I spoke to a member of the A's front office who is doubtful that deals of this nature will be allowed to go through because they so clearly run counter to specific rules. And Oakland is not considering trying to orchestrate such a deal with the White Sox to try to get shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who is also a Type-A free agent.

For one thing, the A's would lose a second-round pick to Chicago rather than a first-round pick if they were to sign Cabrera, and the source told me that losing a second-rounder is not something that would squash a deal.The A's aren't concerned with it at all. Cabrera's wish for a $9 million-plus salary, though? That could kill things.