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Archives for September 2018

Orioles Notes: Duquette, Ripken, Mesa, Jones

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There’s little certainty regarding the future outlook among Orioles leadership, with both general manager Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter in the final few weeks of their contracts. Duquette said last night on 105.7 FM The Fan that he’s not sure what the future holds but expressed a desire to remain with the O’s throughout their rebuild and beyond (via Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com). “My heart’s here,” said Duquette. “And I’m happy to lead the rebuild and looking forward to it. But I don’t control those things.” 

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal speculates in his latest notes column that team legend Cal Ripken could find a role with the team (subscription link). While Ripken has “no interest in managing,” per Rosenthal, the O’s did bring another club legend, Eddie Murray, on board as a special advisor to ownership. Rosenthal briefly explores a hypothetical but drastically more influential position more along the lines of Derek Jeter’s role with the Marlins, though he ultimately tabs the scenario is a “long shot.”

More out of Baltimore…

  • Melewski also quotes Duquette with regard to the team’s interest in top Cuban outfielder Victor Victor Mesa, who was recently declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. The GM declined to call his club any sort of favorite to sign Mesa, despite the fact that the Orioles have the top international bonus pool available, but he did reaffirm the Orioles’ philosophical shift on the international market and once again voice a strong commitment to continuing to add international amateurs, as the O’s have over the past six weeks. As for Mesa specifically, Duquette acknowledged some intrigue but added that the O’s still need to do some homework. “We don’t have that significant a scouting portfolio on him,” said Duquette. “We saw him in the (World Baseball Classic), so we’re going to have to get up to speed.”
  • Showalter is in something of a tough spot with venerable club leader Adam Jones, a free agent at season’s end whose future with the club is uncertain. The O’s recently benched Jones for an entire three-game series on the road, in favor of younger players with more control. Jones has played more for the Orioles at home as the season winds down, and Showalter discussed the difficulties and the varying factors that play into the decisions with Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun. Showalter said both he and the front office “have always wanted to play” Jones. The Orioles do need to get looks at younger players, though, and Showalter spoke broadly and somewhat vaguely about the need to balance his desire to play Jones with other factors, including what type of crowd will be on hand the day in question and whether the Orioles’ opponent is in a playoff race.

Five Teams Set For Potential Triple-A Affiliate Changes

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The majority of clubs throughout Major League Baseball have already announced that they’ve renewed their player development contracts with their Triple-A affiliates, but there are still five clubs that don’t have a clear plan in place just yet. Notably, the Astros and the Fresno Grizzles announced yesterday that they will not be renewing their partnership. As MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes, that should pave the way for the ’Stros to land in Round Rock (where they previously had their Triple-A club for a decade). Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan said a return to Round Rock is “at the top of our list,” McTaggart notes, adding that the Ryan family owns the Round Rock Express.

That move, of course, would leave the Rangers searching for a new affiliate, though Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News wrote over the weekend that the Rangers could well end up in San Antonio, where a Triple-A franchise will be added as Colorado Springs loses its Triple-A designation (a move that’ll leave the Brewers, currently in Colorado Springs, looking for a new home as well). As Fraley explores, the facilities to which the Rangers could relocate in San Antonio are currently lacking, which could potentially prove detrimental in pursuing minor league free agents. However, sticking in Texas would come with greater marketing opportunities and a preexisting fan base from which to draw.

The Brewers, Nationals and Athletics are the three other clubs that are yet undecided on next year’s affiliations. The Nats will be seeking a new partner following the post-2017 announcement that the Mets had purchased the Syracuse Chiefs (securing a much-needed geographic upgrade over their current home in Las Vegas). The Athletics, in similar fashion, would reap significant geographic benefits by moving from their current home in Nashville to either Fresno or Las Vegas.

Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Journal-Review notes that the Nationals have expressed interest in moving to Nashville, while Bryant-Jon Anteola of the Fresno Bee suggests that the A’s would likely have their pick between Fresno and Las Vegas, as both would prefer to partner with the Athletics for geographic reasons, giving Oakland the advantage. That’ll present the A’s with the decision of whether to play in California or move to a newly constructed facility Vegas and seems likely to leave the Brewers with an even larger gap between their big league club and their top minor league affiliate, though they’ll be moving into improved facilities either way.

Poll: Which Superstar Will Earn More In Free Agency?

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At the end of the 2018 season, two superstars will hit the open market in search of record-breaking contracts: Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Dodgers infielder Manny Machado. Each comes with his own tremendous upside, while at the same time owning risks and weaknesses in gameplay.

It would be hard to argue against either being anything but a top-tier talent worthy of one of the most expensive contracts in baseball history. Barring sudden extensions, each is likely to sign his next contract at the age of 26, and each has accomplished historic feats to date. Their career fWAR totals are both nearly identical; Machado has accrued 29.7 since debuting in 2012, while Harper has 30.3 over a very similar time frame. Such a high fWAR total at an incredibly young age sets each on a great start towards a Hall of Fame career, but the two young phenoms have gotten there in vastly different ways.

Machado’s value has come from tremendous performances both offensively and defensively. While the infielder has received questionable reviews as a shortstop this season, he’d been an incredible defensive asset at third base for his entire career prior to that. The wunderkind topped out at a tremendous 35 defensive runs saved during his first full MLB season back in 2013, and has accrued 84 DRS there across nearly 6,500 innings to date.

Meanwhile, the former Oriole has put up an above-average offensive season by measure of wRC+ in every full season of his career to date. And in spite of an aberration that was the 2017 season, Machado’s offensive performances on the whole have been tremendous. And even amidst that unfortunate (and temporary) dip in stock, he’s slugged at least 33 homers in each of the past four seasons en route to hitting free agency in six weeks. He’s dynamic as well, having swiped 14 bags this season and boasting experience at two different infield positions.

Harper, on the other hand, is a bit more of a pure offensive talent. And while Fangraphs has saddled him with a below-average defensive rating in every season since his rookie year, he’s more than made up for that with his bat. After entering the majors as a teenager, Harper has put up a .279/.387/.513 career batting line with 184 long balls across 3,900 trips to the plate. That’s obviously not a common performance for a player who’s still just a quarter century in age.

The biggest knock on the one-time prodigy has been his lack of consistency. While Harper’s hot streaks are blistering and some of the most dangerous in baseball, his slumps have been prolonged and miserable. For further evidence of this issue, one need look no further than Harper’s MVP season in 2015: while he accrued an otherworldly 9.3 fWAR during that season, he regressed to a 3-win campaign in 2016 and hasn’t come close to that level since. And yet, one can hardly argue that the incredible potential doesn’t still remain in his bat, particularly considering he’s not yet reached the prime age of his baseball career.

There are a variety of factors that could still change prior to these players hitting the open market. But as it stands, it doesn’t seem a stretch to think that most of the market’s driving factors are already in place at this time. Keeping with that thought, which player do you think will earn a bigger free agent payday this offseason? (Poll link for app users)

Quick Hits: Mattingly, Bruce, Free Agent Market

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Marlins manager Don Mattingly was the latest manager to complain about September roster expansion rules, stating that “the game you play for five months is not the game you play in September.” According to Mattingly, the roster expansion from 25 to 40 in the month of September changes the “fundamental nature of the game” by allowing clubs to use up to 40 players in a given contest as opposed to the 25 they’d be able to use from April to August.

Objectively, Mattingly’s accusation that the game is fundamentally different is hard to argue. With a hat tip to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN for the stats, the recent Saturday contest between the Marlins and Phillies was the first non-DH game since 1900 in which no pitcher recorded a plate appearance. It was also just the fourth game in MLB history in which no pitcher tallied more than six outs. Mattingly’s not the first manager to take issue with roster expansion; former Brewers GM Doug Melvin complained about the change as early as 2005.

Here are a pair of other notes from throughout baseball earlier today…

  • Mets hitter Jay Bruce apparently wants his “audition” with the Mets late this year to “mean something”, per a report from Mike Puma of the New York Post. Taken in context, it’s quite a turnaround to hear such words about a player who less than a year ago was signed to a three-year, $39MM deal in hopes that he’d be a difference-maker for the Amazins. But an unfortunate fall from grace this year has seen the once-proud slugger struggle to a .221/.300/.373 batting line with just 8 homers while bouncing between the outfield and first base in Queens. Bruce hopes his recent power surge since being activated from the disabled list has dispelled any notion that the Mets “goofed” by signing him. Furthermore, the fact that they’ve given him significant time at first base might hint that he could have a leg up on former top prospect Dominic Smith for the starting first base job in 2019.
  • Though many front offices began their free agency planning as early as August 1st, we’re just now entering the time period at which many players begin evaluating their foray into the market. Buster Olney of ESPN.com details the high-payday potential of a few names on the market who are less high-profile than the frequently-mentioned 2018-2019 headliners. That list includes outfielder Michael Brantley, left-handed starter Patrick Corbin, and recently-traded infielder Daniel Murphy. Olney’s subscription-only piece doesn’t list any surprises; they’re all players a reasonable baseball pundit might expect to earn significant dollars this offseason. But his piece offers an interesting preview of the list of players whose high stock is perhaps overshadowed by the likes of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Clayton Kershaw.

Matt Klentak On Phillies’ Season

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As of July 31st, the Phillies were sitting comfortably in first place in the National League’s eastern division. That lead, and the talent that backed up the position in the standings, was enough to prompt ownership and management to make a few upgrades prior to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. Indeed, the club continued to make moves afterwards, including the acquisitions of Justin Bour and Jose Bautista.

Sadly for Phillies fans, however, that hasn’t lasted down the stretch. The club sits 6.5 games back of the Braves in the division race, and 5.5 contests behind the Dodgers and Rockies in competition for the second Wild Card spot. The offense, rotation and bullpen have all suffered setbacks at key moments, which has resulted in the team losing major ground in the playoff hunt.

MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki wonders whether the Phillies regressed, or simply returned to reality after an unsustainable good start. Despite the club’s performance down the stretch, general manager Matt Klentak has taken an optimistic take on their analytical and managerial approach to gameplay.

“When I was brought in here three years ago I wasn’t brought in here to do things the way they’d always been done,” Klentak said. “You guys remember that there was a narrative surrounding the Phillies that they were slow to adjust. So, that is our job, to move the needle, to stay current and win baseball games.”  Klentak further explained that the Phillies are “not doing things so radically different that this has never been seen in baseball before” – even if some of those changes might be new to the organization.

“Candidly, this was an excellent season to try new things with a young roster and with relatively modest expectations and we did,” the Phillies’ general manager added. “Some of them worked and we’ll continue to use them, some of them didn’t and we won’t use them anymore. But we’ll continue pressing forward because that is our job.”

Klentak was also asked whether post-deadline roster chemistry might have had an impact on the club’s team-wide slump beginning in August. The manager assessed the situation and concluded that no one element was at fault for the collapse, or else they’d have been quick to identify it and make that adjustment. “We have theories about different things that may have contributed. It’s probably some kind of combination of a lot of things. I will not sit here and tell you the chemistry changed in such a way that that is the reason we struggled. I don’t believe that.”

Of course, it’s feasible to wonder whether the Phillies overachieved in the season’s first four months and simply regressed after the end of July. Klentak acknowledged that the team considered that possibility as the deadline approached, but felt compelled to go for it and acquire Wilson Ramos, Asdrubal Cabrera and Aaron Loup.  Klentak decided to further “double down” in August by adding Bour, Bautista, and Luis Avilan.

Though the playoffs are now a long shot for a Phillies club sitting 5.5 games back in the wild card with 14 left to play, the club is well-positioned to make a run at big names such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in free agency.  The club has six players under contract for about $70MM in 2019, plus a full slate of arbitration eligible players.  For a club that ran payrolls in the range of $140-175MM not long ago, just about anything will be on the table when the bidding begins.

Orioles Tried To Extend Manny Machado

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In this past Thursday’s column, Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports details the attempts of the Orioles to extend star infielder Manny Machado “several years ago”. Machado, as MLBTR readers may remember, was traded to the Dodgers prior to July’s non-waiver trade deadline for a package of five prospects, including outfielder Yusniel Diaz.

Turning back the clock, though, there were myriad possibilities for Machado’s fate under former owner Peter Angelos’ tenure. At an undisclosed time in the club’s history, ownership was apparently prepared to pay Machado $64MM to remain in Baltimore for the next eight years. According to Heyman, multiple people familiar with the talks remember such negotiations taking place, also recalling that the contract would have represented “by far a record” for a player with that limited service at that point in time. Presumably, then, these negotiations took place during a year when Machado was not yet arbitration-eligible.

The people familiar with the negotiations apparently remember that Machado’s camp wanted an additional guarantee in the seven-figure range. More specifically, agent Dan Lozano was said to be open to a pact, but it had to “start with a 7”. As Heyman notes in his article, that means an amount as little as $1MM per year could have prevented a deal from getting done.

Clearly, not taking a deal has worked in Machado’s favor. While the extension would have shattered previous records for both total dollar amount and average annual value for a player with only a year or two of service time, such a contract would have offered team control over at least a pair of Machado’s would-be free agent seasons, for which he’ll now likely be paid at least $30MM a pop. It’s commonly accepted that the All-Star infielder could command a deal north of $300MM due to his young age and level of play, and any extension in the $70MM range would have promised him much less than that for the additional seasons of team control.

At first glance, it’s easy to think Orioles ownership might be kicking themselves for refusing to increase their extension offer. After all, the added control over Machado means he’d have commanded a far greater prospect package in order to be dealt at the deadline this season. But while it’s easy to see where the former Oriole is now and wonder why the heck Baltimore couldn’t loosen its purse strings a bit, one ought to remember that significant risk would have also come along with the deal. After all, he required surgery on both knees at different points throughout his career. And no young stud is a sure thing to replicate his production over the course of eight years, particularly if there’s injury risk in his player profile.

Machado will hit the open market on the heels of his fourth consecutive season of at least 33 homers, and a wOBA north of .325. His 29.7 career fWAR to date is more than a little impressive, and he’s even chipped in 14 steals on the season. He’ll receive the added advantage of entering free agency without the burden of a qualifying offer, since he’s ineligible for such a restraint after being traded mid-season.

AL Notes: Tucker, Abreu, Betts, Blue Jays

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The Astros called up top outfield prospect Kyle Tucker from Triple-A today, and that could very well mark the team’s final September promotion, manager A.J. Hinch tells reporters (Twitter links via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Hinch added that Tucker probably won’t play much in the season’s final weeks, though with Tucker having already debuted earlier this summer and his season in Triple-A Fresno over, there’s little reason not to bring Tucker back up. The 21-year-old former No. 5 overall pick hit just .154/.254/.212 in 59 plate appearances with the ’Stros earlier this year, but he decimated Triple-A pitching at a .332/.400/.590 pace, swatting 24 homers and swiping 20 steals along the way.

More from the American League…

  • In an interesting look back at what could have been, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald examines the Red Sox’ initial pursuit of Jose Abreu when he was an international free agent. The BoSox maxed out at six years and $60MM in their pursuit of the vaunted Cuban slugger according to Silverman, but they ultimately lost out when the White Sox offered a total of $68MM guaranteed over that same term. Silverman runs through a series of trickle-down effects, as Boston instead pivoted to re-sign Mike Napoli. That was one of many lackluster offseason moves that set the stage for the ill-fated 2014-15 offseason that saw the Sox sign Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. There’s little sense in fretting too much over hindsight, but it’s nonetheless an intriguing reminder of the domino effect that so many offseason moves (and non-moves) carry.
  • Mookie Betts exited today’s game with soreness in his left side, the Red Sox announced today. That’s the same issue that caused him to land on the disabled list earlier this summer, but manager Alex Cora tells reporters that this instance was precautionary and not considered serious (Twitter link via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic). Betts is expected to see some time at DH in the Red Sox’ upcoming series against the Yankees, with J.D. Martinez lining up in right field in his place.
  • The Blue Jays are making some changes in their scouting department, as first reported by Robert Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Specifically, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that pro scouts Jon Bunnell, Dan Evans, Bryan Lambe and Kimball Crossley are being let go. A pair of veteran Jays scouts, Jim Beattie and and Brad Matthews are retiring as well. While some organizations have begun to pare back on their pro scouting staffs, Davidi notes that the Blue Jays are planning on replacing all six of them.

Pirates Notes: Searage, Rodriguez, Kuhl, Offseason

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The Pirates announced today that pitching coach Ray Searage will undergo cervical neck surgery this week (Twitter links via Adam Berry of MLB.com). He’s expected to resume his coaching duties once he’s sufficiently recovered, but he’ll cede those responsibilities to assistant pitching coach Justin Meccage for the time being. The 63-year-old Searage is widely regarded as one of the league’s best coaches, thanks largely to the Buccos’ numerous successful reclamation projects over the past several years (e.g. A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Edinson Volquez, Juan Nicasio). Best wishes to Searage in his recovery.

A bit more out of Pittsburgh…

  • Right-hander Richard Rodriguez, it seems, is another example of Searage’s positive impact on the club. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to the 28-year-old Rodriguez about his breakout with the Pirates this season, and Rodriguez revealed that many of his teammates in the Dominican Winter League this past offseason, including Wandy Rodriguez, Edwin Espinal and Reese McGuire, vouched for Searage and bullpen coach Euclides Rojas as coaches who could strongly benefit the righty. Rodriguez first heard from the Bucs in November but was mulling interest from multiple clubs when teammates urged him to go to Pittsburgh. Brink chats with Rodriguez about his disappointment over quickly being cut loose by the Orioles after finally debuting last season as well as his long journey to the big leagues. He’s been a revelation for the Pirates, notching a terrific 2.61 ERA with 11.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9 and a 34.5 percent ground-ball rate in 62 innings.
  • Right-hander Chad Kuhl is set to be examined by Dr. David Altchek in New York this Tuesday after suffering a setback in his rehab from forearm/elbow tightness, tweets Biertempfel of The Athletic. Kuhl hasn’t taken the mound in a game since June 26 but was said to be progressing toward a return until he felt renewed tightness in his arm when prepping for a bullpen session on Tuesday.
  • In a full column (subscription link), Biertempfel looks at all of the players who were new to the Pirates’ Major League roster this season and examines their future. Notably, he speculates that right-hander Ivan Nova could emerge as a winter trade candidate in advance of the final season of his contract, while outfielder Corey Dickerson could be a candidate to be approached about a modest extension following the trade of Austin Meadows and the shoulder surgery for Gregory Polanco. Nova will earn $8.5MM next year and currently has a 4.07 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 45.4 percent ground-ball rate in 152 2/3 innings. Dickerson, meanwhile, has faded after a huge start to the season but is hitting .289/.320/.449 with 11 homers and a vastly improved strikeout rate (24.2 percent in ’17, 15.1 percent in ’18). He’s also posted sensational defensive metrics (+13 DRS, +7.7 UZR) after previously grading out as a below-average defender.

NL West Notes: Dozier, Belt, Diamondbacks, Black

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Brian Dozier, mired in a dreadful slump after a hot first week with the Dodgers, spoke to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register about those struggles. Dozier played through a bone bruise in his knee earlier this season, and while he said the knee “feels great” now, he acknowledged that he developed some bad habits at the plate while trying to compensate for it at the time. The 31-year-old Dozier added that he doesn’t believe playing primarily in a platoon capacity has had an adverse impact on him. (The Dodgers’ constant lineup fluctuations based on matchups has been a source of frustration for many of their fans.) Dozier will be a free agent at season’s end, but the .218/.306/.391 slash he’s carrying isn’t likely to do him any favors — particularly when he’ll be heading into his age-32 season next year.

More from the division…

  • Brandon Belt underwent an MRI on his ailing knee, but the Giants aren’t planning to shut him down for the remainder of the season, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Belt is considered day-to-day for the time being, but he’ll start more games before season’s end. It’s been a disastrous summer for Belt — and, really, for most of the Giants’ offense — as his production has cratered after soaring to career-best levels in the season’s first half. Belt, 30, posted a ridiculous .307/.403/.547 batting line through June 1 before landing on the disabled list due to a bout of appendicitis. He never seemed to recover his footing after that, as he’s floundered at a miserable .203/.283/.290 pace since returning. Belt also missed a bit more than two weeks due to a hyperextended knee in late July and early August.
  • Clay Buchholz, whose season ended yesterday due to a flexor mass strain, tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he’d love to return to the Diamondbacks, but there have yet to be any discussions about a new contract between the two sides. Piecoro also chatted with Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, whom the Diamondbacks passed over in favor of Dansby Swanson back in the 2015 Draft. Bregman said he was thrilled to go to the Astros with the No. 2 overall pick but admitted that part of him was also “pissed,” because he’d hoped to be the top overall selection in the draft. He also relayed a story from the 2012 draft, when Arizona showed interest in him as a late first-rounder but instead drafted catcher Stryker Trahan. Arizona called him to see if he’d sign as a second-rounder, but Bregman informed the team he planned on attending college at Louisiana State University.
  • In a fun Sunday-morning read, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post walks through a typical day in the life of Rockies manager Bud Black during the team’s pennant race — covering everything from an early radio appearance to lineup planning, pre-game media sessions, in-game decisions and post-game work and rituals. Saunders also chats with catcher Chris Iannetta and lefty Kyle Freeland about Black’s managerial style and his teaching methods. “Buddy has a laid-back style, but even though it’s laid back, I wouldn’t say it’s relaxed,” says Iannetta of Black — his fifth big league manager. “…I think it’s the sign of a good manager when he knows when to be hands-on and when to take his hands off.” It’s obviously an extra-appealing read for Rox fans, though fans of any club will still appreciate the detailed look at the day-to-day operations of a big league skipper.

Pitching Notes: Hellickson, Buchholz, Skaggs, A’s

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Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson may have thrown his last pitch as a member of the Nationals. The pending free agent re-injured his right wrist during an at-bat Saturday, and he told reporters afterward that he won’t return this season (via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). Saturday’s start was the first in a month for Hellickson, who had been on the shelf with a sprained wrist. Injuries notwithstanding, this will go down as a successful season for Hellickson after he had to settle for a minor league deal over the winter. The 31-year-old posted a 3.45 ERA/4.22 FIP with 6.41 K/9, 1.97 BB/9 and a 45.9 percent groundball rate in 91 1/3 innings.

  • Like Hellickson, righty Clay Buchholz has been as an excellent value pickup in 2018. Arizona signed the longtime Boston hurler to a minors deal in early May, and he went on to throw 98 1/3 frames of 2.01 ERA/3.46 FIP ball as a Diamondback, also adding 7.41 K/9, 2.01 BB/9 and a 42.6 percent grounder rate. Buchholz’s season is now done, as he incurred a flexor mass strain in his right elbow, but his D-backs tenure shouldn’t necessarily be over, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Arizona has enough questions in its rotation that it should consider a reunion with the pending free agent, details Buchanan, who argues Buchholz’s elbow issue doesn’t look severe enough that it should scare off the team. Rather, as a result of the injury, the Diamondbacks may be able to re-sign the 34-year-old at a reduced price. Whether the D-backs are interested in bringing Buchholz back is unclear, but Buchanan notes that the player has “enjoyed” his run with the club.
  • Angels southpaw Tyler Skaggs, out since Aug. 11 with a left adductor strain, plans to return to the majors this season, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. If Skaggs’ bullpen session on Sunday goes well, he could take the ball for the Angels during the upcoming week, Guardado relays. The 27-year-old’s adductor has forced him to the disabled list three times this season and limited him to 116 2/3 innings. That’s a career-high total for Skaggs, though, and with a 3.78 ERA/3.38 FIP, 9.49 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9, and a 45.6 percent grounder rate over that span, he has offered encouraging results.
  • Myriad injuries in their rotation could have stopped the Athletics from contending this season. Instead, thanks in part to scrapheap pickups Edwin Jackson, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill, the A’s own one of the majors’ best records (90-59) and are now playoff shoo-ins. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com delves into how Oakland has succeeded, noting that its Matt Chapman-led defense leads the league in DRS (59) and has taken pressure off its pitchers. The staff – which has gone through 14 starters – has also gotten help from veteran catchers Jonathan Lucroy and Josh Phegley, pitching coach Scott Emerson and a stellar bullpen, as Crasnick explains in a piece that’s worth checking out.

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