A's Send Mazzaro to KC for DeJesus, Ink Top Dominican Prospect

Like many had predicted, the A's dealt the most expendable of their young arms on Wednesday as they sent Vin Mazzaro to Kansas City, along with 2009 third-rounder Justin Marks, in exchange for long time Royals OF David DeJesus. While the departure of Mazzaro was certainly foreseeable, David DeJesus seemed to be garnering more interest from the Red Sox than the A's - at least in public.

Oakland GM Billy Beane mentioned that his admiration for DeJesus had existed for some time, and it's easy to see why. The newest member of the A's has put up some very Moneyball-esque numbers in his career. He's posted a .289/.360/.427/.787 line in his career while playing solid defense in the KC outfield.

Those who don't find DeJesus much more than a "decent" acquisition may be unaware of Oakland's OF production in 2010. While Coco Crisp put up a 3.3 WAR in an injury-plagued year, the remaining 12 outfielders totaled 0.1 Wins Above Replacement. The ex-Royal-turned-Athletic was on pace for a 4.5 WAR until a thumb injury ended his year at a 2.9 WAR.

After the DeJesus trade was made public, another deal involving the A's - albeit one that won't come to fruition as quickly (hopefully...in a good way that is) - was in it's finalizing stages. The A's signed 16 year-old CF Vicmal De La Cruz of the Dominican Republic to a deal that has yet to be disclosed. Little is known about De La Cruz among the general public, but Blake Bentley of MLBTR compiled a list of the top Dominican prospects after exchanging words with numerous MLB executives and scouts, and De La Cruz topped the list. The young prospect is said to have a superior set of tools, and "star power."

The A's are still within their 30-day window to sign Japanese hurler Hisashi Iwakuma, whose bid made the trade on Wednesday perhaps more expected than a trade involving a young Oakland starter already was (if that's even possible). DeJesus is almost assuredly not Beane's last move in preparation of 2011, as he recently vowed to be creative this offseason.

Less than a week in, he's already put the Moneyball where his mouth is.

Hisashi Iwakuma’s Agent Tweets A’s Place Winning Bid For Japanese Ace

While there has not been any official announcement, it appears as though the Oakland Athletics placed the winning bid to negotiate a contract with Hisashi Iwakuma, ace of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. The news comes from tweets made by Iwakuma’s agent Don Nomura.

It’s important to note that placing the winning bid does not constitute a contract – it merely gives the A’s exclusive rights to negotiate one with him. Iwakuma is regarded as the second best pitcher in Japan behind Yu Darvish.

What does this mean for the A’s? If Nomura’s tweets mean the A’s really were the top bidders, it appears as though one of their starters may be dealt for a bat. Ken Rosenthal proposed that the A’s may look into a deal with Milwaukee for Casey McGehee, while the A’s would send a package possibly consisting of Vin Mazzaro and/or even Iwakuma himself. However, Iwakuma won’t be eligible for a trade until June, should the A’s work out a deal with him. In that event, a deal would likely involve the A’s trading their rights to negotiate instead. Either way, the hot stove in Oakland is already getting pretty warm.