DETROIT -- Determined to take long looks at the many rookies on their roster over the regular season's final few weeks, the A's on Tuesday released popular veteran first baseman Mike Sweeney.
The move was made to make room on the 40-man roster for third baseman Jeff Baisley, who was called up from Triple-A Sacramento to join the 13 other rookies on Oakland's active roster.
That number will jump to 14 when right-hander Sean Gallagher is activated from the disabled list on Wednesday to start in the finale of a three-game series against the host Tigers at Comerica Park.
"Mike's had a great career, and hopefully he'll catch on with someone else," A's manager Bob Geren said. "It's just at that point in the season where we're giving some more young guys a chance to show what they can do."
Sweeney, 35, spent nearly three months on the DL and underwent surgery on both knees on June 11. He was activated from the DL last Wednesday in Kansas City, where he spent the first 13 years of his career, and was batting .286 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 42 games when he was released.
"When Mike was healthy, he was one of the better right-handed bats in the league; that's what attracted us to him in the first place," Oakland general manager Billy Beane told MLB.com by phone. "But this is a critical time for getting some of these young guys in there. These decisions are rarely easy, especially when you're talking about a class act like Mike Sweeney, but it's a decision we had to make in looking toward 2009 and beyond."
Sweeney, whose knees will require offseason microfracture surgery, said he was thankful for the opportunity he was given by the A's, who signed him to a Minor League deal in February after he'd played in fewer than half the Royals' games in 2006 and 2007.
He also expressed thanks to the organization for activating him from the DL in time to play last week in Kansas City, where he made five All-Star teams and was one of the most popular players in franchise history.
He did not, however, pull any punches when asked about the decision to release him.
"It was [surprising]; it's a little weird," he said after addressing his former teammates in a closed meeting before Tuesday's game against the Tigers. "Do I agree with their decision? Absolutely not. It's a horrible decision. But it's a business decision, and the hierarchy of the Oakland A's has been making decisions like this for a long time. That's why some people think what they do is great, and some people think what they do is bad."
Sweeney, who hustled his way to a double on Friday in Baltimore in what turned out to be his final at-bats with the A's, said he was given the option of being placed on the 60-day DL or being released. Going on the 60-day DL would have allowed Sweeney, whose base salary was $500,000, to continue receiving paychecks, but he wasn't comfortable with taking money he wasn't going to earn on the field
"That's not who I am," he said. "I'm 100 percent healthy to play right now. My last at-bat in Baltimore showed them I'm healthy. I just said, 'Release me.'"
Sweeney also noted that he was "a handful of days" from cashing in on a contract incentive based on his total number of days on Oakland's active roster, saying the bonus was "a significant amount."
"But by no means am I a victim in this," he added. "I'm blessed to have had another opportunity to put the uniform on."
A source told MLB.com that the incentive was for $250,000. Asked if he wanted to respond to Sweeney's comment about the incentive, Beane politely declined.
"This was a case of us wanting to look at Baisley," he said. "Out of respect for Mike, I'd prefer to just leave it at that. Mike was a class act from Day 1 with us. Everybody, including himself, was disappointed with the injuries he's had."
Sweeney said he'd try to catch on with another team for the rest of the season, but he admitted that "the chances are slim." He's said the same thing about the chances of him playing in 2009 after the microfracture surgeries, and if his career is over, it ends with a lifetime batting average of .299 and 199 career home runs.
"I would love to have an opportunity to reach those milestones, but if I don't get it, I'm excited about the next chapter in my life," he said. "Numbers don't define who I am."
Baisley, who batted .298 with nine homers and 44 RBIs in 81 games with Sacramento this season, arrived in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon and started at third base. As he headed down the clubhouse tunnel for his first big league batting practice, Sweeney was headed out the opposite end of the tunnel, perhaps for the last time as a big leaguer.
"I have no regrets," Sweeney said. "When you work hard you're whole career, you can look yourself in the mirror with your head held high, and I've done that. I played the game hard, and I never cheated in the steroids and greenies era.
"I can look myself in the mirror knowing that I played 100 percent, 100 percent of the time."
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