As baseball’s preseason gets underway, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Will Hendriks sign?
Reporting yesterday indicated that All–Star closer Liam Hendriks has set a deadline of today for his free agency. Hendriks reportedly already has multiple offers in hand, and if he hasn’t signed somewhere today, the 35-year-old veteran figures to continue rehabbing Tommy John surgery on his own without signing on with a club in hopes of finding a deal over the summer once he’s ready to closer to game-ready. Hendriks has been among the sport’s most dominant relievers for half a decade now, with a 2.32 ERA and 2.19 FIP in 231 appearances since the start of the 2019 season. During that time, he’s collected 115 saves and struck out a phenomenal 38.3% of batters faced.
The right-hander made a triumphant return to the mound in May of last year after a months-long battle with cancer, but made just five appearances before going on the shelf with elbow inflammation in early June. Though he initially hoped the stint on the injured list would last only the minimum 15 days, he ultimately did not pitch again in 2023 and underwent Tommy John surgery in August, leading Chicago to decline his club option back in November. The right-hander makes at least some sense as a target for all 30 clubs given his dominance in recent years, though it’s unclear which teams will be willing to meet his asking price in the midst of his atypical free agency.
2. Day 2 of pitchers and catchers reporting:
With two-thirds of the league’s pitchers and catchers already reporting to Spring Training for their organizations, the final 10 clubs have set their reporting dates for today. The group of clubs kicking off spring activities today include the 104-win Braves and 101-win Orioles, both of whom are surely hoping for deeper postseason runs after having their incredible seasons cut short with a quick exit in the playoffs last year at the hands of the Phillies and Rangers, respectively. Also reporting today is a new-look Brewers team that lacks co-aces Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, as well as a Yankees club that added Juan Soto and Marcus Stroman to the mix on the heels of a disappointing 82-80 season.
3. A’s to meet with local officials in Oakland:
It was reported earlier this week that the A’s are set to meet with city and county officials in Oakland today to discuss a possible extension of the club’s lease at the Coliseum that would cover the 2025-27 seasons, while the club’s planned ballpark in Las Vegas is constructed. The A’s have been searching for an interim home over the past few months, a hunt that has led them to consider locations such as Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and even sharing Oracle Park with the Giants.
Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has previously indicated that the A’s wouldn’t be granted an extended lease in Oakland without major concessions, such as the club forgoing the “Athletics” name when it heads to Nevada. Still, the organization stands to benefit financially from either working out an extended lease in Oakland or sharing Oracle Park with the Giants due to the club’s TV deal only being valid for as long as the club is playing in the Bay Area. Today’s meetings could offer some clarity regarding the options the A’s have at their disposal as they search for an interim home with just over a year until Opening Day 2025.
“…ready to closer to game ready.”
That comment makes zero sense
The comment quotes part of the second sentence of this article. I believe that the comment is merely pointing out the need for that sentence to be edited.
…”ready to ‘closer’ game ready” would make sense
Nick Deeds has such an awesome writing style, but anytime there’s a typo in an article I know it’s his article without even looking. Proof your work!
It means once he’s ready or he’s closer to game ready. It makes enough sense.
The fact that Liam is a closer adds to the grammatical intrigue. 🙂
I pray they work a deal to stay until the move
I hope the move falls apart and Oakland keeps the team without making major concessions.
I hope John Fisher chokes on his own….
1. Who’s signing a guy who’s won’t play in 2024?
2. Very excited about the start of spring training. Can’t wait for Opening Day!
3. A’s need to play all their games on the road after 2024. Make the fans wear A’s gear while at the ballpark when it’s a “home game” for the A’s. Should be nice to see the Yankees and Astros fans sporting A’s merch.
I admit to thinking their green unis are awesome.
The kelly green is gorgeous but the league has them wearing yellow caps during Spring Training.
They found maybe the only way to ruin those jerseys.
Liam Hendriks claims to have “multiple offers in hand”. That indicates there are teams willing to sign him. If Hendriks is unable to pitch in 2024 he will assuredly be at full strength come opening day of 2025. It’s not unprecedented for a pitcher to sign a 2-year contract knowing that his first year return to health and game readiness is in question.
Hendriks had his TJ surgery last August. That typically doesn’t allow enough rehab time for a starting pitcher but his timeline as a reliever, especially as a one inning closer, makes a 2024 return a bit more probable. Hendriks is also a tenacious competitor and has already demonstrated an ability to overcome more daunting odds than a TJ procedure. I wouldn’t bet against him returning for some team down the stretch.
Leave them the name, start new and Vegas related, Silver Sox, Aces, Black Jacks, Slots, Gamblers, etc.
Incorporate silver as a trim of their uniforms.
Completely agree, I’ve always thought the A’s had one one of the worst names in all of sports. Feels incredibly dated to be called the Athletics, like yea most teams are athletic, no need to advertise that. Being the Las Vegas Athletics just sounds like the name of a local over 60 pickleball team.
“Work a deal”…The Oakland city leaders are ideologues who don’t really negotiate or operate in good faith. There’s a reason they’ve lost both the Raiders and Warriors franchises in the last few years.
I’m not sure why the mayor thinks the city owns the team name, they don’t…
“I’m not sure why the mayor”..It’s a ridiculous negotiating tactic designed to undermine negotiations. The name has no value without the team. Does the mayor really think MLB would give them another team after they’ve run at least a couple of franchises out of town?
The Athletics broke up with Oakland, and Oakland is now a jilted ex, but they’re both living in the same one bedroom apartment..
That’s the relationship dynamic. The Athletics will probably wind up sleeping on the sofa (Coliseum) until they can find a new place to escape the toxic relationship entirely.
The city of Oakland has some leverage, but almost none. The Athletics also know Oakland is projecting a $129MM deficit. They need the money as much as the Athletics, who can probably just fall back on MLB streaming to offset a huge amount of loss from the TV deal. It’s also not like a AAA stadium wouldn’t seat as many fans as the Coliseum actually has on any given day…
I can’t speak for the Warriors, but you should read up on the relationship between Mark Davis and John Fisher if you haven’t already. To quote the former on his co-tenants, “I won’t forget what they did to us in Oakland … all they did was f___ the Bay Area.”
idealogues?
Don’t believe everything you see on TV. The sole reason they lost the Raiders and As is John Fisher. I hope Thao absolutely rakes him over the coals.
Let’s put things with the A’s into perspective. They have not released actual stadium renderings. They have not started demo, and there is no signs of progress.
They won’t be ready by 2028. Tearing down a casino and building in downtown Las Vegas will be painstakingly slow. I doubt they even proceed with their plan.
The Howard Hughes Corporation, owner of the Las Vegas Aviators, has laughably more money than John Fisher. If given even the slightest chance to avoid moving, creating a new logo, building a new AAA park, etc. it would benefit them to fight the A’s moving in
Also another reason Fisher should be forced to sell the team. He’s too broke to bank a competitive payroll
I wish he was broke so he would have to sell the team…. unfortunately he’s one of the 10 richest owners in MLB
Exactly, the “Fisher is poor” narrative is silly.
Oakland Mayor on crack if he thinks he can lay claim to the Athletic name. Team moved there with that name and will take it with them when they go. City & County could never get their heads together on anything despite owning the property.
She.
Although progressive enough to be okay with being called a man I’m sure.
I thought they learned their lesson with Libby Schaff. Didn’t know by the name of this new one..
They didnt learn their lesson with Jerry Brown either.
She has no idea what she’s doing in a leadership role. Hell crime is even going down in SF but rising in Oakland. The governor even had to send the California Highway Patrol to Oakland to help with the crime. She’s only going to make things worse with the A’s and have them playing in Salt Lake next year… without any kind of send off or last season that us diehard OAKLAND Athletics fans can give them
It is just a tactic, she doesn’t really expect to get the name, it is more to pull extra concessions out of the deal and humiliate fisher for being such a dirtbag. Oakland was moving forward with the new site and fisher just pulled up stakes because he thought he could get public funds and tax breaks in Vegas and started saying a bunch of crap to the media and badmouthing the city to make his point.
Lori Lightfoot #2
“Its just a tactic she doesn’t really expect to get the name”….Another name for this style of negotiating is “playing games” or “negotiating in bad faith”.
I don’t think it’s negotiating in bad faith. They’re trying to get anything they can and save face.
The name isn’t staying and she probably knows that as they have taken it with them from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland. More likely what she is hoping for is a similar promise from MLB that the NFL gave to Cleveland when the Browns left for Baltimore many moons ago and that is promise of an expansion team when the league expands again. While she may be asking a lot, Manfred has already stated that MLB will start “exploring” expansion in the very near future and logically and logistically they will have put a team on the western side of the Mississippi
Cleveland got to keep the Browns name, so there’s precedent.
MLB should call the mayor’s bluff and offer Oakland an expansion team IF….. they can reach a binding agreement on the development of a new ballpark on the waterfront, as well as find an ownership group willing to financially support the construction and expansion fees.