The Landon Powell Era begins

As per the Drumbeat it appears as though the A's will have a new backup catcher in 2009. That makes sense when you consider that backup catchers usually have a shelf life of like one year. Bowen would be going into his third season with the team which means he's like 87 in backup catcher years. That's just not going to work.

Subsequently, Bowen has reportedly been placed on waivers. It remains unclear whether the A's plan to trade the 28-year-old switch hitter, or if they hope to slip him through waivers and send him to Sacramento.

I'd prefer the latter, as Bowen's apparent replacement--Landon Powell--has had a little trouble staying healthy. When he's out there, however, he's been pretty good with the bat and has a reputation for being a fine receiver. It will be interesting to see what Landon can do with approximately three to five at-bats per week.

Anyways, the only time I saw the 27-year-old in person was last spring at Papago Park, and it was really an amazing sight. Powell was injured, and I could not believe how, um, large he was. Like huge.

I guess getting rid of Bowen would somewhat alleviate the organizational catching log jam, but I can't imagine the team will receive much in return. What would you like to see happen to Bowen? Send him to Triple-A, trade, or release?