A's trade Purcey to ready bullpen for Bailey

May 27, 2011GUTIERREZ ARCHIVEA'S PAGEA'SVIDEOPaul Gutierrez
CSNCalifornia.com

As he packed his bag late Thursday afternoon in the Angel Stadium visitors clubhouse, there seemed to be a sense of finality to David Purcey that went beyond the A's finishing up a four-game series with the SoCal rivals.There was a sense the the left-handed reliever was soon to be gone from the A's plans, that he would be the one headed to the chopping block when two-time All-Star closer Andrew Bailey was ready to join the big club.Friday, the notion of Purcey leaving Oakland became reality as he was sent to Detroit for infielder Scott Sizemore in a move that is more about clearing space in the bullpen for Bailey's eventual return than it is for adding infield depth at triple-A Sacramento, which is where Sizemore is headed, or giving right-hander Bobby Cramer another shot at the big leagues, since he was the one called up to take Purcey's place on the A's 25-man roster.
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Plus, it's just as easy to send Cramer, who has been stretched out as a starter with the River Cats but just came off the disabled list with a stained oblique, back to Sacramento when Bailey is ready. And the A's received some value for Purcey in a trade, rather than losing him in waivers with nothing to show for it, which they most likely would have.The A's already have a second baseman of the future in Jemile Weeks (.322, eight stolen bases) and while Adrian Cardenas (.351, 78 total bases) would seemingly be a fit at third base, he's been playing in left field and as the Cats' DH.So yes, the Purcey-for-Sizemore deal is about getting the bullpen ready for Bailey.