Under normal circumstances, a struggling pitcher with an ERA north of 5.00 wouldn't inspire feverish trade speculation.
But the Oakland Athletics' Sonny Gray isn't a normal struggling pitcher. And these aren't normal circumstances.
Stephen Strasburg signed a seven-year extension with the Washington Nationals on May 10. Just like that, the only legitimate ace in next season's shallow free-agent pool and one of the biggest possible trade-deadline prizes disappeared.
The demand for pitching, however, isn't going anywhere. Toss a rosin bag—particularly in the wide-open American League—and you'll hit a flawed contender with holes in its rotation.
Enter Gray and his 5.84 ERA.
That's an ugly number, and it ...
Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark Canha was diagnosed with a hip impingement Friday, three days after the team placed him on the disabled list because of hip and back issues, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee.
Continue for updates.
Canha Could Miss Rest of Season
Friday, May 13
Lee reported that Canha could face season-ending surgery as a result of his injury, although there is no labral damage to his hip. Canha also suffered a mild back strain.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle added that Canha may not have many options aside from surgery:
The 27-year-old has struggled this season after breaking out in 2015 as a ...
There was a time, as recent as a few years ago, when if you asked NFL owners or executives if the league would ever have a team move to Las Vegas, the answer you almost always got was: "No effing way."
As the months have passed since, and as the NFL's dance with Vegas continued, people began to tell me the odds were increasing, like a thermometer reading from the fall to the spring. The percentages of the chances rose from 0 to 10, then 10 to 20, then higher.
Then just recently, in a conversation with an NFL owner about the ...
The Oakland Athletics placed second baseman Jed Lowrie on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a bruised right shin, per MLB.com's Jane Lee.
Continue for updates.
Athletics Taking Cautious Approach with Lowrie
Wednesday, May 11
A's manager Bob Melvin explained how Lowrie's trip to the DL is more of a proactive move to ensure he comes back fully healthy, per Lee: "It's a severe contusion, and we didn't feel like he was even going to be able to do baseball activity for seven or eight days, so it made sense to put him on the DL and make sure that when we get ...
The Raiders' future in Oakland has become increasingly cloudy over the past few months, and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman fueled speculation that the franchise could relocate during an interview Tuesday.
Speaking to Andy Katz on ESPN Radio's Capital Games podcast, Goodman expressed optimism that the storied squad could move to Sin City, saying, "The Raiders will come if Nevada handles this properly."
"Mark Davis has assured us that Las Vegas is not getting played in a Raiders stadium deal," Goodman added, per Katz. "I know we will have a team."
Goodman's comments come on the heels of a major monetary move by ...
The Oakland Raiders welcome seven rookies while the franchise pushes for league-wide respect as a playoff contender in the upcoming NFL season.
The Raiders front office didn’t waste any time strengthening weak positions during free agency. General manager Reggie McKenzie and his draft-day decision-makers continued to fill needy positions through the first two rounds of the draft. The No. 14 and No. 44 overall picks, safety Karl Joseph and defensive lineman Jihad Ward, will have an immediate opportunity to earn snaps with the starting lineup.
After the top two draft selections, the best-player-available approach took over in Rounds 3 and 4. Michigan ...
On Day 2 of the NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders continued to add bulk and pass-rushing components to their front seven.
The Raiders’ draft team selected Illinois defensive lineman Jihad Ward with the No. 44 overall pick and Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun at No. 75.
Head coach Jack Del Rio sat down with local reporters, per the team’s official website, to recap Oakland’s second- and third-round selections. He denied coming into the draft focusing specifically on defensive voids on the roster.
In fairness to Del Rio’s claim, it became a shocker to see Calhoun, a productive edge-rusher, slip through the cracks ...
The Oakland Raiders decided to strike first at the safety position with the No. 14 overall pick in an effort to add the final missing link to a fiercely competitive secondary.
West Virginia safety Karl Joseph doesn’t bring the glitz and glamour in comparison to previous first-round picks.
Many Raiders fans hoped to land UCLA linebacker Myles Jack or Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson, as both prospects slipped past the top 10. General manager Reggie McKenzie obviously went with the favorable choice, which also fills a roster need.
Critics questioned McKenzie’s decision to select another ailing defensive back at the top of the ...
The Oakland Raiders entered this offseason with major questions in their secondary. On Thursday, they hope they found the answer to their future at strong safety.
The Raiders selected West Virginia product Karl Joseph with the No. 14 overall pick in a move that continues a smart team-building trend in Oakland:
Joseph is perhaps the hardest-hitting safety in the entire class. He made a name for himself at West Virginia, from the moment he walked onto campus until the moment he limped off. He recorded five interceptions and 20 tackles in four games last season before he suffered a season-ending knee ...
With the future of the Raiders in Oakland very much in question, owner Mark Davis announced his hope to move the franchise to Las Vegas on Thursday.
According to ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez, Davis revealed his stance on the campus of UNLV and said he is prepared to put up $500 million of the $1.4 billion needed to build a domed stadium, while Sands Corp. would contribute an additional $150 million.
Davis also said he wants to turn "the Silver State, into the silver and black state."
Retired soccer star David Beckham was present as part of his promotional obligations to Sands Corp. as well, ...