During the eighth inning of Monday night's Oakland Athletics-Toronto Blue Jays game, one usher showed off some serious dance moves.This guy is a dancing machine. Video and GIF from MLB.Read more Oakland Athletics news on BleacherReport.com
Though the Texas Rangers acquired pitcher Matt Garza, Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane shouldn't feel pressured to respond with an equivalently loud move.
The Rangers are 2-5 since the July 22 addition. The A's, meanwhile, won five out of seven in the same span, increasing their AL West division lead by six games. And best of all, they're earning hard-fought wins with the same sense of confidence we saw late last season.
In comments captured by Jane Lee of MLB.com, Oakland skipper Bob Melvin shared some insight:
I think we got some confidence in the second half of last year going forward, ...
Billy Beane is doing it again. He's putting together a roster of misfits who are doing nothing but winning baseball games. And it's all being done with the fourth-lowest payroll in the majors and a bunch of guys the casual fan can't name.
Heading into action on July 27, the Oakland A's winning percentage is .583, good for fifth in Major League Baseball. And they're leading the Texas Rangers in the American League West by four games. All this with a roster of cast-offs and no-names and a ballpark that has a history of sewage backups.
Despite all the disadvantages Beane and Co. ...
With less than a week until the MLB trade deadline, it was reported by CSN Bay Area that the Oakland A's are interested in acquiring Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox. Oakland's interest in Peavy could just be a knee-jerk reaction to the division-rival Texas Rangers acquiring Matt Garza from the White Sox's geographic rival, the Chicago Cubs.
According to the report, the A's interest revolved around Oakland having one scout watching Peavy in a game, which is nothing unusual. However, if the A's are seriously interested in acquiring Peavy, we should consider the pros and cons of Oakland pulling ...
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane must pull the trigger on a trade for Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy to keep his team rolling through the second half of the season and into the playoffs.
The Athletics are one of a few teams interested in potentially landing the veteran pitcher, as noted by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who also considers the team a "dark-horse player" to land him:
Perhaps the biggest sticking point for Beane right now is Peavy's contract. He's in his first year of a three-year deal worth $14.5 million in 2014 and $15 million in 2015 (via ...
The Oakland Athletics have dominated the lowly Houston Astros all season. But in this past series, Houston may have been the better team. The A’s finally lost their first game of the season against the Astros and were fortunate to walk away with two one-run victories in the other games.
Still, wins are wins; and the A’s did what they needed to do to take two of three in a road series. Oakland remains three games ahead of the Texas Rangers in the American League West, which is all that really matters in the end.
However, for a playoff-caliber team such as ...
The Oakland A's are World Series contenders, but to take one step further from contenders to favorites, they'll need to hit, pitch and play defense a tad bit better and more consistently. There's a few upgrades that should help.
They're not far off as it is.
According to CSNBayArea.com, Vegas gave the A's 12/1 odds at the beginning of July, which was the fifth best. The four teams ahead—the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers—all have something in common: They lead the league in many major statistical categories.
Three of those four teams are above Oakland in starting ...
The Oakland A's need to trade for Chase Utley. No big buildup is necessary this time. This is a perfect slot for a player of Utley's caliber at second, and the A's are in prime position to make noise in a wide-open American League in 2013.Let's be clear, the play of Eric Sogard has not been bad. At least it hasn't been worse than the sludge Oakland got from the position for much of 2012. But the reality is, Utley could turn a good offense into one worthy of a championship.Don't think so? Just look at his numbers away from Citizens Bank Park for the ...
The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is approaching, and the Oakland A's are in a position similar to where they were at this time last year. Back then, the A's were just in the playoff hunt, but this year, they find themselves as division leaders at the deadline.Last year, Oakland's general manager Billy Beane opted to acquire talent rather than deal talent at the deadline, and the A's went out and acquired shortstop Stephen Drew. The A's could use help in the middle infield again. Adam Rosales, Eric Sogard and Grant Green have been unimpressive in their attempts to deliver at ...
Oakland Athletics prospects Grant Green and Sonny Gray—both recently called up—are expected by the organization (and many fans) to contribute immediately. But should anyone expect these guys to be the next Miguel Tejada and Tim Hudson?
The short answer is, well, no.
That doesn't mean they won't blossom into studs, though. Both of these young men have a ton of potential. Still, if we can't say Green is the next Eric Chavez—a Gold Glove staple in the infield for nearly a decade—and Gray won't live up to Mark Mulder status (one of the Big Three), then who will they be the second ...