The New-Look Oakland Athletics

Some people have bashed Billy Beane for trading key players such as Nick Swisher and Dan Haren, and have asked the question, "Does he know what he's doing?"

Well, Billy has been doing this for quite some time now, and if I recall correctly nobody complained when he brought a few 20-something pitchers named Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder up, and won 100 games with them.

This new-look Oakland Athletic team is going to be very young once again this year and will most likely struggle

However, they have talent with enough potential to make them team to beat within the next three years.

With up-and-coming stars in the organization such as Joey Devine (acquired from Atlanta in the Mark Kotsay trade), a very hard throwing right-hander; Carlos Gonzalez, acquired in the Dan Haren trade and newly acquired Emil Brown, who has come over from the Royals and is going to get a very good opportunity to replace Mark Kotsay in center field. This is a kid who could be a great fit as long as Oakland elects to play some hit and run this year which is something they have shied away from in years past.

Brown led the Royals the previous two seasons in stolen bases, and led them in RBIs last year with 62. He was only a part timer in Kansas City and was off to a slow start on a consistent basis but picked it up a notch after the All Star break batting .296, so this is a kid who has the potential to step up into a situation as a full time player and develop nicely.

Pitching, which Oakland is known for, probably won't be that great this year—but I believe within the next two or three years the A's pitching will, without a doubt, be once again the benchmark in the American League. Especially now that Johan Santana is in the National League and Oakland dealt one of their key starters, Dan Haren, to the National league earlier this off-season as well, managing to get four of Arizona's top-eight prospects in return—including two lefties

So for all who doubt Beane and are going to complain about the A's this year—you should keep a very sharp eye on this up and coming Oakland franchise over the next three years, and be patient.