The A’s placed versatile Chad Pinder on the 10-day injured list with a knee sprain last week, but manager Bob Melvin indicated this week that Pinder should expected to miss a fair bit longer. Speaking with Mike Ferrin on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link, with audio), Melvin called Pinder’s injury “worse than we originally anticipated” and added that he does “not expect him back anytime soon.” There’s no specific timeline on the injury or an indication as to the severity of the sprain (or any additional damage). Pinder was out to a 3-for-10 start to the season, including a homer, and has posted a .245/.304/.435 batting line in 1083 plate appearances since establishing himself as a utility option with the A’s back in 2017.
More notes out of Oakland…
- In a recent appearance on the A’s Cast podcast, general manager David Forst indicated that Trevor Rosenthal was throwing well and feeling good early in camp before the symptoms that prompted his thoracic outlet surgery caught everyone off guard. “He threw the ball well at the beginning of camp, and it seemed like these symptoms popped up out of nowhere,” said Forst. “There’s certainly hope for [a return] sometime in August. Everyone’s protocol is a little different, and timeline’s different based on how the surgery goes.” Oakland inked Rosenthal to a surprising $11MM guarantee late in the offseason, so they’ll obviously be hoping to salvage some kind of return on that investment. For the time being, the A’s aren’t going to define their bullpen roles, it seems. Righty Lou Trivino has notched the club’s first and only save of the season thus far.
- The A’s aren’t exactly flush with depth options at shortstop should Elvis Andrus sustain any sort of injury, as Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle notes in his latest mailbag column. Jed Lowrie or Matt Chapman could slide over to short in a pinch, should something happen mid-game, and Kawahara points out that both Vimael Machin and veteran Pete Kozma are on the A’s early taxi squad. Machin is more of a second baseman/third baseman, but he played 44 innings at short last year and has 600-plus innings there in the minors. Kozma, meanwhile, is traveling with the club on the taxi squad despite not being on the 40-man roster. The 33-year-old obviously doesn’t have a strong track record at the plate, but he’s a steady defender who enjoyed a nice showing with Oakland in Spring Training. The lack of immediate depth at shortstop is another manner in which the A’s are feeling Pinder’s absence; he’s logged 224 innings there over the past few seasons and would make a logical replacement option if Andrus were to sustain an in-game injury.
Nice to see Jed doing well. I saw the Mets didn’t let him have knee surgery. Even if he missed one year he still could of been productive.
Trevor Story and the A’s are such a perfect fit, Oakland has just the types of ready-now prospects the Rockies need. Holmes, Davidson and Kaprelian for Story might be the best offer the Rockies will get this year. Andrus isn’t an everyday player anymore, he simply doesn’t hit well enough for that, but would be nice backup option to Story.
It also depends on how well will Allen and Davidson be playing in AAA, but I see a possible fit. The A’s like to have a veteran, that’s what they did recently with Morales, Plouffe, LaStella or Lamb. Holmes will soon be out of options, so I think he could be one of the guys on the move. Maybe they bring in Bard/Givens/Gray together with Story for a package involving Holmes. Just that I’m not a fan of trading Kaprielian or Jefferies, but it probably won’t be possible without one of them. I don’t think, that they are willing to deal Puason, Davidson or Soderstorm.
@A’sfaninUK as opposed to A’sFaninLondonUK.
If you honestly think the A’s would trade a number of young controllable players for a rental, I have to question whether you are – indeed – an A’s fan even with your screen name.
0% chance of anything like that happening.
Less than that even, despite the shackles of math.
The only top prospect he gave up in that package was Davidson. If you comp that package to the one Manny machado fetched for half a year—it’s probably light.
Depends what the A’s want to do and how close they really feel they are. Kaprelian is 27 years old. Holmes is 25 years old. Neither are top tier Arms any longer. The A’s have better pitching prospects in the system.
Now, if you’re the Rockies. I’m not sure why ready now prospects w/ lower ceilings would really appeal to you. After trading Story and Arenado—there’s not much of a core to build around at this point in time.
to be fair, neither was languishing. they’re both old but were held back by injury issues. Jameson Taillon is thr example that pops off the top of my head here but I guess he wasnt terribly old as a rookie in the end anyway.
@jnigz12 you get it, I would prefer it if MLBTR started moderating all these reply comments – if you don’t explain why you think a trade proposal is wrong, or off, THEN POST YOUR OWN! No more of this utterly worthless “0% of happening, so sez I!!!” idiocy.
@A’sUK, actually DBF did explain his position. “0%” would mean no chance so there would be no theoretical package for story. The reason was the A’s were unlikely to give up controllable talent for a rental. Both reasonable positions. He did troll you on being a real A’s fan so get you’re feeling a pang on that one.
IMO, I would say “0%” but it is unlikely that Story and the A’s would be a match unless their performance was like last year with a legitimate playoff run potential. Now Marquez (signed through ’23) is something I could see from OAK.
@StudWinfield this all his OPINION though. 0% = stone cold hardcore fact. What he said was a lie, its not 0%, it never is. The A’s have literally always given up controllable talent for a rental. If you are a Dave Winfield fan then you aren’t an A’s fan and therefore don’t know the team as well as a big fan like I am. You too, are trolling by writing this.
Sigh, I thought things were getting better around here, guess I was wrong. Toxicity is still everywhere – stop it.
That should have been “I wouldn’t say 0%”
Changes the context significantly. My bad.
Well said. Plus, A’s Billy Beane and Co. have a diamond in the rough in Nick Allen.
@Ducky Buckin Fent as opposed to Bucky Fu…oh nevermind
Name the package you think gets the A’s Trevor Story then? I thought MLBTR was getting rid of these mindless/trolling/hate-fuelled “I disagree with you and will call you stupid but not explain why” reply guy trolling comments?
I am a massive, massive A’s fan and trading 25+ year old former prospects for rentals is not out of the means of reality in any way, shape or form. Shame on you.
My contention is that there will be no package even offered. Barring the above example from 7 years ago there is a lot of historical precedent for that.
Coupled with the A’s reticence to spend just this past winter I think this is a more than valid take.
Absolutely no “hate fueled trolling” at all.
Just a regular old observation & wondering how in the world you can possibly believe the A’s would do something so out of character.
But go ahead.
Get it in, if that makes you have a better morning.
“Just a regular old observation & wondering how in the world you can possibly believe the A’s would do something so out of character.”
That is 100% “their character” they literally have always bought at the deadline to upgrade positions whenever they can. Matt Holliday ring a bell? Any of the pitchers they got last year and the years before??? Cespedes for Lester, etc???
But go ahead, keep promoting fallacy to make yourself feel better. You could just admit I know more about the A’s than you, its not that big a deal, I certainly dont know any other team as well as I do the green & gold and am happy to admit Im wrong when I’m wrong. Im not wrong here.
If the A’s trade for Story you have to change your user name to “I am wrong all the time” – deal?
Since when did I write it would 100% happen though? That’s all you.
I merely posted they are a good fit, and gave a trade proposal you didn’t disprove.
You are purely trolling me here, reported. Sorry but your comments here prove your intentions. MLBTR is trying to make commenters like you go away, and you deserve it. Be kinder and nicer to your fellow posters and this won’t happen.
You reported me for “trolling”?
Because I pointed out that the A’s trading for Story was about as far fetched a scenario as one could imagine?
That is…something else.
& – good thing – I won’t be wrong, uh?
@A’s fan…
Don’t mean to be rude but the Duckster (Ducky Buckin Fent) is a top bloke – even for a Yanks fan. You might have managed to p*ss each other other off but he’s proper. If you’re a fellow English fan like me – honest to goodness – he’s a proper geezer and would race you to buy the first beer.
As far as I’m concerned – Trevor Story…. no thanks. Look the 2014 (and I blew a few quid flying across for the WC game) “all-in” gamble was a catastrophe. We both know the result – the 2015 tear down and the Donaldson blah blah blah…
I always point out we got Josh for a pennies add on so to lose him for pennies…
Still hurts.
But A’s – I’d rather promote from within than throw chips. If we promote too early – no problem – we’ve still got the chips.
Take care
Peter in London
Well…if I have any say in the matter I’d prefer to be a “top bloke” as opposed to a “proper geezer”.
Ahem.
But.
Summit ale’s (good local suds) on me.
you know, there’s a website you can visit that will tell you just how laughably bad holmes kap and davidson for story is. it’s not even close
Story’s value will probably drop to around 15-20mln in July, right now it is at 30,8mln at BaseballTradeValues. Puason, Holmes and Buelvas maybe can get the job done plus Kaprielian’s value could easily jump from 3 to 10, so by the time the deadline comes A’sfaninUk’s offer could look much more interesting.
Ducky Bucky Fent I would give it a more than a 0% of a chance, I remember 2014. That year might be seen as a lesson against these types of moves, but Beane defended his trades for Shark and Lester. A bold move for Story wouldn’t surprise me that much. The last couple of years the A’s made only small type of moves, that didn’t kill the farm, and Oakland was able to stay competitive this whole time, so I’m looking at that type of direction.
Btw it looks like we have a nice international conversation, I’m an A’s fan from Poland :).
So there’s something to think about.
Good point. Yet, 2014 was a while ago by now. Personally, I just can’t see Beane/Forst parting with any real assets in order to acquire a high profile rental.
They’re off-season (strongly) hinted at even greater frugality than we normally expect from them.
Been to Poland. Didn’t understand a word of it but found it to be a beautiful language to listen to. &…how are there so many A’s fans in Europe? Only caps I saw there (aside from my fellow US servicemen) were Yankee hats.
The perfect scenario- Davidson and Allen destroy AAA, get called up in June and stay in the MLB. I don’t want the A’s to part ways with their best prospect, they can be important players in the post Chapman era, which unfortunately will probably happen in 2 or 3 years. If they don’t want to overpay for Story, there is always a Galvis out there to bring in, if thing get ugly at shortstop. I hope, that they don’t overpay for Story.
I think, that the Rockies could use Kaprielian and Holmes, even if they aren’t going to compete for the next 3-4 years. A young starter coming into the big leagues with talent is a valuable asset for any team.
In Poland there are mostly Yankee, Red Sox and Cubs fans (Polonia in Chicago), then a lot of different teams have their small groups of fans, I’m writing about MLB in polish, the page has around 1100 likes on Facebook, which isn’t a bad result considering the popularity level of baseball in Poland. There aren’t any active A’s fans in my country besides me, I’m not sure how the situation looks like in other european countries.
@Poland
Nick Allen = heart eyes, he is the future for sure.
Only have room for 1 everyday SS though, losing Davidson while having Story for the playoffs this year might actually get Oakland a ring – something they haven’t actually done since 1989.
@bkwalker510 that particular website massively overstates the value of walk year/rental prices. How did that Arenado trade work out for them? Exactly.
no, they’re actually pretty spot on in 99% of their valuations. your proposal comes nowhere even close.
Why do the Rockies need ready-now prospects?
To play now to increase their trade value, so the Rockies can gain even more assets.
Why would the Rockies want big league ready prospects when they’re a dumpster fire and there’s two power house teams in their division? They will likely be looking to get high upside young prospects to help with their rebuild
They aren’t getting any of those for a rental. Better idea is to give regular playing time to ready-now 25+ year olds, so they can increase their value and can be flipped again, potentially for the high upside types you mentioned.
Did they even get any “high upside young prospects” for Arenado? No.
Rebuilding isn’t done ONLY from acquiring 18 year old prospects, you know. It’s chess in itself. Watch what Pittsburgh gets for Trevor Cahill this year for further proof.
The Arenado trade was mainly a salary dump, that’s why the return was so weak. Story is not attached to a huge contract so they can get a solid return for him. Story is also one of if not the best hitter available at the deadline this year. The Rockies aren’t just trading him for the sake of trading him. If they don’t get an offer they like they also have the option of giving him the QO and getting a compensatory pick. That pick alone would be more valuable than any of the guys you mentioned
No, the QO is not more valuable than Logan Davidson, who has a high ceiling. The other two pitchers were also high ceiling top 100 prospects who got hurt and fell off the board – but the ceilings are still there.
@A’s Fan – The Yankees got Torres & Frazier for a rental in Chapman, so teams do give up quality young talent for rentals.
It’s purely trolling by Bucky in this thread. Report the offender and go on with your day.
Davidson is already 23 and has accomplished nothing to date. I get that you’re an A’s fan and you want Story but that trade package just isn’t realistic
It was Torres and McKinney for Chapman. Frazier came along with Sheffield from the Indians for Miller
It also depends how good you are at identifying which prospects you have are really the good ones and which ones are the throwaways.
Not every team has a great sense of this. Fowler, Mateo, and Barretto were all top prospects that got thrown away in the end for nothing at all.
Nobody will be perfect but who was the last prospect that Brian Cashman gave up that was a really big loss? He’s made a lot of deals. But I can’t recall one of them in the last 6-7 years being much of an impact ML’er. Same thing with Friedman in LA. He’s traded a lot of “top” prospects that haven’t amounted to much. Alex verdugo Is probably the cream of the crop. And he’s not exactly Cody Bellinger
Add in Neander to that group as well. Aside from German Marquez—he’s pretty much made out on the better end of any prospect swap he’s made.
Is Rosenthal’s thoracic outlet surgery different than the one myriads of other pitchers have undergone? Generally that is a long recovery and comes with a notable drop in velocity, which is Rosenthal’s calling card.
Thoracic outlet syndrome is a complicated issue and everyone recovers differently, though generally the younger the quicker. Usually there are complications when coming back that result in an extended timeline. Rosenthal’s surgery included a pec minor release and scalene release.(which involves incisions to create greater freedom of movement).
Pete Kozma is still around? I’m shocked.
Oriole10
Kozma, Sort of… hes on the taxi squad but not on the 40 man roster. He might be the busboy.
Is it even possible to make a trade idea in these comments sections without receiving vitriol? I don’t think it is. Why does every idea get met with “0% that happens/you are stupid” type comments? Just say “I think it needs more (insert player)” – these sections are so loaded with toxicity the default for so many posters here is to act like you are better than the commenter by replying and claiming something is bad, rather than correct what you think is wrong. I think the person who makes the original comment deserves respect, not disrespect. Commenters > reply guys.
Keep in mind, these are all opinions, and by law opinions cannot be 100% true/false. So how about being kinder when you see a trade proposal in future?
If the A’s trade for Story I will absolutely change my name to “I’m always wrong”.
*When* they don’t you will change your’s to; “If you disagree with me I will flag you for trolling”.
Deal?
Also: not a peep from the mods, sir.
Perhaps you want to calm done there, fella.
Flagging comments should be in regards to Real Stuff.
Not a temper tantrum on your part.
I hope you use this opportunity to learn & grow. Have a great night!
Dude. You’re the rude one. It is out of character for the A’s to make that deal. I’ve been following the team since I was a kid and lived in thw Bay Area. I didn’t see any trolling and thats probably the reason why you haven’t seen them get banned. Untwist your knickers! The A’s aren’t going for big names because Fischer is a cheap arse owner. All he cares about is MONEY!!!! Not improving the team. Have the A’s gotten big names before? Sure. But all Holliday did was stink it up and sulked and I don’t want some big name anymore. Shark was mediocre. Lester was good against the Royals but I bullpen blew it. This whole moneyball bs never takes us far. We’re not getting a ring. Because we’re not good enough. If anything our team is worse than it was last year. Semien provided leadership and made us better defensively. But because we have a cheap owner we’ll never sniff the championship.
I know you were responding to a different poster but it came to me as a follow up response & I wanted to respond back to you.
I lived in Oaktown for a couple years.
As the Coliseum was close I went to a lot of A’s games. Great fans. & during Raiders games the term “absolute bedlam” comes to mind. Those were some passionate folks, man.
As such, I’ve always had some love for the A’s. They are good more often than not & they seem to do an enviable job developing starting pitchers – arguably the hardest thing for a franchise to do.
But.
They don’t trade for big name rentals often, & haven’t in quite some time. Not only that, but Story will cost ~ $9MM at that point & all evidence suggests that alone would make acquiring him unpalatable to that club looking at their recently completed offseason.
Also…as a Yankee fan, we have our own version (unfortunately) of this type of poster. Like he has no bearing on me, the above has no bearing on you.
Have a great day, man.
I know. I wasn’t referring to you. I was referring to the Brit who was whining and playing victim. I can’t stand that.
I’m passionate about the A’s and every year after another disappointing playoff I think about quitting baseball coz I get sick of the billionaires whining the rise in player salaries that they cause and I hate what Manfraud is doing to the game with these NASCAR like gimmicks. I see another strike on the horizon and this time baseball won’t recover.