The A’s have dealt 31-year old righty reliever Brad Ziegler to the Diamondbacks for 25-year old lefty swinging 1B Brandon Allen and 24-year old lefty reliever Jordan Norberto. Brandon Allen should get a shot with the A’s this year. He played in 11 games for the D-Backs this year and he was 5 for 29 (.172 avg, .834 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 65 games in parts of three years in the majors and he is 38 for 178 (.213 avg, .730 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 8 homers, 27 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Allen has big time power but with that power comes a lot of whiffs as he has struck out 73 times already in his career. The A’s are one team that doesn’t worry about whiffing though. Jordan Norberto pitched in 41 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the D-Backs so far this year and he was 6-2 with 1 save, a 4.25 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He got his first taste of the big leagues in 2010 for the D-Backs and it didn’t go too well. Norberto pitched in 33 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs last year and he was 0-2 with a 5.85 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP.

Brad Ziegler pitched in 43 games (0 starts) for the A’s this year and he was 3-2 with 1 save, a 2.39 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He pitched in 223 games (0 starts) in his four years with the A’s and he was 11-13 with 19 saves, a 2.49 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Ziegler was a solid reliever in his time with the A’s.

The A’s couldn’t resist making this deal because of Brandon Allen’s big time power potential. He is the key to this deal for the A’s.

The A’s have placed 32-year old righty reliever Michael Wuertz on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb injury. Wuertz has pitched in 34 games (0 starts) so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Well at least we know that Wuertz won’t be traded until August (at the earliest) with the trade deadline tomorrow. The A’s have called up 27-year old lefty reliever Jerry Blevins to replace Wuertz in the bullpen. Blevins has pitched in 16 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.

I think the A’s could blow up their disappointing roster this week and why not? Any player who isn’t a part of the A’s future (I count at least 16 of them) will likely be on the trading block this week. The whole A’s starting outfield (Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp and David DeJesus) could be on the move and they each have decent value trade wise. DH Hideki Matsui and outfielder Ryan Sweeney also have limited appeal to other teams on the trade market. Conor Jackson, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Daric Barton will also be on the trade block this week but none of them will bring much of a return on their own. Righty starting pitchers Rich Harden and Brandon McCarthy will be on the block with teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Cardinals having interest in them. The bullpen is going to bring back nice returns for the A’s if they decide to move a lot of them. Lefty relievers Brian Fuentes, Craig Breslow and Jeremy Blevins likely appeal to the Red Sox, Yankees, Brewers, Cardinals and Diamondbacks. Righty relievers Grant Balfour, Brad Zeigler and Michael Wuertz will likely draw attention from the Tigers, Twins, Rangers, Angels, Braves, Pirates and Diamondbacks. A’s GM Billy Beane might try to make a few package deals to maximize his return for the players he’s willing to deal. I see the A’s looking a lot different on August 1st than they look right now.

31-year old righty submarining righty reliever Brad Ziegler burst onto the scene for the A’s back in 2008. He was awesome that year but in 2009 and 2010, he was merely ordinary for the A’s. This season though, Ziegler is back to dominating. He has pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 3-1 with 1 save, a 1.82 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Ziegler has now pitched in 217 games (0 starts) in his first four years with the A’s and he is 11-12 with 19 saves, a 2.40 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. It will be interesting to see if some team comes calling about Zieger at the trade deadline.

The A’s have designated 27-year old lefty reliever Jerry Blevins for the second time this year. Blevins pitched in 16 games (0 starts) for the A’s this year and he is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He has now pitched in 141 games (0 starts) in his five years with the A’s and he is 3-5 with 1 save, a 3.96 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. With a lack of decent lefty relievers on the trade market, the A’s should be able to get something for Blevins this time around.

UPDATE: (7/20/2011) - The A’s have sent Blevins to AAA again.