Best move was not to make any

In other words, at some point, a team must stop rebuilding and focus on building a team.

Oakland's lone deal -- the trade of reliever Brad Ziegler to the Arizona Diamondbacks -- was a good move. The A's are overloaded in the bullpen and maybe this move will allow the organization to find some balance and roles for those still healthy enough to pitch.

Of the everyday players, the A's biggest recent blunder was dealing Carlos Gonzalez to Colorado for Matt Holliday. Now, not only is Holliday thriving in St. Louis, Gonzalez is emerging as one of the top young players in the game.

But the way the team is currently constituted, I think the A's have some pieces in place. While the pitching staff is going through some growing -- as well as actual, physical -- pains, the lineup might actually accomplish something if left intact. Center fielder Coco Crisp and Josh Willingham -- who were both rumored to be on the trading block -- are having decent seasons. Crisp has a career high in steals already this season and he is proving that if he stays healthy -- which has always been the knock on him -- he can jump-start an offense at the top of the order.

While Hideki Matsui may have the reputation of a being a feared slugger, it's Willingham who provides the thump in the Oakland lineup. He's hit 15 bombs so far this season and has driven in 58 runs.

Chad Pennington is proving to be a solid shortstop, while outfielder Ryan Sweeney is quietly putting together a solid season in limited opportunities.

The must-keep player for the A's is rookie second baseman Jemile Weeks, who has to be in the running for American League Rookie of the Year honors. He is the A's most electric newcomer since the Jason Giambi-Miguel Tejada and the "Three Aces" era of the early 2000s. Weeks is batting close to .300 and has been a lockdown presence at second base.

Taken as a whole, it seems the A's have some solid, Major League talent on their roster, who, if kept together, might take the A's to the next level. Remember, the A's were the pick of many national baseball writers to win the AL West this season. The A's just haven't gotten their pitching and hitting on the same page, and with all the injuries to the Oakland pitching staff, the playoffs are not in the cards for this season.

But if the pitching staff gets healthy for 2012, and the everyday players gain experience with one another for the rest of this year, there is nothing to say the A's couldn't contend next year.

***

This announcement may be a couple of weeks old, but figured I should give the readers an update.

As you might remember, the family made the gut-wrenching decision to put our beloved dog Cosmo down a couple of months ago.

Well, a couple weeks ago, we welcomed a new addition to the family: a Lab-mix we've named Jake. He just turned five months old this week and is the mellowest dog I think I may have ever seen. He loves to cuddle up with anyone willing to sit with him, and is quick to present belly rub opportunities.

I started thinking of adopting a new dogs just weeks after Cosmo's passing, and after a pow-wow with the family, we decided the time was right now to adopt a new dog.

It didn't take us long to identify Jake, who was part of a rescue operation out of the Fresno area, who happened to set up an adoption site in front of PetSmart near my house. The original plan was to go to the shelter, but we saw this little guy and everyone in the family agreed he was the one.

Our daughter is really in love with him and has been very helpful in taking care of Jake and she really feels Jake is her dog.

While Jake won't replace Cosmo, he does allow us to create new memories with a new family member.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117. You can also follow him on Twitter@CheckkThissOutt.