Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Travis Blackley (54) pitches during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Both of these moves resonated throughout the Athletics organization and its fanbase, but for very different reasons.  Blackley had become quite the fan favorite since arriving with the A’s last year.  His friendly demeanor, his Twitter hashtags, and quite frankly his appeal to the female sector of the fanbase put him atop the list of popular Athletics.  What made it most difficult was the fact that he had worked so hard to get back to the major leagues, had been given an opportunity by the Athletics, and truly felt like he had become part of the fabric of this team.  And he had.  He told Susan Slusser after hearing the news that he had “the A’s imprinted a bit on my DNA.”  Oakland had become his home and it’s tough to see him go.  Hopefully he will get a chance to pitch in the big leagues somewhere this year, he’s exactly the kind of player that can gel with any team.

Daric Barton has had a much longer journey in Oakland, and certainly much rougher.  When he was acquired way back in 2004 in the Mark Mulder trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was regarded as one of the top hitters in the minor leagues.  The ceiling was thought to be very high for Barton.  He never was able to put it together at the major league level though.  His 2010 season was unfortunately the abberation in his Athletics career, when he led the American League in walks and seemed to finally become a productive player.  After that, injuries derailed his career and when he was healthy he still was unable to produce.  He slipped down the first base depth chart, despite his defensive prowess, and now has found himself on the way out.  I would be shocked if Barton cleared waivers, and for him a fresh start in a new organization would probably serve him well.  I’ve certainly been hard on him, but it was only because the ability is there and he just wasn’t able to bring it out.

The A’s also optioned Jordan Norberto to the minor leagues and claimed pitchers Josh Stinson from the Milwaukee Brewers, and Danny Otero from the New York Yankees.  Stinson will report to Double A Midland, Otero to Triple A Sacramento.  Today’s moves likely open the door for someone like Hideki Okajima to make the 25 man roster, and Evan Scribner, Mike Ekstrom, and Pedro Figueroa in the mix as well for the final bullpen spot.

August 8, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jordan Norberto (77) pitches the ball against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

After the fact, the inclusion of Norberto on this list isn’t really much of a surprise considering the issues he dealt with last season concerning his shoulder.  Oftentimes players turn to PEDs not so much to just improve their play on the field, but to aid them in recovering from injuries.  Of course the fact that Norberto was on this list doesn’t prove anything, and he hasn’t failed any tests so it’s entirely possible that he was a client of Biogenesis but wasn’t receiving any substances that were actually on the MLB banned substance list.  Today’s report also seemed to exonerate Gio Gonzalez from any such accusations as he appeared to be receiving only substances that were legal within Major League Baseball.  The same could ultimately happen for Norberto as well.

It’s disconcerting to see so many players connected to the Athletics mentioned in these reports.  While there are a number of players from throughout baseball being linked to Biogenesis, it doesn’t excuse the fact that members of the A’s are engaging in the same practice.  Ultimately what may be happening is that they are simply attempting to keep up with the rest of the league, rather than gaining an advantage over everyone.

It’s becoming more and more clear that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding performance enhancing drugs in baseball.  The culture of PED use that exists in the game has taken such a stronghold that it’s hard not to turn a skeptical eye towards any player on the field when they accomplish something.  It’s a harsh reality of today’s game, and we have the choice to either let it ruin our enjoyment of baseball, or we can take it as a negative aspect of the game that will in all likelihood be here for the duration and continue to enjoy the game we love because it’s the game we love.  I’ll take the latter.

February 25, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (52) delivers a pitch during spring training at Papago Park Baseball Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

There have been a few small notes trickling out of Phoenix courtesy of Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle this morning.  First and foremost, as reported last night the A’s have agreed to a minor league contract with left handed reliever Hideki Okajima, pending a physical.  Slusser said that Okajima’s physical won’t take place right away because of blizzard related travel issues, Okajima did fail a physical after signing with the New York Yankees last year so passing is not guaranteed.

In other notes, Bartolo Colon is there but refusing to speak to the media today.  I would assume it’s in his best interest to get that first media session out of the way as soon as possible though so he can get rid of all the lingering PED questions that are sure to come up, then he can put it in the past and focus on this upcoming season.  Andrew Carignan is throwing again after undergoing Tommy John surgery early last year, and catcher Derek Norris said he looked “really good.”  Norris also apparently had trimmed down slightly, dropping 10 pounds and has made some offseason adjustments to his swing to help alleviate the problems he had down the stretch last year.  That is a very welcome sign from the young catcher.

• Hiroyuki Nakajima told Slusser that Manager Bob Melvin assured him he was the starting shortstop still after the acquisition of Jed Lowrie, and that Lowrie would be “the ultimate utility guy.”
• Michael Choice has no physical restrictions after his hand fracture that cost him the bulk of the 2012 season.  He’s on track to begin the season at Triple A Sacramento.  (Check out our examination of Choice from 1/30 here.)
• Michael Ynoa is the only Athletics pitcher not reporting to camp today.
• Jordan Norberto is fully healthy after his shoulder issues, he rehabbed in the Dominican Republic during the offseason.

Surely the great Susan Slusser as well as the other A’s beat writers will be giving us tons of news and notes on the first day of camp.  Check back here for a synopsis of it all.