Oakland Tribune sports writer Monte Poole got my attention this morning when he wrote that Billy Beane is gearing up to make a serious offer to the Marlins for right hander AJ Burnett.

I love the trade.

Who would the A’s give up and what are the benefits of such a move?

Number one it keeps Burnett from joining the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, or the White Sox, teams that will be either in the playoffs or in the mix right down to the end of the season.

Click below for more on the possiblity of adding Burnett to the A’s!Second reason: Burnett can win the division race for Oakland. The Angels are dying a slow death on the field.

Anaheim has stopped hitting and its starting rotation is becoming more wobbly each day.

Steve Finley hasn’t hit yet. Vladimir Guerrero is banged up again. Darrin Erstad is struggling. Garret Anderson has a sore knee and can’t drive the ball. Dallas McPherson is gone for another month.

Bengie Molina is the hottest hitter they have and that says it all about the Anaheim offense.

Paul Byrd and Ervin Santana are mysteries every time they start a game on the hill.

Who knows when Kelvim Escobar will be back?

Scott Shields and K Rod are used in just about every game the Angels win because every game is close without the Angels scoring many runs.

The Angels need a hitter, a starter, and bull pen help.

If they pulled the trigger on a Marlin deal they could get outfielder Juan Encarnacion, AJ Burnett, and perhaps Guillermo Mota for the pen.

Anaheim has the prospects to make this deal happen.

The A’s should step in and prevent the deal from going down.

Boston will fight it out with the Yankees and who knows who else in the AL East.

With Matt Clement shaky after being hit in the ear with a line drive the other night and Curt Schilling stuck in the bull pen, Boston needs Burnett very badly.

Boston could plug Burnett into the rotation to join David Wells, a recovering Clement, and Tim Wakefield. Not great, but think of their pitching without Burnett.

Bronson Arroyo would go to Florida in the deal plus two other top minor league prospects.

The Yankees are dreaming about Burnett, but will have to settle for Shawn Chacon, Al Leiter, Aaron Small, and Hideo Nomo to make up the back end of the rotation.

The Big Unit, Mike Mussina, and Carl Pavano (who hasn’t looked good all year when healthy) should be available for the stretch run and perhaps Jaret Wright will be back too.

The Yankees and the Red Sox can hit, but pitching weaknesses will keep this entire division close.

If the A’s get the division crown, they could be playing New York or Boston in the first round.

The Angels might hang on for the wild card.

If that’s the case get ready for A’s- Yankees or most likely A’s- Boston.

If the wild card came out of the East, then Oakland would get Chicago first.

If somehow the wild card came out of the Central, then it’s probably. A’s – White Sox.

How about Harden, Zito, and Burnett against the White Sox, a team the A’s have beaten 7 of 9 this season?

The White Sox want Burnett for their rotation. They will need a fourth starter in the playoffs and don’t trust Jose Contreras and El Duque with the money on the line.

Burnett would cost Chicago reliever Damaso Marte and other top prospects including Brandon Mc- Carthy, Chicago’s top pitching hope who flamed out in his big league trial earlier this season.

The A’s should jump quickly with both feet.

If the A’s do what I think they will, that is get Burnett, just watch the other teams go head over heels for Jason Schmidt.

Joe Mays is the other pitcher on the market, but he would have very little impact on the race.

Oakland can upset the balance of power with a bold move.

They should go for it without a doubt.

Then buy your world series tickets early because you’ll see the series here in October.

Thanks Monte Poole, that was quite a scoop this morning!