With five All-Stars now missing and a sixth on the shelf to start the season, the Oakland A's will need five guys in particular to step up and carry the team.
The A's lost three key pieces to the heart of the batting order when they traded Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss. Jeff Samardzija was Oakland's second-half workhorse in 2014, accounting for a 1.8 WAR, best of the pitching group.
Those four and Derek Norris (the fifth All-Star) will not be easy to replace.
Still, while the current group may not fully compensate for the losses, they're very much capable of ...
Back when Barry Zito was Barry Zito—the guy who won 23 games and a Cy Young Award in 2002—his signature pitch was the curveball.
It was a physics-defying hook that beguiled even the most disciplined hitters, looping hopelessly high and wide before plummeting into the zone with pinpoint precision.
In a way, that's a good metaphor for where Zito stands now. The left-hander, who will turn 37 in May, hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2013, when he posted a 5.74 ERA in 133.1 innings with the San Francisco Giants.
By all appearances, Zito's career is floating high and wide. The question ...
With seven All-Stars under contract through the 2015 season, many thought the Oakland Athletics would remain silent in winter meetings.
General manager Billy Beane had other ideas, and he dealt fan favorites like Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss and Jeff Samardzija for a collection of younger, less established players.
Oakland's penny-pinching owner Lew Wolff couldn't afford (or to hear Donaldson tell it, didn't want to afford) to keep all his stars around. Some of the deals Beane pulled off netted the A's a good return while parting with expendable players, but others suggested the team was nearing a rebuilding period.
Just like last year, ...
No Oakland Athletics player will be more exciting to watch and have more potential impact on the roster this year at spring training than Barry Zito.
If you recall, Zito came up through the A's organization, helping form one-third of The Big Three (with Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson). After one Cy Young award and three All-Star appearances, Zito went to the other side of the bay, signing with the San Francisco Giants for a then-record for pitchers $126-million, seven-year deal.
The tall lefty had a tumultuous time in San Francisco.
His ERA rose from 3.55 to 4.62. As he aged, he appeared ...
Barry Zito and the Oakland Athletics are reuniting.
The team announced Zito has been signed to a minor league deal:
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser initially reported the news on Monday.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman added some monetary details:
Zito commented on the news, via Slusser: "I just want to pitch. I love baseball. I want to enjoy the game...I’ll let my pitching speak for itself—or not speak for itself. Talk is cheap. We’ll see what happens when it happens."
Zito, a first-round pick by the A's in 1999, spent seven seasons with the team, compiling 102 wins, a 3.55 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He ...
Oakland Athletics' FanFest is in the books, which means the next big event is the beginning of spring training.
It's been a hectic offseason, so whether you've lived under a rock or paid full attention, you'll probably need a refresher course regardless.
The team made plenty of additions. That, of course, was to fill the myriad losses. Oakland made some coaching changes. The farm system has been shaken up. All in all, the A's have changed—big time.
As we head into spring training, let's take a look at all of those changes and preview the lineup, rotation, bullpen, potential breakout candidates, prospects to watch ...
Once spring training is all said and done, the Oakland A's will roll out a 25-man roster nearly 40 percent different than the 2014 version.
Of course, it's hard to know exactly how an Opening Day roster in April will look two full months ahead. There are too many variables. Injuries could happen. Heck, trades can still happen. Guys who should be locks can stink up spring training. Guys lowest on the totem pole could impress.
No one knows in January.
Let's take a stab at it anyway. Doing so may refresh your memory of who's still left from the last regime and ...
Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane has had the busiest offseason of any GM, making nine trades involving 27 players in total. His most recent deal, swapping shortstop Yunel Escobar for Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, was his best one of the winter.
Beane acquired Escobar and utility man Ben Zobrist from the Tampa Bay Rays for catcher John Jaso and prospects Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell on January 10.
The Athletics needed someone to fill in at short after allowing Jed Lowrie to walk, and they got their man from Tampa Bay. But it was Zobrist, not Escobar, as he was flipped ...
After a crazy offseason, the Oakland A's have a completely new infield, designated hitter and much more. But how effective will the new pieces be? How long will they keep Oakland competitive? How long will they be in Oakland, period?
The A's signed Billy Butler and traded for well-known names like Brett Lawrie, Ike Davis, Ben Zobrist and Tyler Clippard.
Additionally, the team acquired multiple prospects that are on the verge of contributing at the major league level.
If Oakland is to make the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, the new faces must contribute immediately and effectively fill big shoes left by ...
The Oakland Athletics' offseason has been...busy, to say the least.
After a myriad of moves, fans and analysts continue to debate whether the A's will remain contenders or fail to finish above .500.
Some say they're winners, because doubting Billy Beane is foolish. Others argue they're losers, because the A's did not adequately replace the talent lost.
In all, the team traded away Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija and Derek Norris. The A's let a slew of free agents sign elsewhere, and they acquired Brett Lawrie, Ben Zobrist, Tyler Clippard, Marcus Semien and multiple prospects.
As the debate over the team rages on, a ...