A’s Exercise Manager Geren’s Option For 2011

The Oakland A’s, despite their numerous injuries and growing pains, still have an outside shot at making a run for the playoffs. Standing in their way, however, are the hard-hitting Texas Rangers. Whether or not the team actually catches Texas, the team knows that their future is relatively bright. The A’s announced on Saturday that manager Bob Geren will be back next season as the young team’s skipper. Geren, who has yet to lead the team to a winning record since taking over in 2007, has led the team quite well despite having lost player like Eric Chavez, Justin Duchscherer and Ben Sheets.

Geren has led the team through the ugly rebuilding process, and despite having many critics, Geren continues to lead the young team with an overly optimistic approach. The A’s GM/VP Billy Beane, a close friend of Geren, gives the skipper a great deal of praise for the team’s performance this year despite having a lack-luster offense. Through Saturday, the A’s ranks 20th in the league in batting average (.256), but 2nd in ERA with a team mark of 3.52.

The A’s still have plenty of options to explore and evaluate, as the team still needs to address players like Eric Chavez ($12.5 million option), Coco Crisp, and Mark Ellis ($6 million option). The A’s are expected to address those players after the conclusion of this season.