The Oakland Athletics avoided arbitration by signing John Jason to a one-year contract Thursday, according to the team's official website. Salary numbers have not yet been released.
This is great news for both parties. The Athletics re-sign Jaso, a veteran catcher who was out of commission for the last two months of the season last year, unable to recover from the concussion he suffered during a game in late July. Now he has been cleared to resume baseball activities at full speed, which is wonderful news for Jaso.
But simply being healthy to play does not make his return any more clear, ...
After an offseason that saw the Oakland A's send Michael Choice, Chris Bostick, Jemile Weeks and David Freitas to other teams, the organization's minor league prospects have taken a slight hit.
That's not to say it's a weak farm by any means.
The team held on to top prospects Addison Russell and Billy McKinney, brought in outfielder Billy Burns and has quite a few quality arms in the system. But while some positions are solid, others are a bit depleted.
Here's a look at the top prospect at each position within the A's organization.
All information and quotes from Melissa Lockard of Scout.com were ...
Believe it or not, looking at the Oakland Raiders' salary-cap situation heading into the 2014 offseason is really good way to put a smile on your face.
With an estimated $63.6 million to work with, the Raiders have enough cash to not only retain some of their key players, but they will also be able to go out and pursue a few big names in free agency.
Despite having a ton of cap room, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie needs to listen to Walter White and "tread lightly." Understanding that the art of smart spending is going to be critical for this ...
Once again, the Oakland Raiders hold a top-five selection in the NFL draft, with which, they will look to find an instant-impact player that can help fast-forward the rebuilding process of the franchise.
There are plenty of needs the Raiders will address this offseason, so they, as the draft approaches, will be linked to a number of this year’s most talented prospects.
Sure, they could look to finally add a franchise quarterback at fifth overall, but if impact players they covet at other positions are available, they could certainly wait until the second round to do so as well.
Here are five prospects ...
Even though a wealth of salary-cap space will have the Oakland Raiders quite active on the free-agent market, that money will first be used to re-sign their own players with expiring contracts—several of which represent the Raiders’ best and most talented players.
Getting them signed before the new league year will be key to the team’s short- and long-term success.
As is the case with any offseason, there will be some players that need to be let go, but possibly not as many as most would assume at first.
When a team needs to add as much talent as the Raiders do in ...
Not that he is lacking appreciation, but the work general manager Billy Beane has done with the Oakland Athletics over the last two years only adds to his illustrious legacy.
Prior to the 2012 season, when the team traded Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Andrew Bailey, it was assumed the A's were in full-blown rebuilding mode and would need time before contending in the American League West again.
Now, two years later, the A's have won back-to-back division titles and have built an impressive roster of young talent that includes Jarrod Parker, Josh Donaldson, Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Sonny Gray and Dan ...
After a disappointing 2013 campaign, the Oakland Raiders have decided to retain head coach Dennis Allen.
ESPN's Paul Gutierrez was first to report the news:
Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times confirmed the report:
Allen was hired after spending a decade as a defensive coach for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos, with whom he served as defensive coordinator for one season.
The front office was looking for progress after the team went 4-12 in his first season. Although Oakland was more competitive in Allen's second season, the results were the same. However, owner Mark Davis has decided to give Allen another ...
When general manager Reggie McKenzie took over the Oakland Raiders front office in 2012, he inherited a salary cap nightmare.
After purging the roster, McKenzie has finally helped put this team in a good position to once again start accruing the right kind of talent they need to compete.
Coming off their second consecutive 4-12 campaign, the Raiders front office will now have to evaluate the current roster this offseason and make some tough decisions.
With a desire to find a road that leads back to the glory days, figuring out who will stay and who will be shown the door is going ...
The calendar has turned and as we head toward spring training, it's time to look ahead to who will be part of the Oakland A's starting rotation.
2013 ended with a rotation of Bartolo Colon, Jarrod Parker, Sonny Gray, A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily. Brett Anderson spent the majority of his time on the disabled list and did a stint in the bullpen. Tommy Milone—an effective starter in 2012—was relegated to Triple-A at one point and pitched out of the bullpen a few times, too.
Colon signed with the New York Mets. Anderson was traded to the Colorado Rockies.
In their place, the ...
The Oakland Raiders have plenty of work to do this offseason, but the significant amount of salary cap space at their disposal will give them an opportunity to do much of it through free agency.
Of course, signing a big group of free agents is not the ideal way to build a team, but talent needs to be added to this roster, and done so in bulk.
Whether it's in accordance with the rebuild plan, pressure from ownership for quick improvement or a little bit of both, any big-contract signings will need to be done with care, as it was wrongful spending ...