Billy Beane has pulled rabbits out of his hat at the trade deadline over and over again through the years, so fans are always looking forward to the moves he will make at the deadline.  This season was no different as fans sat and read every rumor website waiting for Beane to make his move.  The A’s were in on several players, Matt Garza, Jake Peavy and Bud Norris were names rumored to be on Beane’s radar.  Billy missed out on all three, which is something that people are not used to.

He would not be shut out, though.  Beane had to make a move to make his team better and that he did when he went out and filled a big hole by landing a backup middle infielder to take over for Adam Rosales, who was DFA’d after Billy acquired Alberto Jose Callaspo.  For Beane the trade was an easy one that had little risk for the A’s as all they gave up was former first round pick Grant Green, who, in his short time in the majors, was a defensive liability and did not record a hit.  While Callaspo is not a flashy trade like one for Garza, Peavy or Norris, it is a trade that solidifies a huge hole for the A’s.

Many will look at this and think that Beane did little to help the team.  Sure, he filled a need, but the bullpen is still overworked, the younger starting pitchers are struggling with consistency.  Adding a solid arm to the pen, and a veteran to the rotation would have really helped this team a lot more in the long run.  But that’s where what Beane didn’t do at the deadline comes into play, not because of who he landed, but because he did not give up Sonny Gray, who showed signs of dominance in his brief stint in the majors out of the bullpen, and did not fill a rotation spot that could be filled when Brett Anderson returns from his ankle injury.

So, while Beane may not have gone out and mortgaged the farm to get a player that may or may not push the A’s to the World Series at the deadline, he did fill a hole and decided to stand pat.  Instead of betting on black in an attempt to win it all, Beane bet on his team and his players, and as unpopular as that decision may be, always and forever, “In Beane we trust.”