Is This the New Moneyball?

The annual General Managers meetings are taking place in Milwaukee right now. This is usually a time for the first wave of action of the offseason; an appetizer, really, for the main course that comes during the Winter Meetings in December. There is occasionally a big move made during this week, but more often it’s the journeymen getting signed early, and the foundations that are laid in trade and free agent discussions. Foundations that will lead to deal being finalized down the road.

So far, it’s been just what we expected; lots of talk about the bigger names, but little action there. The free agents that have signed haven’t exactly shifted the balance of power across the league. When the headliners are Matt Treanor, Jamey Carroll, and Mark Kotsay, what would you expect.

But if nothing else, at least we got a laugh this afternoon when Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweeted about a strange meeting between club and agent.

"Source: A’s met today with Ponson’s agent."

Yep, you read that right. The Oakland Athletics, or at least some member of their front office, met with the agent representing former big league hurler Sidney Ponson. Yes, that Sidney Ponson.

As Craig Calcaterra said on HarballTalk, “I’m going to assume for the sake of my sanity that the A’s official in question is the brother-in-law or college roommate of Ponson’s agent and that the meeting was a social affair.”

That’s really the only logical explanation here. Ponson hasn’t thrown a pitch in the big leagues since 2009 and hasn’t posted an ERA below 5.00 since 2003. Seriously.

And I have no idea why Ponson even still has an agent, unless it’s for booking whatever appearances those that have been knighted in the Netherlands are expected to make. I can’t imagine how Ponson has anything to offer any major league club, on or off the field.

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