Oakland A's preview When assembling a roster, staying ahead of the curve is the A's way. This offseason, they exploited the weak economy to bring in enough talent -- outfielder Matt Holliday, shortstop Orlando Cabrera, first baseman/DH Jason Giambi, infielder Nomar Garciaparra -- to make a run at the Angels. Now all Oakland needs to do is get/stay healthy. THREE QUESTIONS 1. How healthy are they? It already is business as usual for Oakland's always busy training staff. Second baseman Mark Ellis (shoulder surgery) says he will be ready for opening day and could play in the field this week. Third baseman Eric Chavez can't say the same after a setback from his latest shoulder surgery. He is being eased back into throwing. No. 1 starter Justin Duchscherer has battled a sore elbow and is a candidate to begin the year on the disabled list. Co-closer Joey Devine has been shut down temporarily after experiencing a sore elbow. The good news, however, is the oft-injured Garciaparra remains healthy heading into late March. 2. Who's in the rotation? After losing a second "big three" -- Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Joe Blanton -- since the end of the 2007 season, the A's enter 2009 without an ace and with an unsettled rotation. They don't, however, lack in quality young arms. The lone veteran, 31-year-old Duchscherer, is a converted reliever entering his second season as a starter. Among the youngsters, Dana Eveland, 25, Sean Gallagher, 23, and Dallas Braden, 25, have yet to put up big numbers but have showed enough promise to secure spots in the rotation. Gio Gonzalez, 23, needs a big spring to win the No. 5 spot from a large group of candidates that includes three hotshot prospects -- Brett Anderson, Vincent Mazzaro, Trevor Cahill -- who have dazzled this spring. Lefty Josh Outman, 24, and Edgar Gonzalez, 26, are also in the mix. 3. Why do they make movies about Billy Beane? You rarely worry about Beane's abilities as general manager, and not because he is cool enough to have Brad Pitt play him when "Moneyball" is made into a movie. This offseason, Beane departed from his norm and went after veterans instead of trading them away. Acquiring Holliday, Giambi, Cabrera and Garciaparra put the GM in a no-lose situation for three reasons. 1) Only Holliday ($13.5 million, in the last year of his contract) is a big-ticket item, but Oakland signed the other three to one-year deals for $10.25 million total; 2) The newcomers could help the A's return to contention because the Angels appear weaker; 3) If Oakland struggles in the first half, Beane has trade chips to work with at the deadline. If he doesn't trade the veterans, Oakland could be compensated with draft picks for losing them in free agency. PROJECTED LINEUP 1. CF Ryan Sweeney. Solid rookie season (.350 OBP) also included two D.L. stints. 2. SS Orlando Cabrera. Known for defense, but has surpassed 185 hits past two seasons. 3. LF Matt Holliday. Four consecutive seasons with .300-plus BA, .360-plus OBP. 4. 1B Jason Giambi. Seven seasons in N.Y. included five with 30-plus homers, including 2008. 5. DH Jack Cust. Led club in HRs (33), walks (111) and strikeouts (A.L.-record 197). 6. 3B Eric Chavez. Comeback from yet another surgery proceeding slowly. 7. C Kurt Suzuki. Had a .340 OBP and led A.L. in games caught (141). 8. RF Travis Buck. Poor sophomore season (38 games, .291 OBP) hurts job security. 9. 2B Mark Ellis. Career-best 53 walks (in only 117 games); career-low .233 BA. PROJECTED ROTATION 1. RHP Justin Duchscherer. Went 10-5 with 1.82 ERA before break; hip injury led to second-half struggles. 2. LHP Dana Eveland. Much better at home (6-3, 3.25 ERA) than away (3-6, 5.63). 3. RHP Sean Gallagher. Must improve on his rookie season (5-7, 5.15 ERA) to keep spot. 4. LHP Dallas Braden. Solid second season (4-4, 3.97 ERA in 10 starts). 5. LHP Gio Gonzalez. So-so spring (4.32 ERA) not helping his chances of holding off competition. PROJECTED CLOSER RHP Joey Devine. Will share job with Brad Ziegler, who began his career with 39 consecutive scoreless innings. GRADES Offense: B. Once known for the ability to reach base, Oakland finished last in the A.L. in OBP (.318) in 2008. Holliday, Giambi, Cabrera and Garciaparra should help. Holliday and Giambi also will supply power (Cust was the only A's player with more than 13 homers last season). Holliday (28 steals) and Cabrera (19) will help on the bases. Pitching: C. The next wave of A's aces might be a year or two away, leaving this still-young rotation a bit iffy, especially if Duchscherer's elbow problems continue. The bullpen, however, should be strong despite the loss of Huston Street. Devine and Ziegler were as formidable as any late-inning duo last season. Bench: A. Between Chavez and Garciaparra, the A's should have one healthy third baseman most of the time. Bobby Crosby disappointed as a starting shortstop but makes an above-average utility infielder. The bench also picks up another regular (Daric Barton) from last year because of the Giambi acquisition. Reserve outfielder Rajai Davis supplies speed and defense. Manager: C. In his first two seasons, Bob Geren has guided Oakland to its only losing seasons in the past 10. He has done a nice job getting the best out of a young pitching staff but has been handicapped by injuries to key players. After an offseason during which Oakland spent more than usual, Geren needs to contend for the postseason to maintain his job security. Sporting News prediction: Don't get too giddy over the hype about the A's pushing the Angels in the A.L. West. A rotation without a stopper and injury issues will leave them far enough behind at the trade deadline that they will deal Holliday. But Oakland will hold off Texas for second place. --

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