Money Changes Everything

Revenue sharing money has changed the Billy Beane Athletics.

It is clear now, after the signing of 16-year-old Dominican pitcher Michael Inoa for a record $4.25 million, that the "Moneyball" era was borne more of necessity, the need to keep pace with competitors perceived as rich, than anything else. With revenue sharing money, Beane can make bold moves like this.

And that's fine, in fact, "Moneyball" explains how Beane looked at the A's balance sheet one day and saw red ink down the road, and Presto!, you have the Jeremy Brown signing.

But with the money comes higher expectations. People will expect Beane to beat Theo Epstein and the other stat-geek MBAs, and soon.

It's certainly possible, but sometimes these bold plays don't work out. Just ask the Yankees what happened to Brien Taylor.

Here is where the Beane genius tag will get tested. Nobody expected the A's to win when they were poor. Now that the landscape is evening out somewhat, people will expect a World Series appearance. Hell, they probably have all along.

The A's are still third from the bottom in terms of payroll. They are still technically "poor", but the Tampa Bay Rays, who are even poorer, currently lead the mighty Red Sox. I love the A's ability to find cheap talent where no other team other can. We will see if their more expensive picks like Inoa and Jemile Weeks work out.

For now, Inoa will work in the Dominican Summer League, along with well over 500 other pitchers, many of whom will be barely 17 years old. The average age in the DSL is 19. We will see if Inoa can rise above the competition here and justify the A's massive investment.