Athletics Rumors & News

Sporting News "If baseball is ever going to be a clean sport, one free of the type of cheating scandals that have tainted the sport over the past few decades — PEDs, sign-stealing and whatever’s next — change has to start with the players. Players who aren’t afraid to not..." January 23

The Score "Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and the umpires' union don't appear to be on the same page when it comes to using a computerized strike zone during spring training. Manfred confirmed Wednesday that a camera-based system will be used during spring..." January 23

Hardball Talk "Now that the Hall of Fame election is over and a good number of the top free agents have signed, we’re about to enter the slowest period of the offseason news cycle. Let’s kill time by making a list, shall we? This list is inspired by yesterday’s news about..." January 23

12 Up "The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting today, and two former MLB stars have received the necessary numbers to be voted into Cooperstown. In order to be elected to the Hall of Fame, a player must be selected on..." January 21

The Score "Pedro Martinez agrees with Major League Baseball cleaning up the game and punishing the Houston Astros for illegal sign-stealing, but he doesn't like the way Mike Fiers went about his whistle-blowing. "If he was to do it when he was playing for the Houston Astros I would say..." January 21

MLB.com "When Spring Training games begin in a month or so -- it’s that soon! -- you will see the usual jerseys and shirseys in the crowd -- TROUT jerseys in Tempe, MOLINA in Jupiter, JUDGE in Tampa. But anyone can show up in those jerseys. They’ve all owned them for years. The..." January 20

The Score "The Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 will welcome its newest inductees when the results of the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote are announced Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. Any player who receives at least 75% of the vote will join last month's Modern Era Committee..." January 20

Sportsnaut "ESPN personality and New York Mets special assistant Jessica Mendoza made waves on Thursday when she called out Mike Fiers for being the whistleblower that brought the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal to the forefront. Mendoza’s comments were interesting in that they came..." January 17

Sporting News "Nostalgia can be a gift and a curse. Oftentimes, nostalgia operates as nothing more than beer goggles — distorting the view of something from afar while we slam Natty Light after Natty Light. Then, the sensation passes, and we're reminded of our jobs, our stresses,..." January 16

The Big Lead "Jessica Mendoza appeared on Golic and Wingo this morning to talk about the big MLB cheating scandal that most notably involves the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox - two teams who have just fired their very successful World Series-winning managers. Mendoza was asked about Mike..." January 16

The Big Lead "Dave Martinez stands alone. With the firings of Alex Cora and A.J. Hinch this week, the Washington Nationals manager has become unique in his sport. He's the only manager in Major League Baseball to have won a World Series for his current franchise. And it just happened in..." January 16

Hardball Talk "There’s an element to all of this Astros and Red Sox news that keeps coming up that I want to dig in to. Indeed, it’s a thing that comes up every single time a team or a player gets in trouble for something. It’s the “hey, they weren’t the only ones doing it! They..." January 15

MLB Trade Rumors "Monday was one of the most stunning days baseball has seen in recent memory. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch, who oversaw several contending teams in Houston and led the club to a World Series championship, lost their jobs as a result of a sign-stealing scandal. Before..." January 14

Mercury News "The Oakland A’s list of offseason priorities is short, but they checked two needs with one trade on Monday afternoon.  The A’s acquired Tony Kemp from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor league infielder Alfonso Rivas, the club announced. Kemp will hit his first..." January 13

MLB.com "The Rangers are in agreement with veteran slugger Todd Frazier on a one-year, $5 million deal with a club option for 2021, pending a physical, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The 34-year-old could fill a big hole at the hot corner for Texas, which missed out on..." January 13

Bleacher Report "Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. Most of the top free agents have come off the board. Yet multiple impact players remain unsigned, ranging from genuine stars (Josh Donaldson, Marcell Ozuna) to high-upside gambles (Taijuan Walker, Yasiel Puig). As we await..." January 13

Sportsnet "This could be Rob Manfred’s decade. No, check that: it very much needs to be Rob Manfred’s decade. The recent passing of NBA commissioner David Stern gave all of us pause to reflect on the evolution of North American professional sports; to reflect on how the NFL has..." January 13

San Francisco Chronicle "The A’s avoided arbitration with shortstop Marcus Semien on Friday, settling for $13 million, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, and setting the stage for a potential long-term extension for last season’s MVP candidate. " January 10

Bleacher Report "Major League Baseball's $300 million contract club is rapidly expanding. Giancarlo Stanton became the first player to sign a $300 million deal when the Miami Marlins extended him for $325 million over 13 years in 2014. He was all alone until 2019, when Manny Machado,..." January 10

The Big Lead "Nolan Arenada, the Colorado Rockies' 28-year old All-Star, is probably going to get traded, as reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Arenada signed an eight-year, $260 million contract in 2019, but the third baseman has an opt-out after the 2021 season so the Rockies could lose..." January 09

12 Up "The MLB offseason is the time for prospective contenders to either strike it rich with some big-name free agents like Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon or make some quality under-the-radar moves like the additions of Nomar Mazara and Edwin Encarnacion, just to name a few, in Chicago...." January 09

The Score "Major League Baseball is discussing the idea of using on-field technology to encode communication between pitchers and catchers and help prevent sign-stealing, reports Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports. The commissioner's office is developing several prototype devices, sources..." January 06

Sportsnaut "Many MLB teams have been busy this winter, turning over their rosters and making the moves necessary to take significant strides in the 2020 season. While some have stepped up this winter, others have fallen short. Whether due to front offices missing out on top free agents or..." January 06

The Score "The likelihood of a Nolan Arenado trade is reportedly down to a coin flip, as the Colorado Rockies are fielding offers for the superstar third baseman and looking for a package that includes a controllable first baseman or center fielder. While 29 teams..." January 06

12 Up "No baseball team has fared worse in the eyes of the public in the last three months than the Houston Astros. Not only did they blow a 3-2 World Series lead and lose out on the title with back-to-back home losses to the Washington Nationals, but they also quickly became subject to a broad and..." January 04

The Union Journal "Veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos is “shut to creating a call” on his subsequent group, in keeping with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). He has drawn vast curiosity thus far of the winter. It’s nonetheless completely unclear the place Chirinos..." January 02

Yardbarker "Righty Will Harris has drawn somewhat less pressing interest than might have been supposed entering the offseason. But the veteran is mulling offers from multiple teams and could soon sign, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Harris is said to have drawn..." January 02

TSN "Marcell Ozuna is one of the premier free agent bats left on the board, but that might not be the case for long. According to The MLB Network's Mark Feinsand, Ozuna's market is "gaining some clarity." He adds the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas..." January 02

MLB Trade Rumors "We’ve glanced in at a few areas of the player market to see what’s left after a busy first few months of the offseason. With a New Year’s freeze in effect on the news cycle, let’s do the same for the center field market. The lack of supply sufficient to meet..." January 02

MLB.com "The arrival of a new calendar year brings increased anticipation for Spring Training, and with camp now about six weeks away for Major League clubs, each has several questions that need to be answered before Opening Day. Here's a look at those questions, as well as a link to other important..." January 01

CBS Sports "Bailey signed a one-year, major-league deal with the Twins on Tuesday. Bailey will receive $7 million on a one-year deal, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The 33-year-old rebounded from a four-season stretch in which he struggled to a 6.25 ERA to post a..." December 31

MLB.com "When it comes to pulling off a trade, three is sometimes not a crowd, but a necessity. While almost all deals involve two teams working out an exchange, sometimes the addition of a third brings some previously absent element into the mix that allows everyone to get what they want. It..." December 31

The Score "While the year concludes with the Washington Nationals as World Series champions, a number of baseball's top talents showcased some of their finest work during a 2019 campaign chock-full of home runs, strikeouts, and general baseball dominance. Let's look back at the 10 best..." December 31

Sporting News "Happy (almost) New Year! Of course, for the baseball fans, the new year doesn't actually start until March 26, 2020. As we inch closer to Opening Day, we'll have more certainties and a better idea of what teams and players will be in the new league year. But until..." December 31

MLB Trade Rumors "Entering the offseason, the market for rotation upgrades was robust — arguably one of the strongest groups of free-agent starters we’d seen. Two bona fide aces — Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg — headlined a group that also featured the NL Cy Young..." December 30

MLB.com "As the 2010s come to a close, it's time to look back at the best home runs of the decade. There were 51,931 homers hit from 2010-19, but there are a choice few that will always stand out as the most memorable, whether they came in the clutch during the postseason, were milestone shots for..." December 30

Complex "On an album that will largely serve as an afterthought in the catalog of (arguably) the greatest rapper of all time, there was a taunt that caused plenty of sports fans to perk up when they heard it.   In the first verse of the eighth track of his 2013 offering Magna..." December 30

The Score "10. Pete Alonso walks off Home Run Derby The New York Mets first baseman was a tour de force during his first campaign in the majors. Before breaking MLB's single-season rookie homer record, Alonso won an epic long-ball derby with three walk-off dingers, including that blast to..." December 30

USA Today "Baseball fans who attended a San Francisco Giants or Oakland A's game over the past couple decades might remember the guy with the bow tie selling hot dogs.  James "Jimmy" Graff was a familiar sight, toting a metal box over the shoulder of his red and white..." December 29

The Score "With the calendar ready to turn to 2020, here's a look at the top 10 stories in Major League Baseball from 2019:  10. Free-agency freeze - and sudden thaw The stars of last year's free-agent class had to wait until spring training to find homes; only then did..." December 29

Sporting News "The current contentious dispute between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball became public in October, when Baseball America reported that MLB had offered a plan to eliminate as many as 42 minor-league teams after the 2020 minor-league season, when the Professional Baseball..." December 28

12 Up "Reports indicate that Felix Hernandez has no intentions of retiring, even though he's statistically been of the MLB's worst pitchers across the last two campaigns. King Felix's career with the Seattle Mariners has surely concluded, and in perfect fashion at..." December 27

Japan Times "Hiroshima Carp infielder Ryosuke Kikuchi said Friday he is giving up a bid to move to the majors this offseason via the posting system and will remain with the NPB club. Kikuchi, a seven-time Golden Glove winner, had until 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 2, 2020, to secure a deal with any of the 30..." December 27

The Score "The Modern Era Committee, one of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's four auxiliary voting bodies, rectified a longstanding injustice when it posthumously elected Marvin Miller to Cooperstown earlier in December. Miller, as it happens, wanted nothing to do with the Hall of Fame, expressing..." December 26

Yahoo! Sports "Rich Hill, a free agent MLB pitcher, was reportedly “violent and aggressive” toward a Foxborough police officer and acting in a “tumultuous manner,” leading to his arrest outside of Gillette Stadium on Saturday. The Boston Globe reported further..." December 25

Yardbarker "The Athletics have reached a major milestone in their never-easy effort to procure a new ballpark. Alameda County has formally approved an agreement to transfer its share of the Coliseum site to the team, Sarah Ravani of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Once fully finalized,..." December 25

The Score "A number of teams have already done the lion's share of their holiday shopping, with early winter moves galore this offseason. However, there are still plenty of chips to fall, so let's pick one gift each team could still use: Arizona Diamondbacks More free agents to..." December 25

CBS Sports "The calendar has not yet flipped to 2020 and already almost every top free agent has signed. This offseason has been very different than the last two and that's welcome. Slow offseasons are boring. This offseason has been anything but. In recent days both Dallas..." December 24

CBS Sports "Although they missed out on Gerrit Cole, the Los Angeles Angels landed a big fish during the Winter Meetings last week. They gave free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon a seven-year contract worth $245 million, and will pair him with the great Mike Trout and the..." December 23

Larry Brown Sports "Scott Boras has made his share of mistakes reading the market the last few offseasons, but everything seemed to break his way this offseason. Boras represented several of the top clients on the free agent market this year. He and his clients have gotten lucky that the right teams were..." December 23