The Oakland Athletics

[mExIcaNox4]

This year is gonna be really depressin

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

^^^what about brett anderson...i would assume ha has to be coming back...harden is being looked at by other teams and i dont think the a's have re-signed him yet.



and um, why all the "fuck billy beane" talk?

From what Ive heard Anderson isnt going to be ready for awhile into the season. I think he is still nursing an injury. I dont know about why everybodies all fuck billy beane, I guess they just have gotten tired of losing, and have lost faith in his stewardship. I havent, Im on board.

 

[DubbC415]

losing is definitely not his fault

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

losing is definitely not his fault

Of course not. The problems with the A's doesnt fall on one persons shoulders, a few bad trades are part of it, but you also need to point fingers at Macha, Geren's dumb ass, I think they missed the boat on letting Ron Washington leave, the stadium situation hasnt helped, Lew Wolf holding the purse strings too tightly...Lots of things...But I think theyre starting to get the ship in the right direction.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Athletics, Jonny Gomes Nearing Deal

The A's are nearing a deal with free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A deal with the ACES client could be completed by Monday.

Conor Jackson and Johnny Damon were also considerations for the A's, who were looking for an outfielder capable of hitting left-handers, according to Slusser. GM Billy Beane has traded for Seth Smith and Josh Reddick and re-signed Coco Crisp this offseason to build his 2012 outfield.

Gomes, 31, posted a .209/.325/.389 line with 14 homers in 372 plate appearances for the Reds and Nationals in 2011. The Petaluma, California native has a career .311/.407/.456 line against left-handed pitching, so his skillset should complement left-handed hitting outfielders such as Smith and Reddick.

Not a bad pick up if they dont pay too much. Getting a deeper more respectable outfield isnt bad. It'd be interesting having Gomes on the same team with Crisp after the fight a few years ago. I like Gomes attitude, as long as he can get along with everyone, which I dont think would be a problem. Plus it would be cool having a local dude on the team, whatever thats worth, lol.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Athletics To Sign Jonny Gomes

4:07pm: The deal is for approximately $1.1MM, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.

11:41am: The Athletics have agreed to sign Jonny Gomes, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that the A's were nearing a deal with the Petaluma, California native.

Athletics Interested In Manny Ramirez

The Athletics are "very interested" in adding Manny Ramirez as a designated hitter for 2012, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports. The Orioles and Blue Jays also watched Ramirez hit at an indoor cage, Rojas adds.

MLB reinstated Ramirez from the voluntary retirement list in December, but he would still have to serve a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy if and when signs. The 39-year-old slugger has 547 home runs and a career batting line of .312/.411/.585 in 19 MLB seasons. He hit .298/.409/.460 for the Dodgers and White Sox in 2010, his last extended stint in the Major Leagues.

I like the Gomes signing, I dont love it. The Ramirez rumor makes me unfomfortable, in a perfect world he signs for a reasonable amount, he hits like his career would suggest, and starts right out the gate after the 50 games suspension...But the A's history would suggest thats not what they get, lol...Just seems like a characteristic of 'the same ol shit' that, I felt, they were getting away from.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Call PG&E There’s A Power Outage in Oakland

Let me tell you something you already know the A’s haven’t hit many home runs lately. And the members of their current squad haven’t exactly torn the cover off the ball in their careers either.

Jonny Gomes...118
Coco Crisp...75
Kurt Suzuki...56
Seth Smith...51
Daric Barton...26
Cliff Pennington...18
Scott Sizemore...14
Adam Rosales...13
Brandon Allen...11
Kila Ka’aihue...11
Josh Reddick...10
Chris Carter...3
Eric Sogard...2
Jemile Weeks...2
Collin Cowgill...1
Josh Donaldson...1
Tom Milone...1
Michael Taylor...1

That 555 career home runs by Manny eclipses the combined 414 that the eighteen players on the A’s with at least a home run (and one is pitcher in Milone!) have. The 141 additional home runs that Manny has of course eclipse the 118 home runs that the A’s leader has.

There are seven other players who have more home runs that the combined present-day A’s, Alex Rodriguez (629), Jim Thome (604), Chipper Jones (454), Vladimir Guerrero (449), Albert Pujols (445), Jason Giambi (428) and Andruw Jones (420). Gomes’ 118 home runs is 103rd best among active players tied with Josh Hamilton, Alex Rios and Chris Young (though interestingly aside from Hamilton, Gomes has done it in fewer plate appearances than all the others and the difference between he and Hamilton isn’t even that great at just 212 plate appearances). For more perspective the A’s batters (so this excludes Milone), have hit as many home runs in their careers (413) as the Rangers and Red Sox combined for in 2011 alone.

But regardless, let’s see what these guys can do, there’s a reason you play the games.

Lol.

 

[onlyonesmoke]

I just hope this team coming together and racks up some wins early to boost there confidence. Not expecting much.. I still have to figure out who are all the new players..lol

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Athletics Evaluating Magglio Ordonez

In addition to Manny Ramirez, the A's are also evaluating Magglio Ordonez for a spring tryout, according to Peter Gammons of MLB.com (via Twitter). The slugger is recovering from surgery after re-fracturing his right ankle during the ALCS in 2011.

Roughly two weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Ordonez could be medically cleared by this point which would in turn spark interest in him. Ordonez, who turned 38 last Saturday, hit just .255/.303/.331 in 92 games with the Tigers last season.

Athletics Pursuing Koji Uehara

The Athletics are among the teams pursuing the Rangers' Koji Uehara, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Orioles also remain interested in the right-handed reliever.

Last week, Rosenthal wrote that Texas might be looking to move the 36-year-old to sign a lefty reliever like Mike Gonzalez. Uehara recently used his limited no-trade clause to block a trade that would have sent him to the Blue Jays and is said to be seeking a return to Baltimore.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Athletics Extend Beane Through 2019

Not much is certain when it comes to the future of the Athletics, but their leadership team will remain in place long-term. Owner Lew Wolff said today that GM Billy Beane and president Michael Crowley have agreed to extensions through the 2019 season, Jon Erlichman and Rob Gloster of Bloomberg News report. The owner expects Beane and Crowley to sign within 30 days.

Beane became the team's GM after the 1997 season and Crowley became team president one year later. They face a problematic stadium situation in Oakland and the club may move to San Jose in the relatively near future. Both Beane and Crowley have ownership stakes in the Athletics and Wolff is the club's managing partner.

The Athletics have made five playoff appearances under Beane, who has been with the team longer than any other American League GM. Beane was recently portrayed on the big screen by Brad Pitt in Moneyball. He last constructed a playoff team in 2006, when Oakland made it to the ALCS.

Beane has been general manager of the Oakland A’s since the conclusion of the 1997 season when he took the reins from Sandy Alderson. Since then the A’s have a 1,206 – 1,060 record. Since taking the helm only six teams in MLB have a better record, the Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Cardinals, Angels and Giants with all of those teams having far greater revenue streams.


It is often in minor trades though where Beane truly shows his magic, like this year turning a middling middle reliever like David Purcey into Scott Sizemore who filled the black hole that had been third base for the A’s the past few years.

One can argue that this decision by Lew Wolff could very well be the best A’s transaction of the offseason.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

•If the Athletics do move to San Jose, owner Lew Wolff says they would be labeled the San Jose A's, reports Joe Stiglich of The Bay Area News (on Twitter).

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

double

 

[Cut-Throat]

If they bring in Manny, I may have to rethink my allegiance.... I'm a die hard A's fan but i really really hate manny just for that game 5 1st inning homerun he hit off Zito, when he walked all the way to 1st base....

I'm all for Mags though...

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

If they bring in Manny, I may have to rethink my allegiance.... I'm a die hard A's fan but i really really hate manny just for that game 5 1st inning homerun he hit off Zito, when he walked all the way to 1st base....

I'm all for Mags though...

Do you think that Magglio has more left in the tank than Manny? And do you think whats left is better than Manny? I dont like the idea of bringing in Magglio as the DH and end up financially obligated to play him, when you have young bats sitting on the bench. I think Manny is a better choice because you sign him cheaper, you get to see him through spring training and monitor him through his 50 game suspension, and in that time you can decide either not play/trade him while watching Carter, or he produces and you can see how Carter has done and if you want to continue with him. And if Carter hits it big, than youre not screwed out of what you paid Manny...Just the way I see it is if you sign Magglio and he doesnt hit, thats it. But if you sign Manny, you have a chance for him or Carter to step up...I dont like Manny at all either, but if he can play he can play, and I like him coming back under these circumstances, he's made a ton of money already, so I'd say him coming to Oakland for $1.1 million, after being retired, is because he wants to play ball.

 

[Cut-Throat]

This team is goin nowhere, Mags would be a 1 year deal for 4-6 mill... If he mashed, he turns into 2 prospects, if not, oh well... And I'm higher on allen than carter...

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

This team is goin nowhere, Mags would be a 1 year deal for 4-6 mill... If he mashed, he turns into 2 prospects, if not, oh well... And I'm higher on allen than carter...

Allen or Carter yeah, but thats if they dont end up having Allen playing 1st or not. If not than you're out 5 mill vs 1 mill and taking all that time away from whatever young bat (allen, carter, ka'aihue). Manny has better numbers aside from this TB stint and you get a cheap try-out period for him. Magg is going downhill quick, IMO, I dont know if he can hit for power as a DH, Manny is still going to be able to slug.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

Rich Harden Will Miss 2012 Season

According to a report issued by the San Francisco Chronicle, Rich Harden will miss the entire 2012 season. Harden, 30, underwent surgery to repair a torn right shoulder capsule. According to the report, it is the same type of injury that caused Dallas Braden to get surgery last year.

Even more alarming, though, is the fact that Harden has pitched with the torn capsule for four years. The injury resulted in more than a few side-effects. For the past few seasons, Harden has seen his velocity drop and his overall health has been in question. According to Susan Slusser’s report, the former A’s starter suffered the torn capsule during the 2007 season, but he did not receive surgery to repair the torn capsule.

Instead, Harden tweaked his pitching mechanics as a way of coping with the injury the following season in 2008. The results were impressive. Harden went 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 25 starts and 148.0 innings while splitting time between Oakland and the Chicago Cubs. After that season, however, Harden’s numbers looked a little less impressive.

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

In a Susan Slusser article she indicated that the A's might be higher on Ka’aihue than Carter for the DH position.

“If the A’s do sign Ramirez, it is likely that Kila Ka’aihue would get the first crack at DHing until Ramirez is done serving his 50-game PEDs suspension. People I’ve spoken to in the A’s organization are intrigued by Ka’aihue’s power potential.”

It would be interesting if Kila could produce and edge out Carter, who has been pretty disappointing so far. Someone needs to inject some power into the line-up, and if Kila can do it Im tired of the "wait and see" with Carter.

 

[Cut-Throat]

Carter can kick rocks... I'm tired of Watchin him K or pop out to the right fielder...

 

[NiNe2FiVe]

From Athletics Nation...

If the team does indeed move to San Jose, they will be called the "San Jose A’s," which has been assumed. Wolff pointed out how the franchise has moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland, always keeping the "Athletics" label. There was a stuffed Stomper on hand at Wednesday’s event, with the A’s mascot wearing a "San Jose Athletics" uniform.

I know I've heard it, typed it, thought it... but until I saw the Stomper doll with "San Jose" where "Oakland" should be, it didn't really sink in.

It doesn't look right. Doesn't feel right. Doesn't seem right.

As A's fans, we've had time to prepare for this. This isn't the Baltimore Colts scooting out of town for Indianapolis in Mayflower trucks. Ken Griffey Jr. was the AL MVP the first time the A's and San Jose were linked. Lew Wolff has been the A's owner for seven years.

San Jose always felt like something on the horizon. The horizon just felt thousands of miles away, thanks to Bud Selig's Blue Ribbon Panel. It's getting closer, especially because of the 86'ing of redevelopment agencies. Oakland now can't afford to pursue Victory Court. There's still Coliseum City, but this feels more like a last-second Hail Mary (sorry, Patriots fans).

But seeing "San Jose Athletics" in type and on Stomper's back makes everything feel a little more real. And it makes me feel a little more sick. I'm somewhat of a moderate when it comes to ballpark issues. I love Oakland, but I've never lived there. I don't have the same lifelong ties that many fans do, but I understand them. I was born in 1986 and lived most of my life in the East Bay. The "Oakland" Athletics are all I've ever lived with. I don't associate myself with the South Bay or San Francisco. I live about an hour away from the Coliseum now, so I can't make it out to more than a few games. I also can't really afford much. Moving the team to San Jose screws me over, making it even more of an ordeal to see a ballgame.

I love the civic pride that Oaklanders have. Yeah, it's not San Francisco. It's not San Jose. It's not Los Angeles. They wouldn't have it either way. They don't want Oakland to be looked at as better or worse than other big cities in California. It's the unique child of the Bay Area. Oakland is blue collar. San Jose is white collar. Moving from Oakland to San Jose feels a little like your favorite garage band getting that big record deal making them set for life, but knowing that they'll be playing pop music and worrying about CD and iTunes sales from now on.

However, at the same time, I know the beloved Coliseum is outdated. I've been to the newer ballparks such as AT&T Park, Petco Park and Coors Field. I'm jealous of the wide-open space, of the upkeep and of the general positive demeanor. These places welcome fans, and not just the diehards.

Last year, I went to a Dodgers/Giants game for work. It was interesting watching a baseball game and having no rooting interests. I was just an impartial observer. This was a Monday night in the middle of the season. Neither team really had serious playoff aspirations. Other than positioning toward the bottom of the NL West and bragging rights, not much was at stake. The pitching matchup featured neither a Lincecum nor a Kershaw.

It was a sellout.

It wasn't just a sellout, it felt like I was watching Game 7 of the World Series. Fans — these same fans we chide for drinking a $12 glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and playing with their iPhones during the game — were cheering with vigor, and not just for fights in the stands or because the scoreboard told them to.

It was beautiful.

It was heartbreaking. I haven't experienced anything close to that in the Coliseum since 2006. I knew that I'd probably never see that in Oakland again.

I've gotten absolutely sick of going to games against the Yankees, Red Sox or Giants and feeling like a visitor in the home stadium. Moving to San Jose would make it so the A's might actually keep one or two of these new players (allegedly... I have my reservations). I'd like to be able to buy a shirsey of Sonny Gray or AJ Cole or Michael Choice in a few years and not worry that it will be outdated next season. I get the sense that San Jose's fanbase would embrace the A's, much like they do the Sharks, who have a passionate following all over the Bay Area (then again, the Ducks aren't next door).

Getting a new stadium would make the A's relevant again. Not just in the Bay Area, but around baseball. The buzz around a new stadium lasts for years, if you do it properly. I want the A's to get a new stadium. I just really, really, really wish it could be in Oakland.

However, to do that, to get that full stadium, that buzz, that shiny new toy... it involves "selling out." It seemed kinda cool at first, but actually seeing the seeds being planted... I'm not sure how I feel anymore.

Honestly, seeing the "San Jose A's" on Stomper's jersey made me kinda sick.