.Best Pro Sports Trade

Jason Giambi

As the trading deadline approached earlier this summer, the question being asked repeatedly on Bay Area sports-talk stations was: Will the Oakland A’s trade MVP first baseman Jason Giambi? The A’s clearly had no chance of catching up to the nearly unbeatable Seattle Mariners for the division title. And a wild-card spot, while not impossible to reach, was by no means guaranteed. Trading Giambi, who is in the final season of his contract, for a handful of young unknowns would mean that the cash-strapped team was going to yet again rebuild for the future. But instead of unloading Giambi, A’s General Manager Billy Beane traded three minor-league prospects to bring Kansas City Royals slugger Jermaine Dye to Oakland. The move sent a pleasant message to those of us who prefer instant gratification over forever rebuilding. Dye, a Gold Glove outfielder, instantly added a power-hitting right-handed batter to complement the A’s lefty-dominated lineup. Now, as we enter the final lap of the regular season, the A’s hold a luxurious lead over the Red Sox in the wild-card chase and hold the distinction of being the team no frontrunner wants to face in the playoffs.

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