Hi there, GM. I just re-read Moneyball a few months ago and have it reminded me of how successful Beane is of making the most of every dollar. By contrast, if you look at the money my Phillies wasted, if Beane had the Phillies payroll to play with, how deep in the playoffs would he have gotten?

As payroll stands now, how much is Oakland spending? How much do they get of the league's revenue sharing? Is any of the money of what they get in revenue sharing used to increase the team payroll and better the team or are the A's owners just like the Devil Rays owners?

JJ -

Great questions all across the board. I am doing some research on the team right now and I'll have an answer for your financial questions this week.

As far as what he could do with the Phillies..I think that it would really depend on if he carried the same philosophy over with him. Philadelphia definitely has the star power that Oakland does not. Howard, Utley and Rollins are all head and shoulders above the talent level that Oakland has on offense.

With those three players, I think that Gillick has done a nice job of keeping players like Victorino, Rowand, Burrell, etc around those guys. Even if they have minimal output, the big three would have a big impact still.

Oakland depends on a team effort on offense and the strong performances from the pitching staff really help mask their offensive woes.

So, for the short answer, I think Beane, like any smart GM, would salivate at having Rollins, Utley, and Howard in his lineup. But, I think he would focus more on stabilizing that pitching staff. I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled off a deal or two to do that either.

i think he's the love child of billy bob thorton and tommy lee jones.. scary.