"So many teams want to talk to the A's about their pitchers that general manager Billy Beane said it's hard to schedule them all.

"I feel like the hottest prom date here," Beane said Monday, the first day of baseball's winter meetings.

The A's first order of business this winter, however, remains getting a stadium in San Jose, and the team believes the process is gaining momentum, though the Giants hold the territorial rights to San Jose.

"I'm optimistic because this seems to be the most tangible solution we've had since I've been here," Beane said of the potential downtown site near HP Pavilion."