News

The Oakland A’s dropped their sixth-straight game on Sunday, but they also made headlines when they designated back-up player Andy LaRoche for assignment. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s had more pressing issues that caused LaRoche to get DFA’d. The A’s were in dire need of pitching, especially since the team’s bullpen was taxed during the first two games against Boston, and so the team decided to keep Fautino De Los Santos on the roster when Grant Balfour returned from paternity leave. Slusser also suggests that the A’s might want to hang onto LaRoche should he [...]

Apparently, the A’s are making big news, but not for the reasons that a fan would expect.  It is no secret that tensions are riding high in the dugout and on the mound between manager Bob Geren and relief pitcher Brian Fuentes. Players were taken aback when Fuentes decided to sound off on Geren that his management style was less to be desired.  These comments had sports talk radio and news outlets buzzing and sticking their two sense in on the matter. It definitely got the attention of catcher Kurt Suzuki he commented that. ”New York and Boston, they get it every day.  Little stuff [...]

After dropping six straight games, the Oakland Athletics sit four game under .500, and three games out of first place in the American League West, at 22-26. While the A’s are still very much in the division race, it is hard not to notice the frustration that has been brewing in the Oakland clubhouse lately. After being put in a fourth-straight tied-game situation, A’s closer Brian Fuentes lashed out at manager Bob Geren, calling his managerial approach “unorthodox.” Fuentes, who became the team’s closer after Andrew Bailey suffered an injury, has lost four straight decisions to fall to 1-7 on [...]

The A’s remained relatively active on Monday, as the team announced that reliever Jerry Blevins was designated for assignment. Blevins, 27, was DFA’d to make room for starting pitcher Josh Outman, who rejoins the rotation after missing nearly two years due to Tommy John surgery. Blevins had some trouble this season in Oakland’s bullpen, posting a 4.40 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched. Opponents had been hitting a cool .260/.394/.480 against the lefty this season. Outman, meanwhile, rejoins Oakland’s rotation after going 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA for them in 2009. He suffered an elbow injury in June of 2009, and [...]

While the Oakland A’s finally got some type of answer regarding pitcher Dallas Braden’s recovery time from shoulder surgery on Tuesday, it probably wasn’t the type of news they were expecting. The A’s will lose Braden for the remainder of the 2011 season. It remains unclear whether the lefty, who threw a perfect-game last year, will be ready for the start of the 2012 season. The A’s starting pitching as a whole has remained the team’s biggest strength, but Oakland’s rotation will miss Braden’s veteran leadership. At 27, Braden was the sounding-board for many younger pitchers like Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, [...]

It appears that Trystan Magnuson’s luck appreciated ten fold when the A’s decided to call him up from the A’s minor league team in Sacramento.  The 6 foot 7 righty managed to accumulate a 1.56 earned average along with 12 saves in 3 games and held opponents to a .138 batting average with the River Cats. Magnuson, who spent his college years at the University of Louisville and was an ace reliever on their 2007 College World Series Baseball team told MLB.com that he was thrown for a loop when he he was first told he was going to Oakland. “The wide-eyed hurler [...]

It looks like the A’s will get to play one extra game with Texas before the big All Star game in mid- July all because of our friend, Mother Nature.  Heavy rain in Texas washed out the game last Wednesday during middle of the fourth inning.  A blessing for Oakland and not so much for Texas, where they were leading 7-0 when the game was officially called for delay.  I am sure it left both the fans as well as the Rangers reeling because the entire game will have to be played. Rescheduling the game was an easy decision due [...]

According to the Oakland A’s official team website, LHP Dallas Braden will undergo shoulder surgery on Monday in New York to repair a torn capsule in his left shoulder. Injury problems have not been uncommon in Oakland, as the A’s battle injuries seeming every season. This year, however, the A’s have a little more depth than they’ve had in recent year. Losing Braden, however, is a tough blow to Oakland’s rotation, regardless of how deep it may be. In just three starts this season, Braden went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. At 27, he was considered the “veteran” of Oakland’s [...]

According to a recent post by MLBTraderumors.com, A’s first-baseman Daric Barton is thinking about his multi-year contract negotiations. This season, Barton, 25, is batting just .207/.346/.287 with five RBIs through 26 games. He still gets on base for Oakland, but he doesn’t offer much else on offense. Once considered one of Oakland’s top young hitters, Barton has not really lived up to the expectations that once surrounded him. He enjoyed a solid season last year, hitting .273 with 10 HR and 57 RBIs, but he’s off to a very slow start. Oakland’s offense in general is off to an extremely [...]

With all of the players on the D.L. during the 2010 season, I must say that it is quite refreshing to see someone come off that list.  On Monday, the A’s were able to reinstate right-hander Michael Wuertz to the team.  The news of Wuertzs’ return means that there will now be four lefties and three right-handed relievers ready to go. With Dallas Braden on the DL, the A’s had to put Tyson Ross in his place, thus leaving another open spot for a right-hander.  With the comeback of Wuertz, unfortunately, it also means that Bobby Cramer, the left-handed reliever will be optioned [...]