Athletics Rumors & News

Sporting News "Major League Baseball is angry with Minor League Baseball for continuing to negotiate a new business agreement in public. The feud escalated Friday to the point that MLB threatened to walk away entirely from its decadeslong partnership with the minors' governing body. Was that a..." December 14

Sportsnaut "The 2019 MLB winter meetings are in the books and the four-day extravaganza provided plenty of movement across baseball. Now with many of the top free agents off the board, our attention shifts to this offseason’s top trade candidates. There is more MVP-caliber talent..." December 14

CBS Sports "A Winter Meetings most frenzied -- one in which more than $1 billion in guaranteed salary was cast about -- is freshly behind us. While the highest-profile likes of Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg are now spoken for, we've still got a number of..." December 13

USA Today "The Chicago Cubs came to town ready to trade one of their stars, only to sit helplessly and watch other teams instead empty their checking accounts for free agents. The Los Angeles Dodgers were preparing to spend the most money on a free agent in franchise history, only to find..." December 13

Bleacher Nation "When Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole signed to absolutely record-shattering contracts this week, it was a pretty natural instinct to look around at other, existing deals around baseball and consider their value through a new lens. In particular, to Cubs fans, the four years and $81..." December 13

CBS Sports "As the sun sets on the 2019 Winter Meetings, MLB executives will head home having seen two pitchers sign record contracts in the span of 30 hours or so. The Nationals gave Stephen Strasburg a seven-year deal worth $245 million on Monday. At the time, it was the richest pitching contract in..." December 12

USA Today "Quite simply, it’s the greatest week by an agent in baseball history. In a matter of about 48 hours, Scott Boras had three clients sign contracts worth a staggering $824 million, with third baseman Anthony Rendon signing Wednesday night to a seven-year, $245 million..." December 12

Yardbarker "The Padres announced Thursday that they’ve traded minor league outfielder Buddy Reed to the Athletics as the player to be named later in this month’s Jurickson Profar deal. Oakland traded Profar to San Diego in exchange for catcher Austin..." December 12

The Score "Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have agreed to a new drug policy that will test for opioids but won't punish for marijuana use, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The agreement will be implemented for the 2020 season..." December 12

Hardball Talk "Major League Baseball’s plan to essentially contract 42 minor league baseball teams by eliminating their major league affiliations has not gone over very well with, well, almost anyone. It was immediately assailed by many the moment it was first reported by Baseball..." December 12

Mets Merized Online "Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Oakland Athletics would have interest in acquiring Jed Lowrie from the New York Mets if the team is willing to pay a large portion of the $10 million salary he will have in 2020. “That is a deal..." December 12

Sporting News "To say there was some uncertainty among MLB managers about the potential of new rules impacting the 2020 season would be putting it mildly.  Specifically, there were questions about the proposed three-batter minimum for relief pitchers, a rule aimed at reducing pitching changes..." December 11

MLB Trade Rumors "The Dodgers will sign free-agent reliever Blake Treinen to a one-year, $10MM contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. They were one of “multiple” clubs that made offers in that vicinity to Treinen, according to Passan. Treinen’s represented by Adam Karon of..." December 11

ESPN "Decreases in air resistance spurred by inconsistent seam height on the baseball and "changes in player behavior" that produced different launch angles and exit velocities led to the dramatic increase in home runs during the 2019 season, a committee of professors tasked by Major League..." December 11

Hardball Talk "Gerrit Cole is now a New York Yankee. Nine years and $324 million make that so. But though the Yankees are the only team who gets him, they weren’t the only team interested in him. So let’s take a look at what the losers of the Gerrit Cole derby — the Dodgers and the..." December 11

Sportsnaut "As MLB teams compete in bidding wars for the top free-agent pitchers, the recent availability of Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price could change everything for clubs looking to bolster their rotation. Boston is looking to shed significant payroll this winter and,..." December 11

Yahoo! Sports "On Tuesday at the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Major League Baseball announced the members of the All-MLB Team, recognizing the top performances by players in the 2019 regular season. It announced both a “first team” and “second team.” The fan vote accounted..." December 11

MLB Trade Rumors "Oakland Athletics utility man Chad Pinder is drawing trade interest around the league, per MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman. Pinder, 28 in March, was a second round draft choice of the A’s in 2013 out of Virginia Tech. He’s been a role player for Bob Melvin’s..." December 11

USA Today "Scott Boras, who represents the cream of this year’s free agent crop, believes teams are being substantially more aggressive in pursuit of players than they have in years. The accusations of collusion that dominated the landscape the past few years at baseball’s..." December 10

Total Pro Sports "Mike Fiers, the 34-year-old former Astros pitcher, blew the doors off Major League Baseball when he spoke out against his former club and blew the whistle on alleged cheating that had been doing, especially during their 2017 World Series run. Just in case you’ve been living..." December 10

TMZ "Weed is now LEGAL in the MLB ... the league is lifting its ban on marijuana for minor leaguers, removing the drug from its prohibited substance list. As part of the MLB's efforts to crack down on opioid use in and around its league ... it has agreed to stop testing minor leaguers..." December 10

CBS Sports "Major League Baseball is set to relocate its annual amateur draft in an effort to increase interest in the event. According to Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball, the 2020 draft will be held at the site of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, rather than at the MLB Network..." December 10

12 Up "The Houston Astros nearly broke MLB hearts once again this season by getting to the World Series, but the Washington Nationals shocked us all by coming out on top. Despite that result, Houston remains as dangerous as ever. With the Winter Meetings underway, you better believe Houston..." December 10

San Francisco Chronicle "On the lookout to boost their bullpen, the A’s have expressed interest in Kansas City lefty Tim Hill, multiple sources told The Chronicle on Monday at baseball’s winter meetings. Hill, 29, had a 3.63 ERA in 46 outings with the Royals last year and he won’t be..." December 10

MLB.com "Pete Frates, the former Boston College baseball captain who inspired millions with his fight against ALS, died at the age of 34, his family announced on Monday. It was Frates who spawned the Ice Bucket Challenge five years ago, which raised over $200 million for amyotrophic lateral..." December 09

MLB Trade Rumors "Veteran reliever Sergio Romo appears to be cruising towards his next deal. Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter) says there’s momentum towards an agreement, with a decision anticipated during the Winter Meetings. " December 06

Dodgers Nation "As many consider bullpen reinforcements a top need for the Dodgers, they are among the teams showing interest in free agent reliever Blake Treinen, according to Jorge Castillo.      

December 06

NBC Sports "According to Athletics GM David Forst, Major League Baseball has still not informed teams whether or not the proposed three-batter-minimum rule will be in effect for the 2020 season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The league and the players’ union..." December 05

MLB.com "Let’s be clear about this: Mookie Betts is likely going to be playing for the Red Sox next season. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that multiple MLB executives believe it’s unlikely that Boston will actually trade him, and it makes sense. He is, after all, one..." December 05

Hardball Talk "On Sunday, December 8, the Modern Baseball Era committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame, which includes candidates whose primary contributions to baseball came between 1970-87, will vote on candidates for the 2020 induction class. Between now and then we will take a look at the ten..." December 05

ABC7 "Players who test positive for opioids would enter treatment and not be suspended under the change to Major League Baseball's drug agreement being negotiated by management and the players' association, according to union head Tony Clark. Talks to add testing for opioids..." December 04

USA Today "Major League Baseball has the power to discipline front-office personnel for egregious acts. The league can fine players for anything from wearing the wrong type of shoes to throwing their helmet after a strikeout. It can suspend players for using performance-enhancing..." December 04

ESPN "Left-handed reliever Jake Diekman and the Oakland Athletics are in agreement on a two-year deal with a club option. A source familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan that the contract is for $7.5 million. " December 03

Yardbarker "Major League Baseball has announced that infielder Ryosuke Kikuchi (Hiroshima Carp) and right-handed pitcher Shun Yamaguchi (Yomiuri Giants) are each formally available through the posting process. Their posting periods opened this morning at 8am EST and will continue..." December 03

MLB Daily Dish "There have been a flurry of moves today as the non-tender deadline approaches this evening. The moves have ranged from roster trimming to just free up roster spots to cost saving moves to all of the above. Such is the reality of this time of year. One team that has been active today..." December 02

MLB Trade Rumors "The Padres and Athletics have agreed to a trade that’ll send infielder Jurickson Profar from Oakland to San Diego, Robert Murray reports (via Twitter). Profar, who’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.8MM through arbitration, was a..." December 02

12 Up "The Chicago Cubs need to strike gold in the offseason to get back on the right track in the fierce NL Central, but doing so could mean that they are forced to part ways with star third baseman Kris Bryant. While a small section of the Wrigley faithful have resigned themselves to the..." December 02

Japan Times "Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Haruki Nishikawa would like to move to the majors as early as the 2021 season, the 27-year-old said Wednesday. Appearing at the Fighters’ team office in Sapporo to sign his contract for next season, Nishikawa is entering the second year of..." December 02

Boston Globe "At 32, Peter Fatse will be younger than some of the players he will work with as assistant hitting coach of the Red Sox next season. He also will be in uniform for the first time since 2012 when he was playing for the Florence Freedom in the independent Frontier League. It..." December 02

NewJersey.com "The Yankees seem to be always on the hunt for another weapon to add to their star-filled bullpen, and the next to arrive may be an Oakland Athletics reliever who followed a sensational 2018 campaign with a stinker of a 2019. The Athletics are looking to cut payroll yet again..." November 29

MLB.com "Black Friday is here, and with it comes holiday shoppers searching for the best deals. Major League general managers have been known to get in on the action, lighting up the Hot Stove with some blockbuster trades on this notorious day of shopping. With that in mind, MLB.com..." November 29

The Score "Kyle Seager, Mariners Age: 32 Position: 3B Contract: Signed through 2021 (2 yr/$38M + 2022 option) Trade factor (1-5): 5 While a sure thing doesn't exist, a trade involving Seager is pretty close. The veteran won't..." November 28

MLB.com "The list of nominees for the inaugural All-MLB team features a wide range of big leaguers, from perennial Most Valuable Player Award candidates to some of 2019's biggest breakout stars -- but it also includes its share of underrated players. While even being selected for..." November 27

Wall Street Journal "Following the opioid-related death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, Major League Baseball is revising its response to an epidemic that has swept the nation. The league and its players’ union are negotiating changes to their collectively bargained drug policy that..." November 27

MLB Trade Rumors "The top two catching options on the open market are gone, with the White Sox landing Yasmani Grandal and the Braves securing the services of Travis d’Arnaud. Some others, including Stephen Vogt (Diamondbacks), Tyler Flowers (Braves), and Dustin..." November 27

12 Up "A former top prospect that made his MLB debut at the age of 19, injuries and an inability to keep the ball in the park have done a number on Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dylan Bundy's reputation. With Baltimore still in the middle of a massive rebuild, Bundy,..." November 27

NBC Sports Bay Area "The A's reportedly are looking to trade three veterans. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Oakland has been discussing dealing away relief pitcher Blake Treinen, second baseman Jurickson Profar and catcher Josh Phegley. The news isn't all..." November 27

MLB Trade Rumors "The A’s announced a spate of minor-league signings this afternoon, some of which were previously reported by Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. On the pitching side, the club brought aboard left-hander Lucas Luetge and right-handers Ian..." November 26

Dodger Blue "In addition to notable free agents Rich Hill, Russell Martin and Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Los Angeles Dodgers also saw a slew of Minor League players reach the open market. In most cases it involved players who were organizational depth. However, the Dodgers’ group of Minor League free..." November 26

Yardbarker "The Mets have interviewed A’s minor league pitching coordinator Gil Patterson for their pitching coach position, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney. It isn’t clear from the report, however, when Patterson’s interview took place or if he remains in the running. " November 25