I know I am late with the news, but just in case you have been living under a rock for the past three days, Josh Reddick won the Gold Glove award winner on Tuesday.  Reddick is the first outfielder on the A’s to win since 1985 and the first player on the A’s to win since 2006.

In other late news:

• On Tuesday both Joey Devine and Dallas Braden both cleared waivers and both elected free-agency.  Both pitchers missed the 2012 season due to injuries.
• MLB Trade Rumors listed the 2013 top 50 Free Agents, listing Stephen Drew at number 24 and Brandon McCarthy at number 32. They predict that Stephen Drew will head off to Boston and McCarthy will stay in Oakland.

Another active morning for the A’s today.  More roster moves for the green and gold and more good news coming from the DL side of things.

• Brandon McCarthy has been placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder soreness retroactive to June 20th.  This is the same injury that landed the right-hander on the DL back in May.  McCarthy had put together a very nice season for himself again, going 6-3 over 12 starts with a 2.54 ERA, a 3.37 FIP and .283 BABIP.  He also ranked 6th among AL starting pitchers with a 2.2 WAR.  It is not known how much time McCarthy will miss, but he is hoping to return some time around the All-Star break.
• The A’s have purchased the contract of A.J. Griffin from Sacramento, he will replace Brandon McCarthy in the rotation and will be making his MLB debut this afternoon against the San Francisco Giants.  Between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Griffin pitched in 15 games putting up a 6-3 record with a 2.66 ERA over 94.2 innings.  In the minors this season he also had a 8.0 SO/9 rate and a very impressive 1.3 BB/9 rate.
• In order to make room for A.J. Griffin on the 40-man roster the A’s have designated (RHP) Danny Farquhar for assignment.  The A’s claimed Farquhar off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays back on June 9th and this was his second stint with the club.  Over 8 innings in Sacramento this season, he had a 10.12 ERA and had issued 6 walks and 10 hits.
• Also on the move is (RHP) Evan Scribner, who has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.  Scribner pitched in 4.1 innings of relief this season for the A’s and only allowed a walk and struck out 5.
• To make room for Scribner, (INF) Eric Sogard has been optioned back to Sacramento.
• Dallas Braden will be throwing of the mound this week for the first time since Spring Training.  The left-hander is recovering from shoulder surgery and was sidelined back in April after straining his shoulder while rehabbing.

The A's forgot how to use these. (Photo: Spitzgogo_CHEN (Nokia 6230i)/Flickr)

Giants: 3  Athletics:  2

Lines of the Day:

• Yoenis Cespedes:  4 AB, 2 H, 2 2B.  Cespedes was the only player of the game to have multiple hits for the A’s, both coming in the form of doubles.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• Eric Sogard: 3 AB, 0 H, 0 R, 2 errors.  Eric Sogard went from being the line of the day yesterday, to becoming the ugly line of the day today.  The fact that Sogard had no hits doesn’t bother me, because no one on the team really hit,  it’s the two errors that really do it for me.
• A’s Offense:  It was 5 hits today for the A’s, one more than yesterday, which I guess is a good thing?

Tomorrow is the final game against the Giants, and also the last game that won’t count this season, the start time is 3:45 (PST).

Thanks for showing up today, Eric!

Giants: 4   Athletics:  2

Lines of the Day: 

• Graham Godfrey: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO.  Graham Godfrey had his best outing of the spring against the Giants tonight, I would love for this Godfrey to show up during the regular season.
• Eric Sogard: 3 AB, 1 H, 1R, 2 RBI.  Eric Sogard drove in the only runs of the night, they came off a 2-run home run.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• A’s Offense:  4….hits….
• Fautino De Los Santos: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 earned), 2 BB.  Fautino continues to struggle with his control.  He walked the first batter on four pitches, which was the beginning of a 3-run rally for the Giants in the 7th.

A’s Extras: 

• Earlier today, the A’s optioned infielder Adam Rosales to Triple-A Sacramento.  The A’s roster now sits at 27 and they have until after Wednesday’s game to set their 25-man roster.
• Joey Devine has complained of elbow pain and he has been shut down for now and he plans on seeing a doctor in the next couple of days.  Devine underwent Tommy John surgery in June, 2009 and last season was the first season he had pitched since the surgery.
• Cliff Pennington left the game today with groin soreness, Bob Melvin is likely to hold him out of tomorrow’s game, but believe’s he will be ready to play by Wednesday.

(Photo: Annie&John/Flickr)

Athletics:  9  River Cats:  0

Well, not really themselves, but the A’s first game back from Japan was an exhibition game against their AAA team, the Sacramento River Cats.  This was a weird one for me, Jarrod Parker was starting for the River Cats and really had hoped he’d have a good outing, but at the same time I really didn’t want the A’s to embarrass themselves and lose to the their own minor league team, or any minor league team for that matter.  One of my wishes came true.

The A’s didn’t really hit a lot, they only had 6 hits in seven innings, they just really took advantage of Parker’s inability to find the strike zone and the two errors committed by Grant Green (CF) and Christopher Bostick (2B).

The game only last seven innings due to rain but, in that time Tom Milone threw 6 perfect innings and Andrew Carignan threw 1 clean inning, he did allow 2 walks, but none of the two baserunners crossed home plate.

Lines of the Day:

• Tom Milone: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 6 SO.  There’s not much you can really say, Milone was pefect, literally.  Including tonight’s game, Milone only has 1 walk in 23.2 innings thrown this spring.
• Josh Donaldson: 2 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 2 RBI, 1 BB.   Josh Donaldson had a good night against his “former” team, one of his two hits was also a solo home run.

Ugly Lines of the Day: 

• Jarrod Parker: 2 IP, 2 H, 6 R (3 earned), 4 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR.  Although only half of the runs Parker allowed were earned, Parker was shaky again tonight.  I think it’s safe to assume he will start the season in the minors with Graham Godfrey and Tyson Ross getting the final two slots.
• The River Cats Offense: 21 AB, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO.  The A’s weren’t much better, but they did managed to score 9 runs on 6 hits.

Bob Melvin confirmed today that Brandon McCarthy will be the opening day starter for the Japan series (which takes place March, 28th & 29th), Bartolo Colon will  pitch the second night.

Just last spring McCarthy was fighting for the 5th spot in the rotation, so it’s safe to say he’s come a long way since then and he has more than proved himself deserving of the opening day nod.

David Forst addressed the third baseman situation on Tuesday morning and it sounds like the A’s are really considering looking outside the organization to fill the void:

“This is definitely an opportunity for [Donaldson] but at the same time, we definitely need to do our due diligence and see what else is out there on the market to make sure we can give Bob [Melvin] the best team that we can,” Oakland assistant general manager David Forst said. “Typically, you don’t see deals getting made the first week of March because teams spent all offseason putting a team together and they want to see what they have, at least for a little bit. It’s not a time that most teams are really willing to engage, but they obviously know we have a need.”

If you’re curious who the A’s might look at, Tim Dierkes of MLBtraderumors.com gave his opinion of who he thinks the A’s might target.

One other note I found interesting was when asked about Grant Green being a possible starter at third base, Melvin quickly shot it down saying the plan is to keep him in the outfield.

Remember that Green was a former shortstop, but was converted into a centerfielder last season.  The A’s currently have a heavy load in the outfield, specifically center, with Coco Crisp signed to a 2-year deal and Yoenis Cespedes due to sign a 4-year deal any day now.  It will be interesting to see what the A’s do with Green in the long run, I believe it’s possible the A’s may look to trade him down the road.

There is some good news regarding injuries, Susan Slusser reports (via twitter) that after yesterday’s bullpen session Dallas Braden has been cleared to to start throwing “more regular” sessions, similar to those of normal starters.

Joe Stiglich believes the A’s will have Graham Godfrey starting Friday against the Mariners, with Tom Milone following.

It’s been pretty a pretty quiet weekend for the A’s with most of the news surrounding Scott Sizemore, but here’s the latest:

Scott Sizemore will not have a MRI until Monday morning. Jane Lee confirmed via twitter he has an appointment scheduled at 9:30 AM.

Bob Melvin says Brian Fuentes was bothered by a hamstring problem a few days ago, but is throwing off the mound again.

We’re STILL waiting to hear from Bud Selig about the San Jose territorial rights, but Giants CEO Larry Baer briefly addressed the issue yesterday.

By now you probably know the Academy Awards are tonight and “Moneyball” is nominated for 6 Oscars, including best picture and best actor.

Speaking of “Moneyball”, Eric Chavez takes a look back at the 2002 season, he believes the young players made them more of a successful team than the “formula”:

“Those are some pretty good players,” Chavez told MLB.com earlier this week. “I saw the movie and it wasn’t a realistic view of what happened there. It’s easy to say you had a formula and it worked. They drafted really well. We were fortunate to have young guys come together at the same time and play really well together. Billy has tried to do it again over the last few years, but it’s hard to duplicate. It’s hard to do. It’s a slippery slope when you start saying you have an equation for success.”

In case you missed it: Dallas Braden took the time out to joke about Manny’s new video coordinator.

Dallas Braden not only fights for his mound, but his fans too.

By now, most of you have either read, or heard about the article that was published in Thursday’s edition of USA Today about the A’s.  I don’t really like getting into the “small market” team nonsense, however there are some things that really stood out to me in the article that I should address.

Personally, I am tired of hearing about the A’s attendance records.  I was tired of it three, four, five years ago, and I don’t need the constant reminder from every fan of every team that the A’s don’t draw well or another article pointing it out. WE KNOW!  Those of us who actually attend games are well aware of the fact that the stadium is 3/4 empty most of the time.  Ever heard of the term “beating a dead horse”?  We’re way past that now.

Most teams that consider themselves to be “small-market” carry a significantly higher turnover rate than other teams in the league.  Some of you know I follow the Padres as well as the A’s, and their clubhouse is just as much as a revolving door as the A’s.  It never gets easier watching your favorite player being traded away or signing with another team when they hit free agency.  My point being, it happens in other cities outside of Oakland.

So when does it stop?  When we get a new ballpark is what we have been told.  So about that new ballpark…

» Continue reading “Oakland A’s: The Never Ending Waiting Game”

Dallas Braden (right) hopes to return by April 16th

A few quick notes coming out of Arizona yesterday:

Brett Anderson threw a bullpen session for the first time since Tommy John surgery, he gives his efforts an “A-plus”.  If you are interested in seeing the video from his session you can look here, it also includes a post-throwing interview.  (Many thanks to Susan Slusser for posting the two videos)

Dallas Braden also had his fourth bullpen session since coming off of shoulder surgery, he describes his efforts as a step above an A-plus.  Jane Lee discusses what his throwing schedule will look like in the next couple of weeks.

Leave Jarrod Parker alone!  No, seriously, leave him alone.  A lot A’s fans are giving him a hard time about his new nickname for Kurt.  For the record he is now working on something new since there was such an overwhelming dislike for it.  I would like to note I absolutely love Jarrod Parker just from following him on twitter and I cannot wait to see him make it to Oakland.  

I am sure you all know by now that Manny Ramirez has officially signed a minor-league deal with the A’s.  Most of the reactions coming from the clubhouse are very positive and it sounds like the players are really looking forward to having him on the team, Kurt Suzuki especially;

“Manny ranks as one of the greatest hitters ever,” catcher Kurt Suzuki said. “You put a guy like that in the middle of your order, and it makes everyone around him better.”

Speaking of Manny, I noticed a lot of fans whining about this signing preventing the younger players from getting a chance and wanting to “boycott” the A’s this season.  First of all boycotting the team you love is, for a lack of a better term, stupid.  You’re hurting every single player when you don’t show up to a game.  If you aren’t going to cheer for the guy that’s fine, but show up for the players you love!  There’s a player on the team I can’t stand, but I don’t let him ruin my chance to have a good time at a ballgame.

Secondly, it’s a MINOR-LEAGUE deal.  If Chris Carter and/or Brandon Allen want to make the team they have 50 games to prove themselves.  Remember how Jemile Weeks got Mark Ellis traded to the Rockies last season?  I am sure if Carter or Allen are raking come June, there is no way they will lose their spot on the team once Manny is eligible to come back.

Thanks to Twitter, Susan Slusser, Jane Lee and Joe Stiglich we have a few notes coming out of Spring Training already:

Bartolo Colon says he is healthy and is ready to take on the leadership role in the Oakland clubhouse.  He Also says he is excited to play for Oakland and thinks they are going to be a “good team” this season.

After having Tommy John surgery last July, Brett Anderson is ahead of schedule and they expect him to return to the A’s rotation as early as August and he will be throwing from the mound on Monday for the first time since his surgery.  Anderson has also lost 25 pounds since starting rehab.

Catching prospect, Max Stassi, who had shoulder surgery back in May, says he is now back at full strength.  He also has lost 13 pounds through dieting.

Dallas Braden is now aiming to return to the rotation on April 16th.  He will be throwing with the other A’s pitchers, but not as often.  He, too, had shoulder surgery back in May and Monday will be his fourth bullpen session since he has started throwing again.

Bob Melvin says he thinks that the A’s will be adding more pitching and offense to the team by the time full camp opens, although he did not state any specifics.

We also learned today that the A’s are allowed to bring 30 players to Japan, only 25 are able to be active for the games, but they will have some flexibility.

Jane Lee also confirms the A’s are still very much interested in Manny Ramirez so this seems to confirm it’s just a matter of time before they sign him.