The Barry Zito to the Mets rumors are everywhere, and, if the reporting is correct, the Mets need only offer Lastings Milledge to land the quirky left-hander.
I like Billy Beane's thinking. The AL West is filled with mediocre teams. The A's needn't be demonstrably better than the other three to still capture the division.
Lastings Milledge may not do anything for the team this season, as the A's already have too many OF and not enough places to play them. But he is certainly better than two compensation draft picks the team will receive when Zito signs somewhere else. (The switch to Scott Boras guarantees that.)
By playing slightly better than .500 ball, the A's could still win.
If Zito is traded this weekend, I suspect Billy Beane made the determination that he has enough talent to do just that.
And I applaud the gutsy move. Moneyball wasn't just about getting on-base.