Oakland A's Need Upgrade at Third Base Immediately

The Oakland A's need to shore up their third base position. With Eric Chavez's continuous injury streak looking like it's never going to resolve itself, it's time for the A's to look into acquiring a replacement for him.

That means a player who has power from the right side of the plate, will hit for a reasonable average (more than .265), and provide stellar defense at the hot corner—in other words, a proven commodity. No more prospects, Billy Beane—we already have enough of those.

So what do the A's do? Well, it is time for the A's to come calling on the Colorado Rockies again, this time trading for right-handed-hitting third baseman Garrett Atkins.

Yes, Atkins is slumping right for the Rockies—but that means he wouldn't come with as big a price tag. If the A's were willing to pay the injury-prone Chavez all that money, why not Atkins?

Now, Atkins isn't going to hit above .300 if he does come to Oakland, but he could definitely be the added bat to the lineup that comes up with big hits in pressure situations for the A's. If Atkins hit in the .270's for them, that would be just fine.

Just imagine what Atkins would bring to the table for Oakland. In yesterday's game the A's, had the bases loaded twice for Jack Hannahan, who struck out and flew out in those situations.

Pitchers aren't afraid of who the A's have at third base.  Hannahan and Bobby Crosby do not strike fear into opposing players. The pitchers can be aggressive, knowing that a majority of the time they will succeed in getting either Hannahan or Crosby out.

So, if the A's and Rockies were willing to make another trade it could definitely be beneficial for the A's as well as the Rockies. Of course, the trade should include Crosby or Hannahan in it—more than likely Crosby and two pitching prospects in the farm system, one from AA and one from AAA.

Even though the season has been frustrating, the A's still have a chance to make their mark on the division. They're only seven games back from the Texas Rangers with plenty of games remaining, and Atkins could definitely assist with the push towards the playoffs.

Imagine an A's lineup that looks like this:

1. Orlando Cabrera SS

2. Kurt Suzuki C

3. Jack Cust RF/DH

4. Matt Holliday LF

5. Jason Giambi 1B

6. Garrett Atkins 3B

7. Adam Kennedy 2B

8. Ryan Sweeney CF

9. Travis Buck DH/RF

The lineup definitely improves with the additional right-handed bat in the lineup. If the Rockies are willing to trade, the A's should definitely consider the possibility of landing Atkins.