Oakland Athletics Roundup: Raiders to Stay in Oakland; Farm System Rankings

Raiders Extend o.Co Coliseum Lease; A’s 18th Overall in Keith Law’s Farm System Rankings
Oakland Athletics Roundup: Friday, February 12

The Oakland Athletics are entering a new phase in their stadium drama, as the Raiders and owner Mark Davis announced that Oakland’s NFL franchise has agreed to a one-year extension on their lease at the O.co Coliseum.

"“There’s an elephant in the room, and that’s the Oakland Athletics. They have to make a commitment to what they want to do.” – Davis, at the press conference to announce the extension."

Davis accused the Athletics of muddying up the Oakland sports scene by signing a 10-year lease at the Coliseum in 2014. He continued on to say that the stadium situation will remain at a standstill until the Athletics make a decision one way or the other about whether they want to stay in Oakland and on the O.co site.

The Athletics issued a statement in response that did not utilize the same tone:

"“Today’s announcement by the JPA regarding the Oakland Raiders does not change the A’s goal of securing a baseball-only facility. We are aggressively working with the City of Oakland and relevant stakeholders to evaluate venue sites.”"

CSN’s Joe Stiglitch reported that Lew Wolfff added, “My only comment is that we are exploring all possible sites in Oakland and are following the terms of the lease.”

More from White Cleat Beat

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• Oakland A’s bring Deolis Guerra back on minor league deal
• How much will Oakland A’s improvements matter in 2023?
• Oakland A’s giving Drew Rucinski a chance to prove himself

In other news, ESPN’s Keith Law released his farm system rankings. It’s Insider content, so we won’t give away all of the details, but the Athletics landed at #18 on the list. Why did they end up in the bottom half? While Law acknowledged that some improvements had been made, he also criticized a system that as a lot of pretty-good prospects, but few great prospects.

That’s probably a fair assessment. The A’s have a lot of talent that wouldn’t necessarily make the organizational Top 10 in other systems, due to having a significant weakness in one aspect of their game or another. They also aren’t very balanced, with concentrations at some positions and a lack of prospects at others, like the outfield. Eighteenth in the league seems about right.

In Case You Missed It:

A’s 2016 Previews: Jed Lowrie – Samantha Riley takes a look at offseason-acquisition Jed Lowrie. The A’s newest infielder is a familiar face, but how will he perform in 2016?

The Battle for the Bullpen Spots – Samantha Riley details one of the biggest questions of Spring Training: how will the Athletics’ bullpen shake out after a major redesign this winter, and what does that mean for the upcoming season?

Oakland Athletics Caps Throughout the Years – Rich Paloma takes us on a trip back to the past, examining various Athletics’ caps over the years. Which was the best cap ever?

#Athletics

Next: The Top 50 Players in Oakland Athletics History

Around the Web

FanSided: Raiders Sign One Year Agreement to Stay at O.co – FanSided.com’s Charles Rahrig reports on the deal that will keep Oakland’s NFL franchise in the way of the Athletics for at least one more season.