In spite of the cold weather here in Central California, the calender dictates that baseball is about five weeks away from the first reporting of players to spring training. For the A's, that means a trip to the dry desert of Arizona. With the roster likely settled (never count out Billy Beane), it is time to start taking some preliminary looks at what might be concerning true competition in the spring for playing time on this team. Expectations will be higher, but not so much that there isn't room for someone to come off the radar and earn a spot.However, it ...
The Oakland Raiders didn’t have any players selected to the Pro Bowl, but fullback Marcel Reece was the first alternate and would go if Baltimore Ravens fullback Vonta Leach couldn’t for some reason. An injury seemed to be the likeliest reason Leach couldn’t go at the time. As it turns out, Reece will get a free trip to Hawaii, because the Ravens will play in the Super Bowl, having beaten the Broncos and Patriots on the road. Beating Peyton Manning and Tom Brady with excellent supporting casts seemed near impossible just a few weeks ago. Reece is just one of ...
In the span of a month the Oakland Athletics made moves to shore up their two weakest positions.On December 18th the A's signed star Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima. And on January 16th the A's acquired catcher John Jaso from the Seattle Mariners in a three-team trade. Suddenly, Oakland appears to have upgraded their lineup from 1-9 and are definitely showing a win-now attitude many have claimed Billy Beane and upper management did not have.So assuming the A's avoid any disaster in Spring Training injury wise (ala Scott Sizemore in 2012), the lineup seems to be improved for 2013. But what ...
After a season of regression, the Oakland Raiders really need to play their cards right in free agency and the draft. They have so many needs, there's no telling where the Raiders will start to try to fill them. Then you have that thing called the salary cap that the Raiders are around $4.5 million over. On top of that, the Raiders don't have a second- or fifth-round pick—making it seem impossible to fill all their needs. But it is definitely possible if Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie can put it all together this offseason. This is my third time putting my two cents in and I have to say it is my ...
With the recent addition of John Jaso, as well as signing all arbitration-eligible players to one-year contracts, the Oakland Athletics appear to be done with roster moves and focused on spring training.The A's, like every other team, have added some players and lost some players. The question is, have the additions cancelled out the losses?The Athletics' key losses were Jonny Gomes, Brandon McCarthy and Stephen Drew via free agency, and they also traded away Cliff Pennington and a top pitching prospect in A.J. Cole, among others.Their additions include Chris Young, who is assumed to replace Gomes as an extra outfielder. ...
After a disappointing 4-12 season in 2012, the Raiders look to copy that of the Indianapolis Colts and make an instant turnaround from one of the worst teams in the NFL to a playoff team in just one offseason. The Raiders are still over the salary cap in 2013, but are much closer to being able to spend money on big name free agents. "Personally, I think we're year away from that. We're not in a salary cap situation like last year, but we still have issues and have some decisions that have to be made before free agency, or when free agency ...
With the NFL draft only three months away, defense needs to be the main priority for the Oakland Raiders.Plain and simple.The team has talent on the offensive side of the ball, and with Greg Knapp out of the picture, the offense should be much more productive than it was last season.With such a defensively loaded draft, the Raiders are sure to add some pieces to their defense that began to find its groove towards the end of the season.Let's take a look as to how Oakland should draft once April rolls around.Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders are not in a great salary-cap situation until next year, and they have 24 free agents in 2013—17 unrestricted and free to sign with any team.At a minimum, general manager Reggie McKenzie has to re-sign or replace over a third of the roster with limited resources. If you were wondering why the Raiders couldn’t attract a top offensive coordinator, look no further than a depleted roster with limited resources to replenish it.The Raiders are rebuilding and that takes time. The team mortgaged the future for years just trying to win a few extra games, and that era ...
Heading into its second full offseason, the Raiders’ new regime led by general manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen will be expected to start showing results, and soon. While the NFL is certainly a “What have you done for me lately?” kind of league, patience is the virtue for the Raiders and most certainly their dedicated fanbase. The situation Reggie McKenzie inherited when taking over as GM of the Raiders was a borderline disaster. Of course, the team had some talent and still does, but there’s much more to it than that. McKenzie came into a situation that ...
Before the 2012 season, the Oakland Athletics were trading veterans for young prospects with an eye for the future, like pitcher A.J. Cole.As it turned out, some of the young players, like Tommy Millone and Jarrod Parker, helped turn the A's around faster than expected, as they won the American League West title.Going into the 2013 season, the Athletics are hoping to defend their division title and have shown that they are willing to part with some young prospects in order to make the big league club better. One of the prospects they parted with was pitcher A.J. Cole.According to ...