Oakland Athletics Roundup: Opening Day 2016 Roster Finalized

Opening Day 2016 Is Finally Here! The Final 25-Man Roster
Oakland Athletics Roundup: Monday, April 4

Monday is the greatest day of the year: the first real game of the Oakland Athletics’ season. Major League Baseball got things underway with a trio of games on Sunday, but the Oakland Athletics will kick things off at 7:05 PST, when Sonny Gray takes the mound against White Sox ace Chris Sale.

For those who missed it over the weekend, the Athletics’ final Opening Day roster includes five starters, seven relievers, and 13 position players. Right-handers Chris Bassitt and Kendall Graveman, along with lefties Rich Hill and Felix Doubront, fill out the rotation behind Gray. Doubront, who experienced forearm tightness in his last start, may be replaced by Jesse Hahn before his start on Friday, but the Athletics didn’t want to make that decision until the end of the week.

Rookie reliever Ryan Dull made the club, as did fellow right-handers John Axford, Liam Hendriks, Ryan Madson and Fernando Rodriguez. Lefty Sean Doolittle will reprise his role as closer, so Marc Rzepczynski will be the lone left-hander prior to the ninth inning.

There were no questions about Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley returning behind the dish or Billy Butler resuming his designated hitter duties, but the rest of the position players are a bit more fluid. Yonder Alonso, Jed Lowrie, Danny Valencia and Marcus Semien are listed as infielders, while Mark Canha, Coco Crisp, Khris Davis, Billy Burns, Chris Coghlan and Josh Reddick all make the list as outfielders.

Davis, Burns and Reddick are likely to be the primary outfielders, although Bob Melvin will likely use platoons to supplement his lineup.

Utility man Eric Sogard and outfielder Sam Fuld are both on the disabled list, along with three pitchers: Jarrod Parker, Henderson Alvarez and R.J. Alvarez.

Editor’s Note: Interested in writing for Swingin’ A’s? Check out the application link above. We are looking for at least two new writers for the upcoming season!

In Case You Missed It

The Oakland Athletics and Ron Washington: A Word On Errors – The Athletics led all of baseball in errors this Spring Training, but staff writer Mark Sigmon isn’t worried about it. Be sure to check out why he thinks the A’s can turn it around.

25-Man Roster Decisions are Insanity Defined (Again) – Rich Paloma explains why, for the second time in two years, the Athletics are once again defining the word “insanity” with their roster decisions. Find out what lesson he thinks they should have learned from Billy Burns.

Will Fernando Rodriguez Be Key to Middle Innings? – Bold predictions for 2016: Fernando Rodriguez will decrease his walk rate, post a sub-3.50 ERA, and allow just five inherited runners to score.

A Make or Break Year for Joey Wendle – The upcoming season may be Joey Wendle‘s last year to impress the A’s front office before Chad Pinder passes him on the depth chart. Can he do it?

2016 Preview: Catcher Stephen Vogt – Oakland Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt was an All-Star last season. Will he repeat in 2016? Melson Varsovia takes a look at Vogt’s chances for both success and playing time this year.

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Next: The A's Should Learn From the Jim Johnson Deal

Around the Web

Call to the Pen: O.Co opts out of Naming Rights Deal – Derek Helling of FanSided’s Call to the Pen site writes that the Oakland Athletics’ home stadium is now without a name, as Overstock.com has opted out of their naming rights deal. The A’s home has been referred to as the “O.co” since 2011, when the company originally signed the deal. According to Helling, Overstock will continue to sponsor regular corporate advertising inside the park, but the stadium will once again be referred to as the Coliseum.

This leads to a key question: Who would want to sponsor the Coliseum? It seems as though it would be hard to get a big-name sponsor locked into a deal, given that the Athletics and Raiders are both searching for new homes. The stadium has a well-know reputation as a disaster, from Mount Davis to the sewage issues during football season. The team may be out of luck when it comes to a stadium name, at least until they move.