The A’s have dealt 27-year old righty swinging infielder Steven Tolleson to the Padres for cash considerations. Tolleson played in 46 games in AAA-ball this year for the A’s and he was 48 for 175 (.274 avg, .782 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 5 homers, 19 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He played in 25 games for the A’s last year and he was 14 for 49 (.286 avg, .748 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. The A’s really didn’t need Tolleson after acquiring Scott Sizemore over the weekend from the Tigers.

The A’s have acquired 26-year old righty swinging 2B Scott Sizemore from the Tigers for 29-year old lefty reliever David Purcey. Sizemore played in 17 games for the Tigers earlier this year and he was 14 for 63 (.222 avg, .567 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has played in 65 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 46 for 206 (.223 avg, .612 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 3 homers, 18 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The A’s have sent Sizemore to AAA, but if he gets hot in the minors and Mark Ellis continues to struggle, he could get a chance soon with the A’s. David Purcey pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the A’s this year and he was 0-0 with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. The A’s have a lot of lefty relievers in the system, so they shouldn’t miss Pauley much.

31-year old lefty swinging outfielder David DeJesus has been ripping the ball so far in May. He has played in 22 games so far in May and he is 23 for 76 (.303 avg, .963 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 4 homers and 11 RBIs. He has also been very disciplined at the plate as he has walked 9 times while only whiffing 7 times so far this month. DeJesus has now played in 46 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 43 for 166 (.259 avg, .741 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 4 homers and 19 RBIs. The A’s need DeJesus to stay hot with the bat as they are having trouble scoring runs.

Sidewinding righty closer Dennis Eckersley got into Baseball’ Hall of Fame in 2004 based mostly on his time with the A’s. In 1990, Eckersley was simply amazing as he worked in 63 games (0 starts) in which he was 4-2 with 48 saves, a 0.61 ERA and a 0.61 WHIP. He only gave up 41 hits while walking 4 batters in 73 1/3 innings and he whiffed 73 batters showing just how nasty he was in 1990. In 1992, Eckersley won both the Cy Young and MVP Awards in the American League. Eckersley pitched in 69 games (0 starts) in 1992 for the A’s and he was 7-1 with 51 saves, a 1.91 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He pitched in 525 games (2 starts) in his 9 years with the A’s and he was 41-31 with 320 saves, a 2.74 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Eckersley made 4 All-Star teams in his 9 years with the A’s. He is still the A’s all-time leader in games pitched (525), saves (320) and WHIP (0.95). He is also #9 in A’s history in ERA with a 2.74 mark. Eckersley was one of the best pitchers in A’s history.

The A’s have designated 27-year old lefty reliever Jerry Blevins for assignment. Blevins has pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the A’s this year and he was 0-0 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. He has pitched in 140 games (0 starts) in five years with the A’s and he was 3-5 with 1 save, a 4.02 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. The A’s should have no problem finding a trade partner for Blevins as lefty relievers are hard to come by. The A’s needed Blevins’ roster spot for 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Josh Outman who has been promoted to join the starting rotation. Outman has pitched in 8 games (all starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 4-1 with a 4.78 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. Outman has walked 27 batters in 37 2/3 innings in the minors this year as he was continuing his rehab from Tommy John Surgery. But, Outman’s velocity has returned and not many lefty starting pitchers throw harder than him. Outman last pitched in the majors back in 2009 with the A’s. He has pitched in 20 games (16 starts) in parts of two years with the A’s and he is 5-3 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

The A’s have signed 31-year old lefty starter/reliever Lenny DiNardo to a minor league deal. He was pitching in the Independent League. DiNardo has pitched six years in the majors and he has appeared in 94 games (34 starts) in which he is 10-18 with a 5.36 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. DiNardo pitched with the A’s back in 2007 + 2008. DiNardo pitched in 46 games (22 starts) in his first two years with the A’s and he is 9-12 with a 4.61 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. If DiNardo gets off to a good start in the minors, the A’s might give him a call.

The Oakland A’s have placed 27-year old righty starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy and 24-year old righty Tyson Ross on the 15-day disabled list. McCarthy has a stress reaction in his right shoulder and Ross has a left oblique strain. McCarthy has pitched in 9 games (all starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 1-4 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Ross has pitched in 9 games (6 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 3-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. The A’s will miss both of these guys as they were more than holding down the #4 and #5 spots in the starting rotation.

35-year old lefty reliever Brian Fuentes has been up and down working as the A’s closer so far this year. Fuentes has pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 1-4 with 9 saves, a 3.98 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Righty closer Andrew Bailey is ready to go out on a rehab assignment soon and when he’s ready to return to the A’s bullpen, he’s going to bump Fuentes back to being a set-up man. Fuentes will likely excel in a set-up role as he won’t have to pitch to as many righty batters.

33-year old right swinging starting 2B Mark Ellis played well in 2010 for the A’s. He played in 124 games for the A’s last year and he was 127 for 436 (.291 avg, .739 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 5 homers, 49 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The A’s thought that Ellis would be solid again for them in 2011, but that just hasn’t been the case yet. Ellis has played in 39 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 26 for 134 (.194 avg, .490 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 0 homers, 6 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Ellis has been a solid player for the A’s for a long time, so he likely has until at least the All-Star break to turn things around before the team even thinks of replacing him.

27-year old righty reliever is battling back from Tommy John Surgery which wrecked both his 2009 and 2010 seasons. He is looking really good in AAA-ball right now as he is angling to get called back up to the A’s. Devine has pitched in 8 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 3-0 with 1 save, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.43 WHIP. He has only given up 4 hits while whiffing 13 batters in his first 9 1/3 innings in the minors and he hasn’t walked any batters! Devine last pitched for the A’s back in 2008. He has pitched in 67 games (0 starts) in parts of four years in the minors and he is 7-2 with 1 save, a 2.48 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.