Swingin' A's » A’s Baseball

Spring Training Update: A’s Looking To Move To Mesa

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:20:15 +0000

The A’s are in negotiations to move their Spring Training back to Mesa, Arizona. I say the word “back” because during the 60′s and 70′s, Mesa was their Spring Training locale, at a place called, Rendezvous Park. The move is scheduled to be in 2015,when the contract at their current home will expire after the 2014 season.

The news of the possible move is apparently a” hotbed” issue due to the fact that the Chicago Cubs are currently using the park as their training facility and the residents of Mesa voted for an approval of a new stadium for the Cubs last year. However, it also leaves the voters wondering what will happen with the other baseball venues in the area after the Cubs make their move.

This also poses a problem for the A’s because if they make the move to Mesa what will happen to Phoenix Municipal Stadium where the A’s have been training for almost 30 years.

A’s Notes: Sizemore Not An Option, Anderson On the Mend?

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:03:49 +0000

Former Cleveland Indians Center fielder Grady Sizemore will not be playing for the Oakland A’s next season. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s have no interest in the All Star player. Now, you may be asking yourself why the A’s, who have stated that all of their players, with the exception of 2B Jemile Weeks, are open to be traded, are not really interested in Sizemore. Well, it has to do with good ole money.

The A’s are not ready to shell out a hefty payload to the lefty at this point. This has alot to do with, you guessed it, the stadium relocation to San Jose. The currently injured Sizemore apparently is too much money to acquire and may be a gamble for Oakland because of that very injury. For some reason though, I don’t think that Sizemore who has an overall record of .234/.314/.414/.728 will shed a tear if he is not an Oakland Athletic. Surprisingly, he is also being sought by seven other ball clubs such as the Rangers, Red Sox, Giants and the Yankees. For the A’s unfortunately though, this match does not mesh. (more…)

San Jose Land Deal A Sign Of Progress

Joseph Lopez — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:03:49 +0000

: Will We Ever Get a Cisco Field? (Photo Credit: Oaklandathletics.com)

At this point, any news regarding the A’s attempt to build a new stadium is considered good news. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s took a step in the right direction by acquiring a land-purchase option in San Jose. The San Jose Council voted 10-1 to approve the purchasing option for the A’s.

With the vote, the A’s have been granted a two-year option to buy the five acres of land located near HP Pavilion, home of the San Jose Sharks. The option comes with a $50,000 price tag, with the possibility of an additional $25,000 for a third-year.

This option give the A’s the exclusive rights to buy the five acres of land for $6.9 million if the team is granted the approval of MLB to relocate to San Jose. The land itself must be used to build a new stadium. Also, the team will need San Jose voters to approve any final sale of land before actually building a stadium. That’s assuming the team gets approval from MLB, though. (more…)