Billy Beane's Wheeling and Dealing:Top 7 Offseason Moves Made by The Oakland A's

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Pitchers and catchers report next week, which in theory means the biggest offseason moves have already been completed.

Billy Beane and the A's have already made a flurry of moves, from bolstering the bullpen, adding candidates for the fifth starter spot and adding pop to the lineup.

Lets take a look at the top seven moves made by Billy Beane and the A's so far this offseason.

7. Trading Rajai Davis to Toronto for Trystan Magnuson and Daniel Farquhar

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The A's have a huge glut of outfielders, and Davis wasn't going to get a chance to start in Oakland. The A's did well to get a couple of relief prospects for him while clearing space on their roster for...

6. Trading Vin Mazzaro and Justin Marks for David DeJesus

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David DeJesus is certainly not a sexy pickup, but he fills a void in the A's outfield. He's also injury prone, another quality shared by many Athletics. A career .360 OBP hitter, DeJesus was limited to 91 games last season after a minimum of 119 the previous five years.

If healthy, he could give the A's 10/65/.300 with 10 or so steals.

If not, he is a free agent after this season.

5. Signing Brandon McCarthy

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Another reclamation project for Billy Beane. McCarthy comes in much cheaper than last year's Ben Sheets project. The former White Sox and Rangers prospect hasn't pitched since 2009, when he posted a 4-7 record and 4.62 ERA in 17 starts.

McCarthy will fight for the fifth starter spot on the A's with Josh Outman, Bobby Cramer and...

4. Signing Rich Harden

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The prodigal son returns, kind of. After being shipped off to the Cubs midseason in 2008, Rich Harden found his way to the Rangers last year to undertake yet another injury-plagued year, when he posted a 5-5 record with a 5.58 ERA.

Look for Harden to have the inside track on the fifth starter spot given his history with the Athletics organization. It is also hard to expect a full season of health from Harden, so some time in the bullpen should be expected as well.

3. Bringing Godzilla to Oakland

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Another Billy Beane Bargain, Matsui brings the A's as much on the field as off it. In addition to his role as starting DH for the A's, he'll also try to appeal to a wider fanbase in Bay Area. At his signing press conference alone, there were over 50 members of the foreign press at the crowded A's media room.

At the plate, a 20/70/.270 season isn't out of the question for Matsui, and any kind of clutch hitting would be an upgrade over his predecessor Jack Cust.

2. Trading Henry Rodriguez and Corey Brown for Josh Willingham

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Another solid pickup, another outfielder for the A's. Acquired in exchange for flamethrower Rodriguez and outfielder prospect Brown, Willlingham takes his talents to the West Coast.

Willingham looks to shake off three straight seasons with injury problems and return to his 2007 form that saw him hit 21/89/.265 in 144 games with the Florida Marlins. Willingham is guaranteed a starting spot in the A's outfield, and any numbers close to his 2007 ones will be welcomed.

1. Signings of Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour

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The A's had money this offseason to spread around, and they did so by signing Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour to multi-year deals.

Fuentes will act as the A's right-handed setup man and backup closer in case of an injury to Andrew Bailey. Balfour will be the southpaw setup for the A's and could also fill in a closing role.

Fuentes and Balfour bring experience and depth to A's bullpen, which coupled with the return of Josh Outman and Joey Devine gives the Athletics one of the deepest pitching staffs in the game.

Conclusion

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The A's had the most successful offseason of any AL West team, if not the American League.

The A's need to upgrade on offense and find a fifth starter. Acquisitions of DeJesus, Matsui and Willingham might give the A's the necessary pop to compete in the AL West. McCarthy and Harden could provide viable fifth starter options, while Balfour and Fuentes help upgrade the bullpen.

With that in mind, we could see a championship banner on the east side of the bay come October.