I'd say the chances are pretty slim. They'd both be just what the doctor ordered on many levels, and while there's some speculation that Jones' sub-par season will cost him dearly on the open market, my guess is that his brilliant body of work will dictate otherwise, so both of them are going to command big money, multi-year deals.

I just don't see the A's committing that kind of coin until they have more certainty about the proposed new stadium. General manager Billy Beane has said many times that he won't start spending with the projected additional revenue in mind until the first brick is laid.

In your story about the A's considering Justin Duchscherer as a starter for 2008, you mentioned that the only returning starters who have locks on jobs "appear to be" Dan Haren, Joe Blanton and Chad Gaudin. What about Rich Harden?!? Do you know something about his recovery that hasn't been made public, or are you just suggesting that the A's aren't counting on Harden?
-- Dennis P., Fremont, Calif.

The latter is exactly what I'm suggesting, and that's not a slight on Harden in any way. I'm as big a fan of his talent as there is, and I'm dying to see what he could do with a healthy full season. When he's right, he's one of the top five pitchers in the game, easy.

But the fact remains that he's been on the disabled list a ton in the past few years, and to enter a season counting on someone who hasn't made more than nine starts in a season since 2005 (and only 19 starts in 2005) would be bad business, and Beane is an excellent businessman.

Is the news that Duchscherer might be a candidate for the starting rotation a signal that the A's might be thinking of moving Harden to the bullpen as a setup man?
-- Mike D., Modesto, Calif.

I don't think so. They've long insisted that they want him to be a starter, and Harden wants to start, too. But I do think this is the last year of resisting such a switch. If Harden gets hurt again, you almost have to try him as a full-time reliever, don't you think?

But setup man? I don't know about that. If you're going to make him a reliever, I say make him a closer. What would that mean for Huston Street? I don't know. But Beane likes to say, "Having too many good players is never a problem," and that applies to late-inning arms, too.

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If Duchscherer is a starter, what does the Oakland bullpen look like next year?
-- Jon J., Peoria, Ariz.

That's a tough call outside of the end-of-game guys. Obviously you'd have Street closing and lefty Alan Embree setting up, and righty Kiko Calero will almost certainly be in there somewhere. The rest of the roles are all up for grabs, with guys like Santiago Casilla, Andrew Brown and Ruddy Lugo battling it out during Spring Training.

I love lefty Jerry Blevins' stuff, by the way, but he might need some more seasoning. And don't sleep on righty Brad Ziegler, who went 8-3 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 35 relief appearances for Triple-A Sacramento this season.

You recently wrote about the team's "redundancy" at first base. Speaking of which, where do the A's stand with Dan Johnson? He looked good at times and awful at others, and he's past the development stage of his career. It would seem Daric Barton is the more logical keep for the long haul.
-- Randy H., Pittsburg, Calif.

I'd be surprised if Johnson is in camp with the A's this coming spring, but not shocked. They'll probably try to trade him over the winter, but they're not going to just give him away, so he might end up in camp in a sort of a "showcase" situation.

As evidenced by how many at-bats Erubiel Durazo (53) and Barton (25) got last spring, there's plenty of playing time to go around during the Cactus League, and with a strong showing in the desert, Johnson could increase his value over what it is right now.

I know this isn't anything more than a fantasy, but what if the A's traded Chavez and picked up Corey Koskie? The guy fits the mold for the A's (veteran player with some questions, good OBP with some pop) and then the A's could be off the hook for Chavez (an admittedly injury-plagued player nowadays). Anyway, just wondering what your thoughts are.
-- Matt W., Sonora, Calif.

Koskie will be 35 next year, his defense is average, and he's hit more than 15 homers once since 2001. Chavez is 29, he's won six Gold Gloves, and even with the injuries, he hasn't hit fewer than 15 homers in a season since 1998. Plus, his trade value is at an all-time low because of the injuries, and he's coming off back and shoulder surgeries.

So yes, that's a fantasy, Matt. But hey, at least it's not, "Bring back Rickey to lead off and play left!" Believe it or not, I still get a few of those a month.