Getting Rid of Giambi

Now, you may be thinking why would the A's want to get rid of Jason Giambi.  However, there is someone else on the A's who shares that last name that I will be discussing in this post.  As some of you may be able to infer, Billy does not take losing of any kind easily.  He was outraged when the team was happy when arriving home after being swept by the Blue Jays.  There is one player in particular who is having too much fun for Billy Beane's liking and that would be Jeremy Giambi.  "Jeremy, it should be said, already had a bit of a reputation.  Before spring training he'd been caught with marijuana by the Las Vegas police.  Reports from coaches trickled in that Jeremy drank too much on team flights" (Lewis 201).  And the list goes on and Billy realized it was time to let him go, but had mixed feelings about the situation.

"This is the worst baseball decision I've ever made, he said, but it is the best decision I've made as a GM" (Lewis 201).  Even with mixed feelings, Billy finally got Jeremy off his hands and got what most would think is a terrible deal.  In return he got John Mabry, who was kept out of the lineup.  However, Billy was shocked when John Mabry went on to be the best that he has ever been.  It did not only help Billy, it also helped the team.  "When Billy traded Giambi, the A's were 20-25; they had lost 14 out of their last 17 games.  Two months later, they were 60-46" (Lewis 202).  In conclusion, it is always good to keep trouble makers off your team because they usually aren't the best players and can get some unwanted attention on your team.  Trading them will usually pay off.

More About Jeremy Giambi: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/giambje01.shtml