The Oakland A's won't have to worry about losing a large quantity of players this offseason in free agency as they only have two players who can test the open market. Those players are the A's two All-Stars in Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour.
Most of the players who were instrumental in bringing a second straight A.L. West title to Oakland are under team control. Then there are the several players with contract options such as Coco Crisp, Kurt Suzuki, Chris Young and Brett Anderson.
Anderson can be bought out for $1.5 million or can have his option exercised and be on ...
One of the biggest questions facing the Oakland A's front office in the offseason is what to do about Bartolo Colon.
As the veteran explained to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the right-hander doesn't plan to stop pitching anytime soon:
Three more years?
That's a bit bold considering he will be 41 years old in May. It's hard to see any team giving Colon a three-year deal, but a two-year contract isn't off the table. Plenty of teams are desperate for starters. Colon is certainly getting up there in age, but it's impossible to ignore the results.
In 2013, Colon was one ...
Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com is reporting that the Oakland A's will pick up their $7.5 million option on Coco Crisp to keep him in Oakland for at least one more year.
The news was confirmed by Oakland's general manager Billy Beane within 24 hours of being eliminated from the playoffs.
Crisp provides the A's with a proven leadoff hitter who can get on base (he had an OBP of .335), and he showed a rare amount of power as he hit a career-high 22 home runs. Crisp didn't compromise his speed with that power as he stole 21 bases as well.
Crisp ...
The Oakland A's season is over, but they can't hang their heads down for long because now is the time to get started on improving this team.
General manager Billy Beane has done a good job in finding the pieces to make this team competitive the last two years. He has usually had to find those pieces by trading his best players for MLB-ready prospects who fly under the radar.
This year, Beane has a very easy, yet important, decision to make. Beane doesn't need to make a trade. All he has to do is exercise a club-option on one ...
When the Oakland A's were eliminated from the postseason in 2012 by the Detroit Tigers, there was still a sense of accomplishment and a moral victory. The A's had come from behind and thrived in the role of the underdog, as they won the A.L. West on the last day of the regular season and then took the Tigers to a winner-take-all Game 5.
After losing in the fifth game, the A's came back on the field for one last standing ovation from a sold-out O.Co Coliseum crowd thanking their team for an amazing ride.
The A's did much of the same ...
Another year, another loss in the Division Series for the Oakland Athletics.
There are some teams that are better equipped to perform well over the course of 162 games as opposed to a short series, though it's not like the A's didn't have chances to defeat Detroit.
No matter. While the rest of the baseball world focuses on what is sure to be an epic clash between the Tigers and Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, Billy Beane and his staff are busy preparing for 2014.
The good news is there likely won't be a lot of reshuffling for the A's, ...
The Oakland A's lost Game 5 of the ALDS, and while guys like Yoenis Cespedes and Grant Balfour earned themselves a high grade, too many of the other A's players earned a C or lower.
Of course when that happens, losses happen.
The series overall was quite close. Game 1 featured a tight one, with the Detroit Tigers coming out on top 3-2. The A's answered in Game 2, beating Justin Verlander 1-0. The offense picked up a bit in Game 3, netting Oakland a 6-3 win. But in Game 4, Detroit tied it up by winning 8-6.
Close, until Game 5 of ...
The Oakland A’s opted to start rookie Sonny Gray in Thursday’s deciding Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers after he struck out nine batters over eight scoreless innings in Game 2.
Unfortunately, the 23-year-old was no match for Justin Verlander and the Detroit offense in Game 5, as the A’s were eliminated from the postseason with a 3-0 loss. Gray, meanwhile, allowed three earned runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts in five-plus innings.
While the A’s all-too-familiar early elimination from the postseason is a major disappointment, Gray was not. In fact, given the circumstances surrounding the ...
Back-to-back ALDS losses to the Tigers, despite fighting hard and forcing each series to the maximum five games, could force the A's to re-evaluate whether they have enough impact talent to get deeper into the playoffs.
The continued development of a talented and young starting rotation, including Sonny Gray, Jarrod Parker and Dan Straily, could push them to the next level. But it's likely that general manager Billy Beane will try and add impact talent while the the core of the team remains in their prime and the window of contention is still open.
Beane has added plenty of offense over the past few winters, ...
The Oakland Athletics are 40-27 following a loss since the start of the regular season, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Thursday, as they prepare to take on the Detroit Tigers at O.co Coliseum.
Sports bettors will find that the Athletics are plus-101 home underdogs in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at 6.5 in the market.
Let's take a closer look at Game 5 of this 2013 American League Division Series from a betting perspective, while offering up a prediction along the way.
Gambling stats via SBR ForumBegin Slideshow