Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane spent the offseason tinkering with his roster, and didn't stop once Opening Day rolled around. Four days after outfielder Cody Ross was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Beane picked him up off the scrap heap for the major league minimum.
Arizona had signed Ross to a three-year, $25 million contract after the 2012 season, but ate nearly $8.5 million of his contract to free up space on a rebuilding team for young outfielders David Peralta and Ender Inciarte.
Bay Area fans know Ross for his heroics during the San Francisco Giants' 2010 World Series run. He ...
The critics came out in droves.
They slammed Billy Beane for dismantling a playoff team during the last offseason, and they questioned his commitment to keeping a winning team on the field since he jettisoned players like Josh Donaldson, Jeff Samardzija, Derek Norris and Brandon Moss for lesser returns. They even retroactively bashed his trading of Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester.
All of those players were All-Stars. Without them, the detractors cried, the Oakland A's were destined to find themselves near the bottom of the American League West and out of the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Except the moves actually ...
The Oakland A's are always filled with entertaining storylines, and 2015 is no different.
The team is fun. From the white cleats to the famed right field bleacher crew, the A's are exciting and unique.
They made a big splash this offseason with a ton of moves, and many worried the A's took a step backward. But then they moved on to spring training, where they finished with the best record of any team.
But is it all a facade?
The A's have four major storylines to follow with another four that should be fun to watch early on, ranked from least important to ...
You there, Debbie Downer! Don't be pessimistic about the Oakland A's this season. There is plenty to be encouraged about.
New team? No problem.
The A's may have suffered quite a bit of turnover this offseason, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, the current roster could turn out to be even better than the 2014 team. We shall see.
Not buying it?
Here's what you should be optimistic about.Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Athletics 2015 season is upon us, with not too much changing during spring training.
A few players were injured, a few others stood out, and some who were expected to do well floundered. All three of these occurrences should switch a thing or two up, but overall, the team is who we thought they were.
Of course, there is still a week of preseason baseball, so additional changes could be made.
But for now, let's take a look at what's happened so far and preview the rotation, bullpen and lineup now that answers are a bit clearer.Begin Slideshow
With a little over two weeks remaining in spring training, it's becoming clearer by the game who will win each of the Oakland Athletics' position battles.
Of course, a few things have changed since camp opened.
Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry were set to battle for left field. However, the team moved former center fielder Coco Crisp to left and plan to platoon Fuld and Gentry in center. Josh Reddick strained an oblique but should be ready by Opening Day.
The No. 1 battle is for a starting rotation spot.
Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir are the only locks. That leaves Jesse Chavez, Drew ...
With the production of the film Moneyball back in 2011, Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane became a nationally known figure.
Since that outstanding movie's release, the A's have been even more successful and Beane has been even more daring.
The Athletics have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons—two American League West titles and one Wild Card Game appearance—which is the most consecutive postseason appearances under Beane.
Even though they have failed to advance to the next round in any of those years, it's hard to argue with that kind of success in a frugal environment like Oakland.
Not only ...
Spring is the perfect time for young, inexperienced players to take that next step forward into one of the game's elites. With the importance of the games, and thus the pressure on the players, decreased compared to that of the regular season, it is a time for youth prospects to thrive.
One such prospect in the early stages of spring training this year has been Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien.
After spending time with the Chicago White Sox, Semien was sent to Oakland as part of the Jeff Samardzija deal and wasn’t seen as anything special in his limited time in the ...
Although we're only one week into spring training, there are still certain Oakland A's players we hope turn things around before the season starts.
The A's have only played eight spring games so far. To say you're deeply disappointed in any player's overall stats is a bit unfair. However, you may have watched a particular singular performance and felt some frustration.
After all, the season may hinge on key players. So it's never fun watching them "fail," even if it is during one spring training game early in March.
Here are two hitters and two pitchers to root for extra hard during week ...
It will be difficult for anyone on the Oakland A's to adequately replace Josh Donaldson's production, but it can be done—in a few ways as a matter of fact.
The 28-year-old third baseman will be sorely missed.
Since truly taking off in Major League Baseball, Donaldson has finished in the top 10 of MVP voting twice. Offensively, he's averaged 91 runs, 26 home runs, 96 RBI and a .363 on-base percentage between 2013 and 2014. He played in 158 games both seasons.
Just last year, Donaldson led the team in games played, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks and extra-base hits.
Though he ...