A look at 2009:

C: Kurt Suzuki-
has this job rapped up for the next couple of years. Excellent defensively. Handles the pitching staff extremely well. Batting .285 and generally has been one of the more consistant bat's in the A's line-up. If he develops more power, it would be hard to envision him as not making at least 1 all-star team over the next couple of years.

1B: Daric Barton-
Despite his extreme struggles this year at the plate, he still has to be considered the leading candidate to start at firstbase for at least the 2009 season. Whether he is the future beyond that, will largely be determined by how he performs in 09. Despite his poor offensive production, he has actually been respectable defensively. This is a positive sign because many questioned whether he would be able to stay at first defensively. If he can minimize his occasional mental lapses, I fully believe he can be above average there. Going forward, I expect Barton to make a few adjustments to his swing and hit similar to how Ryan Sweeney is hitting, which is around .300, with a OBP close to .400. If he is ever going to develop power, I don't expect it to be next year. However, the hope is that he can at least hit 10 hr's next year- and hopefully 20-25 down the road.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS: Wes Bankston-
Bankston appears to have more power potential. However, it will almost certainly come with a .240-.250 average and a lot of strikeouts. They might make it an open competition between the 2 next year in order to motivate Barton to earn the position- something they didn't do last year. However, It's hard to believe the A's wouldn't give Barton the job next year to see if he is the real deal. If Barton has not made significant strides through the half way point of next season, he might be quickly supplanted by surging top 1b prospect Sean Doolittle.

2B: Eric Patterson-
The way this season is developing, I just don't see us retaining Mark Ellis beyond 2008. Patterson would represent the best internal option as he is hitting .330 in AAA with decent pop, as well as, showing decent plate dicipline and excellent basestealing ability. His defense at 2b is questionable. However, he has the physical skills to play a solid 2b and I think the chance to claim a starting job in spring training will cause him to make the necessary adjustments to make sure he can be at least average defensively there. Down the road, he might be better served as a versitile utility man.

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Sign Mark Ellis- will be shocked if he resigns.

3B: Eric Chavez-
As the A's increasingly become a revolving door for the A's most recognizable players- only Chavez endures.... Well... at least on paper. Chavez will once again be the starting thirdbasemen, at least in theory. However, his health is a serious cause for concern and I find it hard to believe he can hold up for more than 100 games. From 2009 on, it might be best to just relegate him to the DH role and see if they can maximize his offensive production.

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Jeff Bailey-
Internally, right now... He's it. I Know pretty depressing huh? Well you could argue that Jack Hanahan or even Brooks Conrad are options. However, I think Bailey is by far a better option after posting very solid offensive numbers up until getting injured at triple-A. This is one position where I could see us trying to go bargain shopping- in order to try to find the next Jorge Cantu. Dallas Mcpherson might be a nice player to take a waiver on... Here's hoping we trade street in order to grab LaRoche from the dodgers.

SS: Bobby Crosby
- Call me stubborn but i'm not completely off the Crosby bandwagon yet. He has been healthy this year. However, his production has fell far short of expectations. I believe, though, all he needed to prove this year is that he can stay healthy. I believe next year is when he will have his breakout year. Now what is his breakout year... Well it's no longer the all-star, even MVP- caliber ceiling that people once predicted. Instead, I expect a .275- .280 BA with 15 hr's and above average defense. I can more than live with that.
ALT OPTION: Cliff Pennington, Gregorio Petit

LF: Travis Buck
- This year cast large doubt about whether Buck is a lock to start for the A's for years to come. However, the A's will almost certainly give him next year to redeem himself. If he does, he could be a dynamic offensive play. If not- no sweat- we've got plenty other ones working their way up through the ranks
ALT OPTION: Aaron Cunningham, Matt Murton

CF: Carlos Gonzalez
- Barring a Buck-esqe sophmore slump- he has a future somewhere in the A's outfield for many years to come.

RF: Ryan Sweeney
- Sweeney might need to eventually develop that power that he strangely lacks, at the moment, in order to become a stalwart in the A's outfield for years. However, in terms of 2009, he will be leaned on heavily to be part of a young A's offense that provides a more consistent spark than this year's pathetic mix.

DH: Jack Cust
- Cust's power is a very welcome addition to a team that otherwise strongly lacks it. However, the strike outs are increasingly frustrating to watch and he is not a good fit in an offensive lineup in which people are not consistently getting on base in front of him. He is the most likely candidate to be next years DH.

Rotation:
1. Justin Duchscherer
2. Sean Gallagher
3. Greg Smith
4. Dana Eveland
5. Gio Gonzalez