Fellow Forum colleague Brent Rogness pointed this out to me. Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane has gotten quite a haul from his initial trade that sent pitcher Mark Mulder to the St. Louis Cardinals. Mulder is now broken down and his future is in doubt. Here’s what Brent sent me:

What have the A’s done since getting Mulder’s best years out of him and then dealing away? Take a look…

A’s trade – Mulder and Connor Robertson
A’s get – Dan Haren, Daric Barton, and Kiko Calero

A’s trade – Dan Haren
A’s get – Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Aaron Cunningham, Greg Smith, Dana Eveland, Chris Carter

A’s trade – Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, Huston Street
A’s get – Matt Holliday

So, in essence, by trading Mark Mulder and a Huston Street (who couldn’t even hold down the closer’s role last year), the A’s now have the following players:

Brett Anderson (highly regarded left-handed starter who played on Olympic team)
Daric Barton (still considered a decent prospect)
Kiko Calero (has proven to be a good reliever)
Aaron Cunningham (hit well over .300 with 66 RBI and 17 homers in AA and AAA last year)
Chris Carter (21 yrs old; 39 home runs, 104 RBI in A+ ball last year)
Dana Eveland (A Goethe villain who destroyed his fantasy team last year, but a solid lefty, 9-9 with 4.34 ERA last year)
Matt Holliday (2007 runner-up for NL MVP award)

With early signing under way, it’s worth pointing out that the University of Minnesota has landed its second straight highly ranked recruiting class.

Scout.com ranks it No. 11 in the nation, while rivals.com ranks it No. 22, according to the Star Tribune’s Myron Medcalf.

The two prized recruits are both Minnesotans in 6-foot-7 forward Royce White and 6-foot-5 guard Rodney Williams. Both players are ranked in the top 30 of the 2009 class by ESPNU.

White is considered the more polished of the two players, but Williams is very explosive.

Here’s videos of both. Williams’ video is pretty sweet.

Royce White #33

Rodney Williams #22