Lost in all the other madness of one of baseball's craziest overnights ever, did you notice that the low-budget, low-expectations A's moved percentage points ahead of the Angels and into second place in the American League West?

And that they still had a bad night?

The problem was that other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers, and their stunning late-night deal for Hanley Ramirez.

The A's, as it turns out, were also in heavy on Hanley. And, according to sources, the Marlins offered Oakland a sweet deal within the last few days, one in which the A's would get Ramirez for a couple of minor-league players -- and the Marlins would pay about half the remaining money on Ramirez's contract.

The A's held off making the deal, because of concerns about a hand injury that kept him out of the lineup until Tuesday night. In the meantime, the Dodgers came in and agreed to take Ramirez's entire contract -- all $40 million of it.

That's great for the suddenly fire-selling Marlins. It's awful for the suddenly competitive A's.

The A's are still looking to add, and they do have backup plans. They've been scouting Stephen Drew, have had interest in Yunel Escobar, and have even kicked around the possibility of trying to bring hometown kid Jimmy Rollins back to Oakland.

But none of those options excite them the way a possible Hanley trade did.

Not only that, but another of Tuesday night/Wednesday morning's huge stories could pose a problem for the A's. With Alex Rodriguez headed to the disabled list with a broken hand, the Yankees suddenly become a contender for any third baseman that shows up on the market.