Why does Kotsay play?
Alright, so my blog posts about the A's are mostly negative and it seems I jump from one guy to another to rip to shreds. Here's the thing: it's not that I can't be happy, there's just a handful of guys on this roster (or who were on the roster) who should never play ever ever.

Mark Kotsay is one of those guys.

Mark Kotsay is old, bad, and broken. Dan Johnson is young, solid, and healthy. Dan Johnson gets on base 36% of the time. Mark Kotsay gets on base 28.5% of the time. Johnson has a little pop (.424 SLG, which is .004 above league average). Mark Kotsay swings a bat like he just got popped in the face (.317 SLG).

Mark Kotsay is formerly one of the best defensive CFs in baseball. Now, he's average. He's had back surgeries slow him down. Johnson is a very capable first baseman. In the middle of this is Nick Swisher, a guy fully capable of playing both spots well enough.

So why does Kotsay play? Is it his insane contract? Is it his "leadership"? Or does Bob Geren just not have a clue about the sport of baseball?

Things that make you go, "Hmmmmm."