingly reinvented. He upgraded one of the weakest-hitting outfields in baseball by adding Mark Kotsay and Bobby Kielty, and he added a back-end reliever in Arthur Rhodes. "I've found it humorous the quotes that we've been one of the big losers of the winter," Beane says. "Privately, we're very excited about the moves we've been able to make in spite of the departures of some key players." Even with Anaheim making some noise down south, the A's remain the class of their division because of those Big Three starting pitchers.

Even though bad luck cost Tim Hudson some wins, scouts acknowledged that Hudson emerged as arguably the most dominant starter in the league last year. Only Pedro Martinez had a lower ERA, and Hudson pitched 50 innings more than Martinez. If he can avoid the type of injuries that have derailed him in October two years running, Hudson may be the early Cy Young favorite. Barry Zito may have gotten caught up in the Cy Young hype and took some serious steps backward last year. If he's refocused, the A's are going to be scary, especially because nobody likes to face Mark Mulder. A stress fracture in his hip is healed, and Mulder may again challenge for an All-Star berth. Veteran lefty Mark Redman should be a reliable replacement for Ted Lilly, but Rich Harden is a big question mark because of his wild inconsistency. If Harden struggles, he could lose his rotation spot to lefty Chris Hammond, giving the A's four lefty starters for the second straight year.

The A's entered spring training last season with a lot of questions in their bullpen, but they wound up having one of the best units in the league. Much of that had to do with Foulke, who simply dominated in the second half. The A's have a history of being creative with closers, so Rhodes should continue that pattern in his first full-time season at that role. Can Chad Bradford continue to fool the league with his low-80s pitches? As long as he does, and if Jim Mecir is healthy enough to pitch, the A's should be OK in relief of their stalwart starters.

This is the weakest part of the team, with light-hitting second baseman Mark Ellis and rookie shortstop Bobby Crosby. Before he left, Tejada said he thought Crosby could be a star one day, but it's impossible for the A's not to suffer a steep drop-off at this position. Crosby had a brief stay in the big leagues in September and is still looking for his first hit after 12 at-bats. The defense up the middle should be average if the A's are lucky, because Ellis will help steady the youngster across the bag.

If the A's didn't have slugger Eric Chavez at third base, their lack of production across the diamond would get a lot more attention. Scott Hatteberg and Erubiel Durazo are solid hitters, but not the sluggers most teams look for at first base, as they combined for only 33 home runs in 1,078 at-bats. It's probably Chavez' last year in green-and-gold, so A's fans must enjoy him while they can. The team is working to extend his contract, but as always it's an uphill fight for this low-revenue club. Chavez might be the game's best defensive third baseman, but he still has long stretches of futility at the plate. Unfortunately for the A's, one of them came last October.

The A's starting outfield of Jermaine Dye, Chris Singleton and Terrence Long combined for 117 RBIs last year, only four more than Chicago's Carlos Lee pushed across all by himself. Ouch. The A's can't do much worse than that, and they've liked Kotsay for a long time, although he only brings a 38-RBI season in San Diego with him. He'll also give them a little stability at the top of the order for the first time since Johnny Damon was around. Kielty has power, and he'll finally be given a chance to play every day. If he can manage 25 home runs, he'll outclass any of the team's outfielders from last year.

The A's gave up one of their core players, catcher Ramon Hernandez, to bring Kotsay aboard, and it remains to be seen how the change will affect the pitching staff. Hernandez got accolades for his knowledge of opposing hitters, and his work behind the plate was a comfort to the Big Three starters. Veteran Damian Miller should fit right in, though he won't be able to match Hernandez' All Star-caliber hitting. The A's won't ask him for much more than the nine homers he hit in Chicago a year ago. Adam Melhuse is a capable offensive replacement but is shaky defensively.

Durazo must do much more to justify the "Holy Grail" title Beane stuck on him last winter. Another sub-80 RBI season for the DH would bog down the Oakland offense again. Serious issues remain with other backup spots, including middle infield. Frank Menechino barely played last year, but they'll need to address this spot with ironman Tejada gone. Journeyman Billy McMillon returns in the outfield. If his defensive lapses can be survived, he might again be one of the league's top hitters off the bench.

Ken Macha hasn't had a good winter, as he's run the AL Division Series debacle over and over again through his mind. He took considerable heat for pinch-hitting Melhuse for Dye in a key ninth-inning at-bat of Game 5, and then he took some verbal shots from his own player, Terrence Long. Beane showed Macha some respect by shipping out Long, and a second year at the helm of this team should benefit the manager. The A's coaches are as solid as they come, although they'll feel the sting of losing pitching coach Rick Peterson. He was another "free agent" departure, opting for the Mets to stay closer to his family in New Jersey.

While the A's have more holes than they did a year ago, it will take a big effort from another team in the division to knock them off. When you have starting pitching this good, you can cover up a lot of blemishes. If the team is struggling in the first half, the wild card is Beane. He has proven he can make a July trade to push them over the top for the second half.

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