Kurt Suzuki didn’t do much with the bat in the first two months of the season but he dominated in June to make up for it. Suzuki played in 22 games in June so far for the A’s and he is 28 for 77 (.364 avg, .957 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers and 13 RBIs. His recent surge has made his season numbers look pretty decent and the A’s need him to keep hitting well. Suzuki has now played in 72 games for the A’s this season and he is 76 for 268 (.284 avg, .713 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 3 homers and 26 RBIs.

The A’s have designated Kiko Calero for assignment to make room on the roster for the A’s to activate Santiago Casilla off the D.L. Calero pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the A’s this season and he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He whiffed 7 batters in only 4.2 innings this season which shows the stuff is still there. Calero has said that he will accept an assignment to AAA ball if no team claims him on waivers. But, I have a feeling a team needing a reliever would take a chance on Calero who has a nice track record in the majors. Santiago Casilla was off to a great start this season before being derailed by injury. Casilla has pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the A’s this season and he is 2-0 with 1 save, a 0.93 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. He has only allowed 12 hits in 19.1 innings this season while whiffing 22 batters.

The Oakland A’s are keeping their fingers crossed that they can trade righty starting pitcher Rich Harden before he breaks down again, and let’s face it…..it’s only a matter of time. The Philadelphia Phillies look like a perfect trading partner for the A’s because they could use a starting pitcher and a lefty reliever (Alan Embree). So here it goes, the A’s would send Rich Harden and Alan Embree to the Phillies for 2B Adrian Cardenas, SS Jason Donald, 3B Travis Mattair and righty reliever Joe Bisenius. The major league team would miss both Harden (4-0, 2.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) and Alan Embree (1-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) but the upside of the rest of the trade is way too good to pass up. Cardenas is the #2 prospect in the Phillies’ entire minor league system according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook but his future in Philly is blocked by Chase Utley. The 20-year old lefty swinging Cardenas has played in 45 games in A-Ball this season and he is 56 for 173 (.324 avg, .892 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 4 homers, 15 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Jason Donald is a 23-year old shortstop with a good eye in the minors which fits into the A’s style of offense. The righty swinging Donald has played in 55 games in AA-ball this season and he is 63 for 211 (.299 avg, .862 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 6 homers, 30 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Travis Mattair had a big upside but he’s a raw prospect right now. The 19-year old righty swinging Mattair has layed in 63 games in A-ball this year and he is 54 for 220 (.245 avg, .620 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 1 homer, 27 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. 25-year old righty reliever Joe Bisenius has had control issues this season walking 16 batters in only 24.1 innings between AA+AAA this year. He has pitched in 18 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA ball this season and he is 0-2 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. This is the kind of trade that would really help both teams as it would give the Phillies what they need to win now. Plus, the A’s would get quality infield prospects that could really help in possible positions of need down the road.

Vin Mazzaro has been pitching great this season in AA ball for the A’s. The 21-year old righty starting pitcher was ranked as the #18 prospect in the A’s minor league system coming into this season according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. That’s despite the fact that Mazzaro was pretty bad in his two first seasons of pro ball. In his first two years he started 52 games in A-ball and he was 18-21 with a 5.21 ERA. But, the lights have apparently went on inside of Mazzaro’s head as he has been dominating so far this season in AA. Mazzaro has started 13 games this season in AA ball and he is 7-3 with a 2.24 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He might earn a trip to the majors later this season if he keeps pitching like he is right now.

The Oakland A’s are really happy with Dana Eveland and Greg Smith who they acquired in the Dan Haren trade this off season with the D-Backs. Eveland was awful in his major league career until this season as he’s looked like a completely different pitcher. He has started 13 games this season for the A’s and he is 4-5 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Eveland has had problems with his control this season walking 39 batters in 76.2 innings this year but he’s only allowed 66 hits limiting the damage. Greg Smith appears to have a bigger upside as he has been solid all season too. Smith has started 12 games this season for the A’s and he is 3-5 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Smith has only allowed 65 hits in 74.2 innings and he has whiffed 56 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. The early returns on the Dan Haren trade appear pretty good.