The Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros have come to an agreement that will send shortstop Jed Lowrie and pitcher Fernando Rodriguez to Oakland in exchange for first baseman Chris Carter, pitcher Brad Peacock and minor-league catcher Max Stassi, according to the Athletics' official Twitter account:Lowrie hit .244 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI in 97 games with the Astros last season. He is a career .250 hitter, but nearly doubled his career high in home runs (previously nine) in 2012. Rodriguez saw action in 71 games out of the Astros’ bullpen in 2012, finishing the year with a 5.37 ERA and ...
When Bartolo Colon signed with the Oakland A's last year, there weren't high expectations for him. Although he had won a Cy Young earlier in his career, he was expected to be an average middle-of-the-rotation starter in 2012.But Colon surprised everyone in 2012, going 10-9 with a nice ERA of 3.43. Colon's season would come to an abrupt end when he tested positive for illegal substances in the summer and was hit with a 50 game suspension. That suspension will carry over into 2013, and he will be held out of the first week of the regular season. Coming off ...
If you were shocked by the production the Oakland Athletics finished 2012 with, you might also be surprised when they end 2013 even better. The A's were in the top 10 in home runs, walks and stolen bases last season. Granted, they struck out as a team more than any other in Major League Baseball. Still, getting on base, runners moving themselves over and the long ball are efficient when it comes to winning ballgames. During this coming season, Oakland will score even more. The offseason moves were few and subtle. But by the end of the year, they'll be ...
The Oakland A's caught lightning in a bottle in 2012 and then weaponized it, using their electricity to scorch all comers in one of the most improbable late-season surges in recent memory.It wasn't until the A's came across the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS that they finally ran out of juice. But even in defeat, the fans at O.co Coliseum still treated their beloved A's like winners, giving them a standing ovation mere minutes after Detroit ace Justin Verlander had finished off a shutout in Game 5.That's the kind of season it was for Oakland's local nine. One for the books, indeed. ...
The Oakland A's and the rest of the MLB are getting ready to send their pitchers and catchers to either Arizona or Florida to begin the 2013 spring training. The A's may have one more guest than anticipated. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's are considering signing Japanese relief pitcher Hideki Okajima, who spent several seasons pitching for the Boston Red Sox, as well as several seasons in Japan. This past year in Japan, he put up great numbers, with a 0.94 ERA over 47.2 innings. During his time in Boston, he posted a 3.06 ...
The strength of the Oakland A's is in their pitching. They have a very good bullpen that has been fortified in the offseason and it is expected to anchor the team in 2013. But as spring training approaches, the unit with the most room for growth and with the biggest potential to move the A's closer towards a World Series championship is their starting pitching.Last year, the A's ranked ninth in starter's earned run average (ERA) at 3.80 in spite of many obstacles. The biggest by far was the prolonged absence of staff ace Brett Anderson, who did not return ...
A repeat as AL West champions for the Oakland Athletics starts with manager Bob Melvin. Without him at the helm, it's not happening this year and it wouldn't have occurred last season either. The team is talented, but Melvin pulled the right strings at the right times throughout the 2012 season. With the first base platoon returning and five outfielders for four spots, he'll have to hope his magic touch hasn't waned. Take comfort, A's fans. There's a reason Melvin is a two-time Manager of the Year winner. After nine years of coaching in Major League Baseball, he holds a .502 winning ...
The Oakland A's shocked the baseball world last year by winning 94 games and sweeping the Texas Rangers during the final weekend of the season to win the AL West. Have they done enough this winter to give themselves a legitimate shot to repeat as division champs in 2013?This offseason, general manager Billy Beane traded for outfielder Chris Young, catcher John Jaso and reliever Chris Resop. He also signed shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima and re-signed starting pitcher Bartolo Colon.Stephen Drew, Brandon McCarthy and Jonny Gomes departed via free agency. Cliff Pennington was dealt for Young and George Kottaras was lost on ...
After the Oakland A's acquired catcher John Jaso from the division rival Seattle Mariners, they were thought to be done with roster moves and setting their eyes on spring training.Not so fast. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's will be scouting another player this offseason.After going to the Cuban well last year and landing Yoenis Cespedes, the A's are going back for more, and this time they're looking at shortstop Aledmys Diaz. Diaz, 23, hit .315 with 12 home runs during the 90-game Cuban season.This news came as a bit of a surprise considering the A's recently signed another ...
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 ...