Small-Market A’s Have Incentive

With labor negotiations just around the corner, the Oakland A’s are trying to spoil the owners’ argument that only the rich teams are eligible for the postseason spoils.

If they’re able to knock off the New York Yankees in the division series, the A’s can debunk the notion of competitive imbalance, proving that money is not always the deciding factor in building a championship team.

The Yankees have a payroll of about $115 million, the second highest in the majors to the Dodgers. The A’s are relative paupers at about $40 million, the lowest of any of the eight playoff teams.

Despite the small-market payroll, the A’s were still able to add Johnny Damon last winter and Jermaine Dye this summer, strengthening an already solid lineup.

A’s General Manager Billy Beane says he prefers operating on a low budget.

“It forces us to be very creative,” Beane said before pointing to his tie. “If I had a $100-million payroll, I’d have to wear one of these every day.”

Beane looked most uncomfortable in his suit and tie, and said if he worked for a megabucks organization like the Yankees, he’d have a clause inserted in his contract allowing him to wear shorts.

His counterpart, Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman, has more cash to play around with but also has the added pressure of having to win it all year after year.

Like Yankee Manager Joe Torre, Cashman is waiting to see whether he’ll be invited back next year, despite the Yankees’ three straight championships.

Beane, meanwhile, has to make little moves and hope they come out big in the end.

“I can trade for a Cory Lidle and make him a fourth starter,” he said. “Brian can’t. They’d run him out of town. ... That’s an advantage we have. You can be very aggressive and you have opportunities and you get to take some chances.”

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New York bound? Speculation is that the Yankees will make a run at A’s free-agent superstar Jason Giambi this winter, targeting him as a replacement for first baseman Tino Martinez. Giambi knows this and hasn’t downplayed his affection for the Big Apple.

“I get a lot of free drinks in this town,” he said. “Of course, I’m not shy, that’s for sure.”

Beane considered trading Giambi after the A’s woeful start, but was ultimately rewarded by his decision to hang tight to see if his team could turn it around. If Giambi leaves he could take the heart out of the A’s, but Beane has heard that tune before.

“We lost Mark McGwire in ‘97, and he is arguably the greatest power hitter in the last 30 years,” he said. “We were no longer supposed to exist as a franchise after that. [Giambi’s status] is overwritten as a subject. We’d like to keep Jason, but for now we’d like to talk about the playoffs.”