He can sell refrigerators in the Arctic. He can peddle igloos at the equator. Billy Beane has done it again.

The A’s needed a closer to quell the unrest among the pitching staff. The team needed a top flight reliever to stop their free fall through the standings.

Bingo! The A’s ship two prospects who had no foreseeable future with the organization to Kansas City for the plum of the trade market, Carlos Beltran.

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The A’s, knowing Houston’s offense needed a jump start, then packaged Beltran to the Astros for its closer Octavio Dotel. Houston, with manager Jimy Williams on the hot seat, quickly jumped at the chance to add Beltran, one of the best players in the game, to its stalled attack

The result for Oakland: the A’s can move 9 million dollar set up man Arthur Rhodes back to the role he does best, that is getting lefties out in the eighth inning. Rhodes becomes an expensive set up man for a team that doesn’t throw money around, but what else can you do?

With the addition of Dotel, the A’s now have a strong bullpen. The kind of bullpen they should have had to start the season. Relievers Chad Bradford, Ricardo Rincon, Jim Mecir and Rhodes should be able to get the ball to the new closer.

The A’s could further help themselves if they could pry hardthrowing righty reliever Duaner Sanchez from the Dodgers for a minor league hitter, then add him to the late inning mix. If they could make that deal, the Oakland bullpen would be set for the summer.

Dotel was not the dominant closer Houston had hoped he would be this season. In fact, many in baseball thought Brad Lidge was a safer choice for the Astros in the ninth inning. However, Dotel does give the A’s a reliever who throws the ball in the upper 90’s. One who can get righties or lefties out with a big time, major league fastball.

I love the deal!

The Angels have trouble beating lefthanders. Hard to understand with all the righthanded pop they have. With Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Guillen leading the way, the Angels are a fastball hitting team. Lefties who keep the ball away can beat them. When the Angels come into the Coliseum beginning Tuesday night they will face Mark Redman, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito, all lefties. Good planning by Ken Macha and Curt Young.

Baseball is finalizing plans to hold its World Cup tournament next spring. I think the timing is ridiculous. How many players are going to leave their teams in the middle of spring training to play meaningless exhibition games half way around the world?

Baseball teams plan spring training routines to the minute, beginning each February, just to get ready for a season that begins around April 1st. Who will care about a final World Cup game that might be played March 22nd?

Heck, Mark Prior may be limited to throwing 65 pitches if he pitches in that game because he would still be building arm strength for the championship season? Also, which organization is going to let an important part of the team train on his own for three weeks in March?

Baseball is so consumed with marketing the game around the world, that it is jeopardizing preparation for the regular season with this exhibition tournament. Just playing two games in Japan to start the season caused havoc for the Yankees and Devil Rays, imagine what this three week tournament will do.

Schedule it in November and maybe I’ll feel differently.

Are Padres Ryan Klesko, Brian Giles, and Phil Nevin so concerned by the spaciousness of the outfield in PETCO Park that it is effecting their game? The Padres can’t seem to figure out how to score runs in their new yard and unless they start hitting line drives into the gaps, it will continue to be a long summer for the team.

My all star pitchers:
NL: Randy Johnson, Carlos Zambrano, Danny Graves, Jason Schmidt, Carl Pavano, Armando Benitez, Tom Glavine, Roger Clemens, Eric Gagne, Eric Milton, Akinori Otsuka, and Ben Sheets.

AL: Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke, Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Buehrle, Joe Nathan, Mariano Rivera, Javier Vasquez, CC Sabathia, Freddy Garcia, Kenny Rogers, and Francisco Cordero.

Rumor has it that former Yankee Aaron Boone is about to sign with Cleveland. Can the Tribe stay with the White Sox and Twins in the Central? Not without serious bullpen help and more depth in the starting rotation, but they are in the same area code this season, which is a major improvement.

That sigh of relief you heard came from Boston as Beltran packed his bags for Houston instead of The Bronx.

Think it’s going to rain in the desert? Need an umbrella? I know someone who has them for sale.