A's Down to One Ace: Mulder gone; Brynes next?

The A's have amazingly traded away Mark Mulder for three even lesser prospects than the Hudson trade. I like the Hudson trade in terms of potential gotten but Mulder's trade suggests that the A's might be worried that whatever caused him to falter in the second half of the 2004 season is not temporary. After all, Mulder is signed for 2005 and 2006 seasons, and has had a great career up to the aforementioned freefall. Their loss.

The Chron in its Hudson trade article noted that Brynes might be next on the chopping block because he is eligible for arbitration and a big increase in salary. Seriously now, why not trade Dustan Mohr plus a pitching prospect to the A's for Brynes? Mohr will get way less in arbitration, he plays Moneyball with OBP and power, he plays good defense at all three OF positions, and seems to be a good guy. We get Brynes, who plays with hustle too but has proven power, decent speed and steal-ability, OK OBP, plus loves the Giants so he probably would not haggle much on the contract as long as the Giants are in the ballpark. He won't be a defensive upgrade probably, but will add needed young to the lineup, add some speed and power, plus he kills at SBC!