AL

Heading into the 2012 season, the A’s will probably feature an entirely different outfield. Fans should embrace the fact that the A’s are poised to lose both Josh Willingham and Coco Crisp this winter, especially since the team already lost the other member of their 2011 starting outfield staff, David DeJesus. DeJesus’s departure most likely means Oakland has no interest in retaining their free agents this winter and will probably look for in-house help next season. Players like Ryan Sweeney, Jai Miller, and Michael Taylor are all vying for playing time and with open spots in the outfield it’s expected [...]

Just a few days after the conclusion of St. Louis’ epic World Series victory over the Rangers, MLB has moved on and is turning its focus to the HotStove which seems to be burning. The teams that made news today are the Yankees and Indians. The Yankees, with money seemingly bursting from the seams of their pockets, agreed to give star pitcher CC Sabathia an additional $30 million that will ultimately help pay him an astounding $122 million over the next five years. The Indians, meanwhile, acquired veteran pitcher Derek Lowe from the Atlanta Braves. Lowe, 38, went 9-17 with [...]

Transitioning from the tough American League East to the much softer American League West proved to be an easy task for Oakland reliever Grant Balfourthis year. Balfour, who used to pitch against the Red Sox and Yankees as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, made a very nice transition to the AL West this year. Oakland’s veteran reliever posted a 2.47 ERA in 62 appearances this season. He also recorded 59 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched this year as well. The A’s signed Balfour to a two-year deal prior to the start of the season, and so far, the [...]

With the World Series now officially behind us, we can turn our attention to the offseason. The A’s, a team that failed to impress in 2011, head into the offseason with several question marks regarding their status in the outfield for 2012. Oakland is expected to lose outfielders David DeJesus, Coco Crisp, and Josh Willingham this offseason. While both Crisp and Willingham could return, their days in Oakland appear to be numbered. Both Crisp and Willingham should generate some interest this offseason, especially Willingham, who set career highs in home runs (29) and RBIs (98). The A’s, who are still [...]

One of Oakland’s areas of need is, without a doubt, help over at third base. The Athletics got a pleasant surprise this past season in 3B Scott Sizemore, but while the A’s front office remains high on Sizemore’s abilities, he hardly looks to be Oakland’s everyday third baseman for the future. The A’s really haven’t had much depth over at third base, and onceEric Chavezstopped producing, the A’s have been in really poor shape at the hot-corner.3B Kevin Kouzmanoff arrived in 2010 as an answer, at least, initially, to Oakland’s problems at third. After producing on a rather consistent and [...]

Entering their final series before the All-Star break, the Oakland Athletics will need to get something going when they face off against the Texas Rangers in a key four-game set. The A’s at 39-49 are 8.0 games behind the first-place Rangers, and can either sink further down the standings or make up some ground before the break. The A’s can achieve the latter by continuing to play solid baseball against the Rangers, who are 2-4 against the A’s this season. Oakland’s pitching staff has been a major reason why the team still has a shot in the American League West, [...]

Remember when the A’s began dismantling their highly acclaimed “Big Three,” a rotation that included the likes of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito? If you do, then you’ll also remember that the trade the took Mulder away from the confines of the Coliseum and into St. Louis, was the one that brought Daric Barton and Dan Haren to Oakland. The deal, much better than the one that sent Hudson to Atlanta, definitely had its perks for the A’s. Haren turned out to be a very solid starter during his time in Oakland, and Barton had a lot of [...]

Pitching has not been much of a problem for the Oakland Athletics this season, but offensively, the club could benefit from some consistent run support. Entering Monday, the A’s lead the majors in ERA (2.46) and are holding opponents to a low .226 batting average. On the flip side of things, however, the A’s offense is not putting up solid numbers. The A’s rank 24th in runs (80), 22nd in batting average (.242), and the A’s have just two hitters with OBPs over the .320 mark. Coco Crisp leads all Oakland regulars with a .259 average, while the team’s main [...]

At 9-9, the Athletics are currently 3rd in the AL West, sitting three games back of the division-leading Angels. So far this season, the AL West looks like a three-team race with the Angels, Rangers, and A’s all vying for the division crown. During the offseason, A’s GM Billy Beane made several acquisitions during his efforts to upgrade an offense that ranked 28th in home runs in 2010. Guys like Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, and David DeJesus were brought on board to help Oakland’s offense support what many consider to be a top starting rotation. Through the first 18 games [...]

The Athletics are hurting once again, as the team lost All-Star closer Andrew Bailey yesterday to an elbow injury. Bailey, who finished the 2010 season on the disabled-list, apparently injured his surgically repaired elbow during a pitch in yesterday’s game against Cleveland. He’s had two surgeries on the same elbow in the past, and according to San Francisco Chronicle writer Susan Slusser, the news swirling around Bailey’s health in looking rather grim. According to her report, Slusser notes that Bailey will be visiting Dr. James Andrews in Alabama today. It is possible, especially if the news is not good news, [...]