Oakland A's

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2002 Finish: 103-59, 1st, AL West	2002 Payroll: $40,955,051 (27th)

Projected Lineup 2B Mark Ellis 1B Scott Hatteberg SS Miguel Tejada RF Jermaine Dye 3B Eric Chavez DH Erubiel Durazo CF Chris Singleton LF Terrence Long C Ramon Hernandez Projected Rotation LHP Barry Zito RHP Tim Hudson LHP Mark Mulder LHP Ted Lilly RHP Aaron Harang CL Keith Foulke

By John Donovan, SI.com

Big pitching, a small budget and some savvy front-office maneuvering have worked wonders for the Oakland A's the past few seasons.

Well, the past few regular seasons, anyway.

The postseason has been another story altogether for the mighty A's, winners of 205 regular-season games in the past two years. The hated Yankees bounced them from the playoffs in the first round in both 2000 and '01. Then, last year, the surprising Twins made Oakland's 103 regular-season wins moot with another first-round defeat.

General manager Billy Beane, the acknowledged front-office brain of baseball's budget-challenged franchises, has done some tinkering this offseason in the hopes of getting the A's over the hump. But the team's strength -- up-and-coming regulars and a young pitching staff that is the envy of baseball -- remains the same.

The A's have the talent to win their second straight AL West pennant. The question facing Oakland, as always, is "Then what?"

A couple of new A's will work their way into the mix in spring training in Phoenix. Erubiel Durazo, a big swinger who can play a little first base, too, was landed in a three-way trade from Arizona. Durazo has power and plate discipline, two things Beane loves. The lefty-swinging Durazo definitely looks more like a DH than a first baseman, especially with Scott Hatteberg around. Keith Foulke replaces the sometimes-volatile Billy Koch as the team's closer. But much of the rest of the bullpen is in flux, something that will have to be addressed in spring.

The real work in Phoenix may be to find the right combination in the lower part of the starting rotation, after the triumvirate of Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson and Cy Young winner Barry Zito. Ted Lilly, who has had his share of injury problems, should be one of the guys to help out.

The A's will be under new management this season, with Ken Macha stepping up from bench coach to replace Art Howe (who took off for the Mets). The transition from Howe to player-favorite Macha ought to be an easy one, though. Macha doesn't figure to change much.

Shortstop Miguel Tejada won the AL MVP last season (.308, 34 homers, 131 RBIs) but this spring will face something new -- contract talk. He is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2003 season.

The A's would love to keep him and they'll spend a lot of time in the spring talking to his representatives about an extension. But there's that nagging little budget problem the A's have. If they don't get things done by the time the team breaks camp, Tejada likely will shut down talk until after the year. And that will make this year's performance all the more important.

Joe Valentine could make the jump to the big club to help stabilize that iffy bullpen. The right-hander was 4-1 with 36 saves and a 1.97 ERA in Class AA Birmingham before coming to the A's with Foulke in the trade with the White Sox. The A's need a setup man. Could Valentine be it?

Arrivals: DH Erubiel Durazo (from Arizona in a trade), RHP Keith Foulke (from Chicago White Sox in a trade), LHP John Halama (from Seattle as a free agent), RHP Jeremy Fikac (from San Diego in a trade), RHP Joe Valentine (from White Sox in a trade), C Mark Johnson (from White Sox in a trade), CF Chris Singleton (from Orioles as a free agent).

Departures: LF David Justice (retirement), INF Randy Velarde (retirement), RHP Billy Koch (to White Sox in a trade), RHP Cory Lidle (to Blue Jays in a trade), DH Ray Durham (to Giants as a free agent), RHP Jeff Tam (option declined, signed with Toronto).

Starting pitching will keep them in it, and with hitters like Tejada, third baseman Eric Chavez, a healthy Jermaine Dye, Hatteberg, second baseman Mark Ellis and Durazo, the A's have enough firepower. They should be in the race -- if the bullpen doesn't blow up and they can avoid the slow start.