A's didn't feel pressured to make deadline deal

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The perception is that you must make a trade on July 31. The public sentiment is that a move to add a player or two -- or in some cases three -- creates a distinction that separates a team from contender to pretender. With all the hype, frenzy, unbelievable rumors, and in some cases feverish refreshing on twitter, it is understandable that some fans of the Oakland A's felt slighted when the team didn't make a move. Then there is how the team feels about it. The A's are 34-16 since June 2 -- the best record in baseball over that span. So far they have succeeded beyond even the wildest expectations of the fans and predictions of anyone in the media. That might explain why they weren't compelled to act. "We said all along that we had to be respectful of the group that's here and how well they've played," A's assistant general manager David Forst said. "A lot of our success has come because of the young players and we were going to be protective of those guys."PRATT: No move could be a good move for A's
The A's have had a lot of success indeed. They are currently 10 games over .500 and occupy the first Wild Card spot in the American League. Just because they didn't make a trade at one o'clock on July 31, it doesn't mean they aren't going for it."The goal is to play in the postseason," Forst said. "We are shooting for the division. I know if you ask Bob Melvin he'll tell you that his sights are set on Anaheim and Texas. You have to get into the postseason any way you can."Not making a move wasn't for lack of effort. They team was actively placing and fielding calls. Naturally, none of the juicy details of any of the conversations with other teams were shared. So are the A's equipped to make a postseason run after not adding any help at the deadline? The players certainly think so. "I can't imagine anyone in here would be disappointed," Brandon Inge said. "What more could we have done? Since we've had this core group, what more can we do? The A's are clicking on all cylinders. They've already clinched a franchise best July record, going 19-4 this month with one game to play. They weren't exactly desperate to make a trade.
"We just didn't feel like with what was out there and what we would have to look to give up, that it was worth making a move right now," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I think the chemistry and everything else that's going on right now came into play with that decision as well."Just because the non-waiver trade deadline has passed doesn't mean the team won't make a move. In fact, they said they are going to be actively pursuing ways to make the team better yet. "Starting tomorrow we'll monitor that market and see what the options are going forward," Forst said. "Just because we are past this deadline doesn't mean something can't happen down the road if we feel like there is a deficiency or something we need to address," Melvin said. The A's chief competition -- the Rangers and Angels -- made some moves at the deadline. Texas added Ryan Dempster to the starting rotation, the Angels added Zack Greinke. The moves don't have the A's shaking in their white cleats. "If you want to compare pitching, I'll take what we have," Melvin said. With a 3.44 ERA the A's already have the best pitching in the American League. Plus, Oakland will be countering the pitching of their division rivals by adding two quality pitchers of their own. They don't have to trade for them, they just have to reinstate them from the disabled list. Brett Anderson threw 73 pitches in a rehab start on Tuesday, and Brandon McCarthy tossed 66 pitches on Monday night. McCarthy may make one more rehab start before being activated. Anderson is right around the corner.They may not have been buyers, but at least they weren't sellers.

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