Just over a month ago, as the July 31 trade deadline approached, Jason Giambi wondered if he might be on the way out of Oakland, the casualty of a small-market team electing to cash in its most valuable chip for some prospects rather than fight to the finish.

Even though he would have been traded to a contender -- who else but a contender would want a guy who can be a free agent at the end of the year? -- Giambi was bummin' hard. All the uncertainty of being at the club's mercy. Not knowing what might happen.

Besides, moving to a team that got into contention without him would not have been nearly as satisfying as getting there with the guys he grew up with.

"We had to build from within here," Giambi says, "and I hate to say this, but we took it in the butt for a few years. Losing 97 games a few years ago, we were terrible, but at the same time we were able to develop young players quickly, because we let them learn in the big leagues. Along the way, we also learned how to win together."

Giambi, last year's AL MVP, led the A's to an AL West title and all the way to a fifth game with the Yankees in the ALDS. The A's entered 2001 as the pick of many (including ESPN The Magazine) to put an end to the Yankee dynasty.

But for four months -- mostly due to the Mariners' epic season -- it looked like they might not get a shot at post-season redemption. That's when the rumbling began. Would Giambi be dealt away for prospects? With Giambi's contract unresolved, and the possibility of losing him at the end of the season and getting nothing in return becoming very real, GM Billy Beane had a decision to make. Deal with Giambi now or later?

Later.

Instead of trading away a star, Beane brought in a star, Jermaine Dye, the A's started sizzling and, with the season heading down the stretch, well, they're now so far ahead in the wild-card race they're about a week away from setting their rotation for the post-season. If the current standings hold up, they'll face the Yankees in the ALDS.

So, that solves one problem and buys the A's time to prepare for the next one, as in what's next for Giambi? Will Beane be able to keep the most important A around?

Giambi says he hopes so. A free-agent move may help pad his bank account, but he knows it will be impossible to go to a team where so much is so good.

"I've never had so much fun playing baseball," Giambi says. "Not even in Pony League. I love being the guy. That's exciting, to have guys expecting me to get the big hit or draw the big walk. I love being in that situation. The biggest thing I love around here is the respect I get from my teammates. Money's not going to be the determining factor for me. But if I'm going to take less, I want a no-trade. By no-trade I don't mean I would refuse to be traded, but I will want to have a say in where I go if there comes a time when they have to move me ... this time I want to be able to have some say as to where."

Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at jeff.bradley@espnmag.com.