MLB Trade Rumors: A's Lefty Gio Gonzalez Not Worth Billy Beane's Asking Price

Just like he does in the movies, Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane is wheeling and dealing at Major League Baseball's winter meetings.

Beane's top priority, it seems, is finding a taker for young lefty Gio Gonzalez, who is coming off a season in which he won 16 games and posted an impressive 3.12 ERA.

There's just one problem: Takers are proving hard to come by. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, clubs are hesitant to strike a deal for Gonzalez because of Beane's asking price:

This "Haren deal haul" that Sherman spoke of refers to the package of prospects the A's got when they traded Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. In that deal, the A's got Carlos González, Brett Anderson, Aaron Cunningham, Greg Smith, Dana Eveland, and Chris Carter. The Diamondbacks also got Connor Robertson.

In other words, the A's got a lot for Haren in that deal. No wonder Billy Beane is looking to do it all over again.

The only trouble is that he's asking for way too much for a pitcher of Gonzalez's quality. He's good, but he has his issues.

Namely, Gonzalez has a tendency to walk the ballpark. He actually led the majors with 91 walks in 2011, and he tied for third in walks in 2010 with a grand total of 92. Either he's getting squeezed, or he's a left-handed version of Nuke LaLoosh.

That's actually not far from the truth. One of Gonzalez's specialties is walks, but the other is strikeouts. He punched out a career-high 197 in 2011, a figure that ranked ninth in the American League.

No matter where Gonzalez is pitching in 2012 and beyond, the obvious hope is that he will cut down on his walks. If he does, he'll be a true ace, and probably a Cy Young contender as well. Think of him as the next Clayton Kershaw, except probably not as good.

In the event that Gonzalez doesn't cut down on his walks, his ceiling is going to remain low. He has outstanding stuff, but he's only going to go so far as long as his WHIP is hovering in the 1.30 range.

Haren was a different story when the A's shipped him to the Diamondbacks for a king's ransom. He struck out a career-high 192 batters in 2007, but only walked 55. He also pitched 20 more innings in 2007 than Gonzalez did in 2011.

Put simply, Haren was more of a finished product. Beane was wise to deal him when he did.

None of this is to suggest that Gonzalez is going to stay in Oakland. In fact, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted that he would be "shocked" if the A's don't trade Gonzalez before Opening Day. He has value, and Beane means to get what he can for him.

If he wants to do that, he probably needs to lower his asking price. Either that, or remain patient until a desperate and foolish GM gives him a call.

Given this year's pitching market, I wouldn't rule that out.