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Category: Oakland Athletics
Addison Russell was viewed as the only potential star in Oakland's farm system headed into 2014, but that obviously changed when he was dealt in early July to the Cubs in the Jeff Samardzija-Jason Hammel trade. Outfielder Billy McKinney, the A’s first-round pick in 2013, also was shipped out in the trade. However, general manager Billy Beane and the A’s have done an admirable job restocking their farm system since the end of the season. In late November, the team traded All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays in return for Brett Lawrie and three prospects: right-hander Kendall Graveman, left-hander ...
The Oakland A’s have planned to contend in 2015 all along. While they were dumping All-Stars and stockpiling younger talent over the last two months, they were still planning on making their now-annual run at the top of their division. Billy Beane is still the organization’s general manager, and he still can draw his six shooter with the best in the American League West. The A’s pulled off a stunning trade Saturday in what has been an offseason full of them, particularly for Oakland. Beane acquired second baseman/utility man Ben Zobrist and shortstop Yunel Escobar from the Tampa Bay Rays, pushing the ...
Ben Zobrist, one of the most versatile players and best bargains in Major League Baseball since becoming a full-time player with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009, has a new home.  After playing more than 1,000 MLB games with the Rays, Zobrist has been traded to the Oakland Athletics, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports: An offseason of change continues for the Rays, who lost their best front office man when Andrew Friedman joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Joe Maddon exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and moved to the Chicago Cubs.  Trading Zobrist is the latest sign that the ...
You can bet, like most people, the players on the Oakland A's have New Year's resolutions for 2015. During the week of Christmas, I asked A's fans what would be on their wish list. This week I'll keep the holiday spirit alive and venture a guess as to what many of the A's starters' New Year's resolutions might be, specifically pertaining to the 2015 baseball season. Of course there are a few disclaimers to mention. First, the following list is made up by me. The resolutions on this list were not provided by the player unless otherwise specifically stated. As such, take them lightly ...
Dear Santa, I don't want too much for Christmas. There are just a few things I would love to see. I don't even care about the presents underneath my Christmas tree. I just want you to do a few things for the Oakland Athletics. Please make the following wishes come true. If you can't make all of these happen, Santa, then for your convenience, I have ordered them from least realistic to most realistic.   A Big-Name Slugger After trading away five All-Stars since July, including big names like Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Donaldson, A's fans need some assurance. They could use a big name to ...
And so the Oakland Athletics tear-down continues. General manager Billy Beane made yet another trade Thursday evening, sending All-Star catcher Derek Norris to California neighbors, the San Diego Padres, for a return of younger players with more years of team control, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports.The full trade is as follows, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:The deal isn't a bad one for the Athletics, but it is another sign that this organization merely is trying to cash in on all its best players in a very efficient—and audacious—fashion.Thing is, it's not as if ...
The Oakland A's went into the winter meetings looking like they might contend again in 2015. They came out of the meetings three All-Stars lighter. Now what? Last we heard from general manager Billy Beane, he told the media he now plans to spend some of the cash saved in the Brandon Moss, Josh Donaldson and Jeff Samardzija trades. Here's what Beane said in quotes captured by John Hickey of Mercury News: We've collected young players, and we're going to try to redeploy the extra payroll. We are trying to walk the delicate balance, getting younger and trying to be as good as we can ...
The Oakland Athletics have had an interesting offseason to say the least—one extremely difficult to grade. If you look at it from the perspective that the A's were contenders and are retooling to remain as contenders in 2015, then the grade is an F. They downgraded at third base, traded their starting first baseman and one of their top starting pitchers and did not sign a proven shortstop. If they couldn't get it done with Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester (not to mention Yoenis Cespedes before him), then they're not going to get it done with Brett Lawrie, ...
This has to stop. Hearts are broken, and that is certainly understandable. But the screaming has to stop. Now. Billy Beane is not a villain. He is not a moron. He is not attempting to piss off anyone who has ever cheered for the Oakland Athletics. And most importantly, he is not trying to lose. To think that is his goal is not only ridiculous but also completely ignorant. Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s, has traded four All-Star players in the last five months. The Yoenis Cespedes trade last summer was to make the A's better immediately, as Beane believed his club was good enough ...
A busy day in baseball saw another trade go down on Tuesday, as the Oakland Athletics shipped starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija to the Chicago White Sox for a number of prospects, including Chris Bassitt and Rangel Ravelo.       The A's official Twitter account has the details: The 25-year-old Bassitt made six appearances and five starts for the Chicago White Sox this past season, going 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched. He also pitched 13 innings in the Arizona Fall League this offseason, finishing with a 0.69 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 22 strikeouts. John Manuel of Baseball America ...