As a die hard A’s fan, I can empathize with any fan of a losing team. But I definitely don’t envy Astros fans. While the A’s don’t have the financial means to load up their roster with proven talent, there’s always a boatload of talent in the farm system. Remember, they’re only 4 years removed from an LCS appearance, and guys like Andrew Bailey, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, Daric Barton, Chris Carter, and Michael Taylor give plenty of reason to believe they’ll be back sooner or later. And while I’m waiting for the front office to trade away a guy like Coco Crisp or Michael Wuertz (hopefully Wuertz), the Astros have already gotten started. Frankly, it’s about time. They’re clearly headed nowhere, so it really made no sense for them to hang on to Roy Oswalt. While it’s still to be seen whether or not they move Carlos Lee – I doubt there’s any takers – or Lance Berkman, they’ve at least brought in some young guys who may play a significant role if and when they decide to rebuild, because they need to. In other trade news….

The Padres picked up Miguel Tejada, but I’m not sure what role he’s going to fill. I can’t see them replacing Chase Headley, so Everth Cabrera is going to be the loser in this move, but he’s hitting .199, so Tejada should be an upgrade at the plate. But are they expecting Miggy to play shortstop? Not sure what they’re envisioning there, but maybe it puts pressure on the Giants and Dodgers to make a move as well.

The Rangers acquired Jorge Cantu, which makes more sense in the short term, since Ian Kinsler is headed to the DL. They already swung a deal for Cliff Lee, so making it clear they plan to hold on to the top spot in the AL West.

The Twins picked up Matt Capps, which doesn’t excite me, but may have been the smartest move by any of these teams thus far – except of course the Phillies getting Oswalt. But Capps will move into the closer role, demoting Jon Rauch to setup duties. Your move, White Sox.