Athletics Rumors & News

Bleacher Report "With the Major League Baseball regular season nearly six weeks old, there are a few statistical anomalies that appear to be unsustainable. Justin Verlander and Michael Wacha cannot possibly maintain their historically great marks in batting average against and baserunners stranded,..." May 17

The Athletic "Very, very few people are going to baseball games in Oakland this year. At first glance, it might seem obvious why: They’re rebuilding, the park isn’t great, and attendance is down everywhere. These things are all true. They also don’t tell the whole story of what’s..." May 17

Sportsnaut "Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price is looking for an opportunity to start and it seems the club wants to make it happen. With Peter Gammons of The Athletic reporting the Dodgers’ willingness to move Price, he’s now one of the leading MLB trade..." May 16

NBC Sports Bay Area "There was a brief delay during the top of the seventh inning in the series finale between the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels on Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum after home plate umpire Marty Foster was forced to leave the game. Foster was hit in the mask in back-to-back innings and..." May 16

Bleacher Report "Take it easy on Major League Baseball's umpires, would ya? Yeah, I know. This isn't an easy ask in the best of times, and the 2022 season has only been the best of times for umpires if one unironically enjoys what they call the "ump show." To..." May 14

Sportsnaut "The Boston Red Sox entered 2022 hoping to compete for a World Series and to sign a Xander Bogaerts contract extension. Nearly two months into the season, neither seem like realistic possibilities as Boston plummets down the MLB standings. Bogaerts, the..." May 13

ESPN "Texas Rangers closer Joe Barlow was skeptical about PitchCom at first. The electronic device, used to transmit pitch signals from the catcher to the pitcher in an effort to curb sign stealing, is brand new in Major League Baseball this season, and Barlow wondered what..." May 13

Bleacher Report "The 2022 Major League Baseball season is nearly 20 percent completed (five out of 26 weeks), which is the perfect time for some early report card grades. Marks for each team are based on how their play has compared to preseason expectations. (Win totals via DraftKings.) In other..." May 13

MLB Trade Rumors "As always, this year’s trade deadline will prominently feature many players who will be eligible for free agency after the season.  Here’s a look at 10 rental hitters off to strong starts who could be available in trade.  All of the teams included in this post currently..." May 11

Clutch Points "The MLB has announced future plans for games held in the city of London, beginning in 2023. The partnership features regular season games in 2023, 2024, and 2026. The MLB held games in London for the first time in its history back in 2019, where the Red..." May 11

CBS Sports "Major League Baseball's regular season is now more than a month old. Every team has played at least 25 games, or 15 percent of its schedule. In other words, it's that time of the year when people start wondering, is their team's seemingly overperforming player for real? After all,..." May 11

CBS Sports "Just over a month into the 2022 Major League Baseball season, unfortunately, one of the biggest stories to this point has been the ball. The actual, physical orb we have long called a baseball is a discussion point, and mostly a negative one.  Here at CBS Sports, Mike Axisa..." May 10

The Score "Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani believes the new baseballs being used this season have been responsible for a dip in offensive production throughout the league. "I do feel it personally, and just by watching the games, I feel like the balls aren't..." May 10

Larry Brown Sports "Oakland A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus and outfielder Chad Pinder collided with one another on a frightening play during Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. " May 10

Total Pro Sports "It’s no surprise that sports fans consume a ton of alcohol at games, but which fan base drinks the most in Major League Baseball. NY Gambling Online surveyed 2,000 MLB fans across the country to see which teams have the “booziest” fanbase. " May 10

New York Post "Just before the season started, I asked Yankees manager Aaron Boone on TV how it felt to be managing a third-place team, or words like that. While Harold Reynolds was gasping a room away, Boone seemed unfazed, unannoyed. Boone answered calmly, saying he had great confidence in his team, more..." May 09

MLB.com "The Oakland A’s selected outfielder Luis Barrera from Triple-A Las Vegas and designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment, the club announced today. Barrera was hitting .286 with six doubles, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBI in 23 games with Triple-A Las..." May 09

MLB Trade Rumors "The Athletics have announced that outfielder Ramon Laureano has been reinstated from the restricted list after completing his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. To make room on the active roster, Stephen Piscotty has been placed on the..." May 08

CBS Sports "The designated hitter rule, in which pitchers are not forced to humiliate themselves at the plate, is now a permanent presence in Major League Baseball. The DH has of course been in force in the American League since 1973, and the National League used it during the COVID-abbreviated 2020..." May 07

Bleacher Report "Exactly one month ago today, the 2022 Major League Baseball season finally began after a protracted lockout and a shortened spring training.  We don't know everything about all 30 of the league's teams just yet, but we know a lot more than we did before. As such, it's..." May 07

The Score "MLB avoided the worst outcomes of losing regular-season games to the lockout, but the sport's overall attendance trends are still pointing downward. While no games were lost, the lockout generated significant negative publicity. That's nothing new. Attendance has declined..." May 07

Bleacher Report "The second base position is not the deepest in baseball right now, though young stars like Ozzie Albies, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jake Cronenworth, Jorge Polanco and Jonathan India are capable of making a major impact. The next generation of players at the position is led by Nick Gonzales..." May 07

The Athletic "If you listen to the podcast, you’ve heard the secret sauce: chase rate, barrel rate, contact rate. Give me a hitter who knows the strike zone, has bat speed, and can put the bat on the ball, and I’ll show you Mike Trout. What’s even better about these..." May 06

Bleacher Report "If you had to sum up the entire 2022 Major League Baseball season in just 10 players, could you do it? We're not talking about a ranking of the 10 best players. That's easy. I mean, it's subjective and would start a lot of arguments, but it's easy to just pick and rank..." May 06

CBS Sports "New York Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt is scheduled to hit the free-agent market this offseason, but he's open to remaining with the team long-term, according to comments he made to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  "From my standpoint, I am..." May 05

Sportsnaut "According to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, the San Diego Padres have discussed trading right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet. The 29-year-old has been in and out of the Padres’ starting rotation the last four years due to injuries and the team’s rotation glut of late..." May 05

CBS Sports "We are now a full month into the 2022 MLB regular season. The sample sizes aren't so small and fan bases are gaining and losing hope with each passing day. That said, there is still a lot -- A LOT -- of season to play, and plenty of teams are still vying for a spot in the new 12-team..." May 05

Bleacher Report "The 2022 MLB trade deadline is still three months away, but it's never too early to start envisioning what teams might look like as the time nears.  By mid-July, the landscape will be much clearer, and that's when fans can expect the market to move. Contenders..." May 05

MLB Trade Rumors "Less than three months remain until the August 2nd MLB trade deadline, and starting pitching is always a hot commodity.  Here’s a look at 18 starters who might be available in the coming months.   Top of the..." May 05

The Athletic "Ted Williams’ first rule of hitting was “get a good ball to hit.” In today’s game, there is, of course, still value in patience. But if you think that analytics have made baseball more boring, it’s yet another strategy that could hurt the sport’s..." May 05

The Athletic "Call them “action guys.” For lack of a better phrase, that’s how I would describe the high-contact, extra-base threats who embody the kind of excitement Major League Baseball wants to restore to the game. Action guys are not the only kinds of hitters who..." May 05

Bleacher Report "Robinson Cano and the New York Mets are parting ways, but he may yet get to write a final chapter to his MLB career with another team. The 39-year-old began the 2022 season as their starting second baseman but hit just .195 through 12 games. This was on the heels of a season-long..." May 04

ESPN "Tune in to an MLB game on any given night, and there's a good chance the conversation will turn to the topic that's dominating the sport so far this season. The latest exploits of Shohei Ohtani? Nope. The red-hot starts both New York teams are off to in 2022? Try again...." May 04

Bleacher Report "Now that it's May, enough time has passed in the 2022 Major League Baseball season to accept some early trends as absolute truths and adjust expectations accordingly. So, here are seven outrageous predictions that might just come true. In putting these predictions..." May 03

The Big Lead "The Oakland Athletics have been shockingly competent so far in 2022 despite a massive offseason teardown. Through 23 games, the A's are 10-13 and started 9-8 before losing five of their last six. Despite defying all expectations, Oakland has record-low attendance as fans refuse to show up...." May 03

CBS Sports "Robinson Canó's time with the New York Mets is over. The Mets designated Canó for assignment on Monday, the day teams must trim their rosters from 28 players to 26. New York opted to keep JD Davis, Luis Guillorme, and Dominic..." May 03

MLB.com "Upon recording what he believed to be a called third strike against Dansby Swanson in the fifth inning on Monday night, Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt skipped off the Citi Field mound, dropped his head, and took a half dozen steps toward the dugout before realizing the surprising..." May 03

The Score "It doesn't take long to count the fans at an Oakland Athletics game these days. Attendance for their Monday tilt against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Coliseum was announced at 2,488, the lowest paid attendance for the A's since Sept. 9, 1980, according..." May 03

Bleacher Report "Voting for Major League Baseball's 2022 All-Star Game won't even begin for another month, but it's never too early to start arguing over who is currently the best in the business. This ranking of MLB's top players is not exclusively rooted in 2022 production...." May 02

USA Today "Hitters across Major League Baseball can take heart: They were, in fact, getting robbed of hits and extra bases all throughout April. The anecdotal factors at hand – a deadened baseball, the use of humidors in every major league stadium, expanded pitching staffs to mitigate a..." May 02

MLB Trade Rumors "The Padres are in agreement with reliever Yusmeiro Petit on a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The 14-year MLB veteran will try to work his way back to the big leagues with San Diego. Padres skipper Bob Melvin is plenty familiar with Petit,..." May 02

USA Today "Go to a Major League Baseball game, and the invisible effects of analytics are everywhere – from the pitches being thrown, to the positioning of fielders or the swing plane of the hitters. And even the hot dog you might enjoy at the ballpark. Two years of shuttered,..." May 02

Bleacher Report "Both Seiya Suzuki and Steven Kwan have gotten out to fantastic starts for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Guardians, respectively. But how do those debut months stack up with what we've witnessed since the beginning of the millennium? Because both Suzuki and Kwan made..." May 01

The Score "The San Diego Padres are discussing potential trades involving right-hander Dinelson Lamet with other clubs, sources told The Athletic's Dennis Lin. San Diego is looking to create some flexibility for potential offensive additions, and clearing Lamet's..." April 30

Bleacher Report "Following a loaded 2021-22 MLB free-agent class, this upcoming offseason could be a letdown by comparison, but that's not to say big names couldn't change teams. Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner and New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge are..." April 29

Bleacher Report "Another year, another whirlwind of distrust over just what the heck is going on with Major League Baseball's baseballs. In the back half of the 2010s, there were questions abound about whether the ball was juiced as home run rates soared to record highs. Three years..." April 29

Bleacher Report "At this time of year, pitchers are typically still ahead of hitters in the MLB season. Offensive struggles are to be expected early on, but some teams stand out from the beginning.  Even this year, with a shortened spring training, there are offensive juggernauts worth..." April 28

The Athletic "The ball. Every year it’s something with the freaking ball. The current season is only three weeks old, and already the ball is the subject of two debates — whether it’s too dead and whether its surface is too inconsistent, creating frustration for..." April 28

Bleacher Report "In an ideal world, every MLB draft pick and amateur free-agent signing would develop as hoped and go on to make an impact at the big league level. But that's simply not how things play out. For small-market teams, finding young, cost-controlled assets is the key to..." April 28

The Athletic "There have been 221 player/managers in baseball history. Is it time to consider a player/commissioner? A’s rookie outfielder Cristian Pache, 23, created more goodwill for the game with one act of Twitter kindness than anything even the cleverest marketing department could..." April 28