July 17, 2007

Is trading Kendall a signal?
Swap with Cubs might be sign A's are looking beyond 2007

Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer

A's general manager Billy Beane isn't quite ready to wave the white flag, but he admitted that Monday's trade of catcher Jason Kendall could signal the team's focus has shifted partially to next year.

"I think certainly, with the injuries we've had, this isn't the place we'd like to be sitting right now," Beane said before the A's fell 4-1 to Texas at the Coliseum, their eighth consecutive loss. "We've got quite an uphill battle to get back into this, given the way the Angels and the Mariners have been playing and the fact that we still have some critical members of the team who won't be ready for quite awhile (because of injuries).

"At (catcher), there's no question that we're looking toward next year, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything beyond that or from the whole team's standpoint."

Mired in a season-high, seven-game skid going into Monday night's game and having used the disabled list 17 times, the A's dealt Kendall and cash considerations to the Chicago Cubs for reserve catcher Rob Bowen and left-handed minor-leaguer Jerry Blevins. Kendall, who came to from Pittsburgh to Oakland after the 2004 season, is making $13.4 million in the final year of a six-year, $60 million contract he signed with the Pirates.

Beane said the team's stumble to 12 games back of the AL West-leading Angels, combined with Rich Harden returning to the disabled list, set the deal in motion.

"I'd be less than honest to say otherwise," Beane said. "It certainly had some impact. To say that it was no factor would be disingenuous."

The trade also begs the question whether the A's merely have started their dealings. First baseman Dan Johnson, designated hitter Mike Piazza (shoulder), who is on a rehabilitation assignment, and rehabbing right-hander Esteban Loaiza (knee) all have been part of trade rumors.

Asked if he was done making moves, Beane said, "I hope not. We're always looking to try to do something to push us in the right direction. That's not to say there's anything imminent."

The most recent rumblings are coming from New York, where a possible trade of Johnson to the Yankees for right-handed reliever Scott Proctor is all the buzz. An A's source said that the team hasn't communicated with the Yankees in more than a week.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Beane called him about Kendall on Saturday.

"We weren't actively looking when Billy made the first call," Hendry said. "When he told me about his plans for the young catcher they have, we tried to fall in as best we could and make the deal."

Kendall had a full no-trade clause and thus had to OK the deal.

Beane said Kurt Suzuki, a 23-year-old from Cal State Fullerton, will be the everyday catcher and Bowen will be the backup. Blevins, a 17th-round pick in 2004, was 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 29.1 innings at Double-A Tennessee.

"He's certainly going to be a major leaguer," Hendry said of the 6-foot-6 reliever. "Billy's scouts did a good job. You're not going to fool the Oakland A's on your prospects or his."

Hendry said he talked to Kendall, "and obviously he's thrilled."

Kendall, who hit .271 with three home runs and 125 RBIs in 373 games with the A's but was hitting .226 this season, exited the Coliseum before the A's announced the trade. His teammates did the talking for him.

Right-hander Chad Gaudin has been a pleasant surprise to the rotation, and he gives the credit to Kendall.

"He does everything you could ask for and more," Gaudin said. "He's definitely one of the reasons why I've been doing as well as I've been doing, and he's one of the big reasons why I've found a home here in Oakland. He pretty much took control of what I did and taught me a lot about myself and a lot about the game."

Closer Huston Street offered similar praise.

"When I was a rookie and got the Rookie of the Year award, every pitch I threw was because Jason called it and I trusted him," Street said. "Unfortunately for a lot of us who trusted him, it's going to be a difficult transition."

The transition opens the door for Suzuki, who is 7-for-29 after going 0-for-3 Monday night. He struck out looking with two men aboard to end the game.

Suzuki said he has a long way to go toward learning the ins and outs of pitch-calling.

"I'm prepared to learn the league, and it's all about getting comfortable now," he said. "I really can't say enough about what I've learned from Jason. He's probably the best game-caller in baseball, and from his preparation to studying hitters and scouting reports to running the show, that's what I want to model myself to be like."

Suzuki got a rude awakening in his debut as the everyday catcher Monday night, dropping a foul tip that would have gone as a strikeout on Jerry Hairston, who smacked an two-run double with the extended at-bat. Then, Suzuki missed a swipe tag off a relay from Bobby Crosby that allowed the second run to score on Hairston's double.

Still, manager Bob Geren has seen things in Suzuki that remind him of Kendall.

"In the games he has played, he's shown great athletic ability behind the plate and has made some nice throws," Geren said. "He's already a solid catcher, and he's going to do nothing but get better."

Asked if he was worried that last month's Milton Bradley trade and the Kendall move will be viewed by the remaining players as giving up, Geren said, "No. Kurt will do a fine job, and the team will be fine."
The last time ...

-- The A's won: July 5 vs. Seattle (3-2 decision)

-- The A's scored more than 3 runs: July 2 vs. Toronto (11-7 loss)

-- The A's had more than 8 hits: July 2 (11 hits)

-- The A's scored in more than 2 innings in a game: July 2 (4 innings)

-- The A's scored in consecutive innings: July 1 at New York Yankees (11-5 win)
Trade details

-- A's get: Backup catcher Rob Bowen and minor league LHP Jerry Blevins.

-- Cubs get: Jason Kendall and cash considerations.

-- A's catcher: Kurt Suzuki becomes the everyday catcher.

-- Kendall's salary: In final year of seven-year, $60 million contract he signed with Pirates in 2000. He's expected to make about $13 million this year, $7 million paid by the Pirates.