"It sounds as if the framework is in place for general manager Billy Beane and team president Michael Crowley to remain with the A's through 2019. Owner Lew Wolff told Bloomberg TV that the five-year deals should be completed within 30 days, and Wolff told me in an email that the discussions are "in process." He also called it "good news."

Such lengthy extensions point to further optimism in the A's upper ranks about the team's chances of getting approval for a new stadium in San Jose. Considering how publicly frustrated Beane has been about the limitations of the Coliseum, both in terms of attracting free agents and in terms of income generated, I cannot imagine him staying with the club that long without a good idea that a new stadium is on the horizon."