The Nolan Arenado trade saga in St. Louis came to a close last week, when he was dealt to Arizona in exchange for salary relief and minor league righty Jack Martinez. According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, however, the Diamondbacks weren’t the only team to reach a deal with the Cardinals. Rosenthal reports that the Athletics not only pursued Arenado in trade with St. Louis, but that the sides actually had a deal in place that would’ve sent Arenado to the west coast. The deal would’ve seen the A’s take on more money than Arizona was willing to, Rosenthal notes, but was scuttled by the fact that Arenado indicated he preferred to go to the Diamondbacks or Padres and may not have approved a deal with the A’s.
The news represents the latest indication of the Athletics’ desire to return to contention in advance of their move to Las Vegas, which is expected to be in time for the 2028 season. Arenado, 35 in April, is under contract for just two more seasons and would likely not have been on the club by the time the team arrived in Nevada. Even so, his addition would’ve been a way for the team to address third base in the short term. The A’s brought in Jeff McNeil to take over second base earlier this winter, and already have impressive players at first base (Nick Kurtz), shortstop (Jacob Wilson), DH (Brent Rooker), catcher (Shea Langeliers) and the outfield corners (Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom). That leaves third base as one of the most obvious places the team could upgrade, and even an aging Arenado would likely provide a higher floor than 23-year-old Max Muncy at the position.
That makes it fairly easy to see why the A’s would have interest in Arenado’s services and, if the team was willing to take on a larger portion of Arenado’s salary in order to facilitate the deal than Arizona wound up agreeing to take, it’s easy to see why the Cardinals would have seen the Athletics as an attractive trade partner. Unfortunately for both clubs, however, Arenado wasn’t quite so enthused. The veteran and likely future Hall of Famer seemed to prioritize playing for a club with more credible playoff aspirations as he wielded his no-trade clause over the past two offseasons, and the A’s are not exactly a proven playoff squad. Even after last year’s steps forward, the team finished with a middling 76-86 record that left them fourth place in the AL West. While that was a modest improvement over the year prior, it still left them far out from a playoff spot. The fact that the A’s are currently playing in a minor league park presumably didn’t help.
Perhaps a full season of Kurtz and development for the team’s other young players can help them take another step forward, but teams like the Mariners, Astros, and even Rangers don’t seem likely to be going anywhere this year. That leaves the A’s in a precarious position as far as making the playoffs go, and Arenado clearly wasn’t enthused about rolling the dice on the team. While the Diamondbacks are exceedingly unlikely to win the NL West this year thanks to the mighty Dodgers, they should be in the mix for a Wild Card spot alongside teams like the Padres, Giants, Mets, Braves, and Reds. That’s a much thinner field than the Wild Card race in the AL, which arguably includes all five teams in the AL East alone.
If the A’s want to consider other possible upgrades to the third base position, there are at least a handful of other trade options out there. Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan and Cubs youngster Matt Shaw both have the ability to handle the hot corner, but could be too expensive in terms of the return cost for the A’s to swing a deal. Perhaps the Phillies would be willing to move Alec Bohm, but they seem less likely to do so than they were when they were pursuing Bo Bichette. The Astros could look to move Isaac Paredes, but it would be a shock to see them trade within the division. Lower level free agents like Yoan Moncada and Ramon Urias could serve as an alternative route to upgrade the roster, though the A’s have at times had trouble luring players to West Sacramento.
Arenado leaving the Cardinals for the A’s certainly would have been the funniest outcome.
Yeah and he’s from there to! Lol.
Arenado is from SoCal.
Just as long as he wasn’t traded to the Yankees. I wish him the best in Arizona.
Seam
Yes, Southern California, that is why I inaccurately predicted Arenado to Anaheim for the past couple years.
Imagine being on the hook for both Rendon’s and Arenado’s contract at the same time.
Back to Colorado after their ‘25 dumpster fire of a season would have been hilarious.
Colorado would not have taken him.
He wouldn’t have gone there either.
They are still paying him. At least then they would have gotten something for their money.
Getting his whining off the team was worth every penny.
Whining??
No, we Rockies fans prefer players like HOF Todd Helton was…..a loyal superstar. Oh, and Todd played in a World Series, something that I highly doubt Arenado will ever do.
Big deal, he played in a World Series and Nolan didn’t. All that means is that he was lucky enough to be on a team that made it, and that Arenado never was. Individual players can’t lift their team into a World Series by themselves.
Yes, but a single LEADER can help elevate his team to greatness, through the example they set.
What will be even funnier is when MLB bans no-trade and opt-out clauses, and implements a hard salary cap.
MLB can’t unilaterally make those decisions…they can’t just implement a hard cap.
No, but after the current agreement ends, the owners can impose a lockout as bargaining leverage. Ultimately, I hope that the owners succeed in restoring some sanity.
Yes, the billionaires need our thoughts and prayers.
Ohtani?
The stuff you’re proposing sounds like insanity to me.
Why?
* No salary cap because it is a government-sanctioned monopoly and owners refuse to let players union intensively audit their records
* No trade clauses are good for fans who like to keep stars on their home teams and few if any owners have a problem with that
* No one forces a team to offer opt-outs, they do it willingly as an alternative to offering more money.
* There are tons of billionaires waiting to join the ownership club, there should be a FLOOR on team spending.
* Given the monopoly, the govenment should prevent a lockout, unless owners fully open their books to the public for auditing.
* Let’s play ball! Baseball works and there are more fans globally than ever before in the history of the sport. Open to minor revisions to increase competitiveness. Such as a team spending less than $100 million or more than $400 million loses its first round draft pick the next year.
Totally agree, MLB Top 100
MLB, you hit the nail squarely on the head. Perfect.
I would like to add that the MLBPA, meaning the players, offered to discuss a hard cap if the owners would open the books, have 100% revenue sharing like every other major sport, and guarantee the players a percentage of revenue. The owners said they were not even willing to consider any of those points. The owners want to keep a system that is enriching them, sometimes at the expense of players and fans. They don’t want change unless it puts more money in the owners pockets.
For the doomers that say what is happening is not sustainable, a few facts are worth considering:
Revenue is up and rising faster than inflation. Attendance is up. Viewership including streaming, the way many of us watch games, is up. Engagement on social media including boards like this is at an all time high. Baseball is doing well.
Accorrding to a recent Forbes article (January 9, 2025), baseball has an economic disparity problem.
This “government sanctioned monopoly” idea revisits us way too often, like a crazy uncle. It is effectively meaningless.
The only antitrust exemption MLB has won in the courts is control over the location and number of franchises. You will notice right away I hope that every other pro sport controls this, too — without being “a government sanctioned monopoly.”
So, no solution to any problem baseball actually has can be solved or changed by passing a law. Every so often Congress holds hearings on this, and then does nothing, because nothing can be done, or needs to be done. MLB as an industry decides how it runs itself. The only caveat is they must abide by labor laws. Hence, their need to negotiate with the union over a CBA.
You are correct, one of the biggest perpetual hangups in these negotiations is MLB gets to make representations about their finances that they never have to document. And without any sort of financial transparency, the PA will never agree to a salary cap, nor should they.
I don’t know that we agree on the problem. How MLB divides up its revenue is entirely up to the 30 owners. The system they have now for this is the system they want. If it wasn’t, they’d change it. The fact that this system causes many teams to be perennially noncompetitive really doesn’t appear on MLB’s radar because those teams are virtually guaranteed to be profitable and the industry as a whole is thriving. The fact that this system isn’t fan-friendly to the hometowns of those teams isn’t really an issue for MLB. It’s a mistake to believe that the priorities of fans and owners are the same.
Chicago, short answer – until the owners open their books, there is no possibility of a hard cap.
Long answer – The players offered during negotiations for the current CBA to discuss a hard cap contingent on the owners doing 3 things. Open books, 100% revenue sharing, guaranteed % of revenue for players. The owners refused.
From comments from players that are union reps in the last year, we can be pretty certain that the union is going to push hard for a CBT threshold in the next CBA that starts above $270 million with less stringent penalties unless the owners agree to a hard floor above $125 million. They want teams to be able to spend as much as they want because that means more money for players, If that is just the 9 or 10 teams that are over the CBT now, that is fine with the union.
The players will never again agree to an extension into a season without a new deal. They did that twice in the past and it didn’t work out either on financial or PR basis since they were forced to strike. It also hurt the owners since they lost the playoffs, the most profitable portion of the season for them.
The owners can decide to lock the players out. The last time it cost the owners and not the players because a full 162 game season was played. The owners lose even more if games are missed because of the new TV deals with ESPN and the contracts MLB has negotiated with carriers for the 9 teams that MLB manages the broadcast rights for.
One last thing. When Bruce Meyer took over as chief negotiator for the MLBPA in 2018, one of the first things he did was ask players to contribute to a fund to be used to help out players in the case of a lockout. Players have contributed to a fund that several in sports business estimated to hold at more than $1.5 billion last year. The players are in a pretty good place to weather a lockout of 3 months or so. The owners will be bleeding cash from day one.
That won’t happen. It takes two to tango and the MLBPA won’t even discuss it without the owners making changes that they are refusing to even consider. Its far more likely that you suddenly make relevant comments backed by verifiable information and stats. Both are less likely than a snowcone lasting an hour without melting after being dropped on a Yuma sidewalk at noon in July.
The MLBPA will never agree to a hard salary cap. Trust me.
huh?, the MLBPA already said that they were willing to discuss a hard cap. The only things that had to happen were open books, 100% revenue sharing, and a guaranteed % of revenue for players. The owners refused.
Not sure why either of these teams wasted their time working up a deal. Arenado would NEVER accept it
You mean he doesn’t want to play in Sacramento!?
Maybe if they’d tacked on a few extra $$$$ for his troubles?
“Not sure why either of these teams wasted their time working up a deal. Arenado would NEVER accept it”
Read this and said your name
Is that deal for HSK still on the table? He gave ATL the finger. (Asking for a friend)
Would have made a lot of sense for the Red Sox
Same. A lot of fans here in St. Louis have been put off by Chaim making “too many trades with Boston,” but those people are idiots. Each situation is different.
Because Red Sox need a really bad hitting now average fielding 3b?
I agree I think his pull approach would have actually played really well with the monster. Busch stadium ate his swing alive. Look at his HR chart for the last 10 years. Nothing oppo at all.
Could be Nolan told them he didn’t want to play in Boston
He’s not the same hitter he used to be but I assume he’s still great in the field and doesn’t seem like Arizona gave up too much. Correct me if I’m wrong
He’s still a very good fielding third baseman, just not the best in the league anymore.
Seems like a strong return to me
Could have been the stadium. I think the A’s will be better than AZ this year. …But this is the same dude that blocked a trade to a perennial playoff Houston team.
You’re exactly right. Arenado hasn’t proved to be an especially astute observer of a team’s playoff chances. First he abandons Colorado for a Cardinals team that immediately tanks (in a ballpark that hurt his stats); he then rejects a trade to Houston (another great park for right-handed hitters), a team that was in the playoff hunt late in the season. And now (at least according to Nick Deeds) he “seemed to prioritize playing for a club with more credible playoff aspirations”. Arizona?!?! I definitely think the A’s will be better than them this year.
Arenado was on two playoff teams with the Cardinals before they went downhill. They were also expected to contend in 2023 before most of their pitching staff unexpectedly collapsed on them.
Then the reason he turned down the trade to the Astros was more complicated than you make it out to be.
As for whether the Athletics or Diamondbacks will be more likely to make the playoffs this year, that’s highly debatable.
Yeah, these players aren’t as motivated by being on a good team as some of you think. There are several other factors, the top one of course being money.
The Cardinals were in the playoffs in Arenado’s first 2 seasons with the team.
The Diamondbacks were in the WS in 2023 and in the playoff hunt in 2024 and 2025 down to the wire. The Athletics finished 9 games back in the WC hunt and never closer than 8 games back in the WC race in September. As of today, the betting line is Diamondbacks 80.5 wins and Athletics 74.5 wins. Arenado went to the team with the better shot at the playoffs.
I don’t think dbacks make the playoffs but do you think there is a chance for the A’s to make the playoffs with that pitching? Currently, SPs projected to be 4th worst in mlb and 4th worst RP (fangraphs depth charts).
Key word: projects.
With historical information of where the A’s ended up last year (because of their pitching), assuming they don’t sign any other proven SP do you think they make the playoffs?
Is that better for you?
Doesn’t change anything. Projections seldom do much, other than show reflections of the past. If you wish to rely on “projections,” so be it. Fan graphs has to sell to someone.
Better to rely on projections than on someone’s seat of the pants predictions and eye test.
Styme, and yet you offer no alternative. Why bother commenting if that is all you bring to the table?
I agree that Fangraphs projections are all over the place and offer little in terms of certainty. That is the case with most projections.
The one you can rely on is betting lines. Between the original lines set by oddsmakers at the casinos whose jobs rely on them being extremely knowledgeable and able to create systems that utilize all the available data to create that opening line. Then adding the crowdsourcing of knowledge by bettors creates a system that is usually very accurate at the end of the year, with a MOE of 2 wins since the turn of the century..
That’s all I was bringing to the table; that projections provide little certainty. That’s why my reply was short. Glad you agreed with it. Too many on this site take projections as fact.
Yeah, my seat of the pants prediction is the Cardinals win the whole thing. That has been my prediction for 6 decades now.
I think that the Athletics have little to no shot at the playoffs. If they repeat the 76 wins they had last season, that would be an improvement over what the projections are today. Between 72 and 76 wins is what I would predict. As you implied, they just do not have the pitching to consistently win games.
The Diamondbacks sans Burnes are not a team I would say is a lock to make the playoffs, but they have puncher’s chance if the line is 83 wins again in 2026. When you look at the O/U they are at 80.5 wins. Some health luck on the pitching staff, a return to league average with the bat from Arenado, and a breakout season from one of their OF not named Carroll would go a long way to them overtaking the Reds, Mets, and Giants in the WC race.
If it was the stadium, it had to be the accommodations. Sutter Health, with a PF of 108, is a more hitter-friendly than Chase, with a 102.
Yeah Jean, I think it was more the minor league facilities being a problem. He would have probably loved hitting there.
For RHB, it is closer than that. Using a 3 year rolling average to filter for variances in pitching, for Chase Field the PF is 105. For Sutter Health Park it is 108, but there is only one season to base it on.
It would seem to me that his decision to not consider the A’s was a combination of the minor league environment the A’s play in and their less than optimal chances of competing for a WC spot. In other words, the A’s had a snowball’s shot in Hades of trading for Arenado.
I disagree with your suggestion that AZ has a better chance at a WC spot.. While I think it will be difficult for the A’s to get one. I don’t see AZ having a better chance than the A’s do.
Its not a suggestion that the Diamondbacks have a better chance for a WC spot. The Diamondbacks O/U at 80.5 wins is 6 games better than the A’s. The MOE on the O/U over the past 25 years is 2 games.
I will gladly eat my hat if the A’s make the playoffs… its one of those guacamole filled corn tortilla hats that Gru wore in Despicable Me. lol
I’m not saying the A’s will make the PS, I’m saying AZ won’t. Projections might average out well over time, but there’s plenty of examples of them completely missing on individual teams.
I look at what AZ has lost and added. Naylor, Suarez, and Gallen are gone from last years team. And the addition of 37 year old Kelly, which is no addition at all, they appear to be worse this season than last.
But if I’m wrong I’ll gladly eat one of those guacamole filled corn tortilla hats. I might eat one even if my prediction comes true.
Naylor was traded July 24th. Suarez was traded on the deadline. The Diamondbacks improved by 5 wins the rest of the way.
Gallen had a 4.83 ERA. Not hard to replace that. 192 IP is hard to replace.
1 through 4 in the lineup the Diamondbacks are substantially better then the A’s. 32% more WAR.
Then SP. The Diamondbacks starters had nearly twice the WAR as the A’s starters in 2025. Even if the 3 young SP on the A’s all pitch a full season, the difference is stark in the Diamondbacks favor.
IMO the season after the deadline is a small sample. They’ve also lost Corbin Burnes to TJS. With Gallen gone they[re relying on 2 lesser pitchers, ERod, and Pfaadt, who had a combined 0.9 bWAR in 2025.
Last season the team OPS+ was 108 for AZ and 106 for the A’s.
The A’s RPs had a -2.6 bWAR, and AZ had a -3.3 bWAR.
But again, I’m not saying the A’s are better than AZ. My point all along is that I don’t think AZ, like the A’s, has much of a chance at a WC spot.
While I know he would have been the Red Sox 5th choice, what St. Louis got in return plus picking up salary ( most) he could have at least played solid 3b and put Mayer at second and been a decent RH bat…
I’m glad to see the A’s making an effort.
Baseball has to move beyond the A’s situation, the Tampa stadium situation, and economics overall before it should look at expansion. It would be better for the game and the players already in it.
Makes sense on why you don’t approve of a trade to the A’s.
Why? Playing even 1 year in that stadium could really prolong his career by presumably boosting his offense numbers, esp on a team like the A’s, surrounded by solid bats. They’d let him play 3B, while other teams were considering a move. He’d get playing time, would be a nice vet on a young team moving into a new ballpark, that could provide them with some stability and vet presence. Also in a division they could compete, similar to SEA. TEX/HOU going through an identity change. Oh, and LAA. I get it’s the A’s, but could be a nice opportunity for some. They may even get more attendance than STL…lol (j/k).
He doesn’t want to spend half his games playing in a minor league stadium (the facilities suck) and he doesn’t want to live in Sacramento.
Nothing wrong with living in Sacramento or surrounding areas. Sacramento is 90 minute drive from where I am and these athletes can choose anywhere to live if they’re willing to commute. Only issue is the minor league facilities but it’s 2nd most favorable hitting park last year
If Arenado can get a very nice apartment in a very nice area of Phoenix very close to the very nice major league ballpark, why would he ever choose Sacramento where he can presumably get a very nice house 30 minutes commute from a minor league ballpark with minor league facilities/accomodations?
Arenado has 2 years left. The A’s might move into their new park in 2028, after he is gone.
AAA park means AAA amenities for players including clubhouse, training, and other things MLB players are accustomed too.
The Diamondbacks have a much better shot at playing in October and their ballpark is nearly as RHB friendly. O/U on Diamondbacks is 80.5 wins. On the A’s its 74.5 wins. Even taking into account the MOE, the Diamondbacks are still several wins ahead of the A’s.
He will start at 3B for the Diamondbacks. He will get playing time. He will be surrounded by solid bats including Marte, Carroll, Moreno, and Perdomo.
The A’s can’t sell out Sutter Health Park, just 9,487 average attendance out of a capacity of 14,014.
@Skip’s — all good points. I buried the lead — that that park is #2 in offense in 2025 according to Park Factors — so if he doesn’t mind paying for soda, he can address some of the biggest criticism he has had (his offensive production), but would it outweigh better attendance, cushier ballpark? Probably not. If you’re not going to win one, might as well be comfortable preparing to be home in October, amirite?
Does it make sense to remain on a team that has publicly made it known that they don’t want you?
This would have been a waste for the A’s anyways. I’d rather see what Muncy has got!
Exactly. Let the young guys show what they’ve got.
bluemoon, “when you know are going to lose, see what the young guys have so you know what you have to add to win in a few years.” ~ All GM’s probably
The A’s deal must have been better deal for St. Louis. They would have taken on more money and there is no way they could have given a worse prospect than Arizona did. An 8th round pick that has not pitched pro yet and had a 5.47 ERA in college is not exactly top 30 territory.
Done went and linked the wrong Max Muncy
Yep, though if Arenado landed with the A’s, it might have opened up the (admittedly tiny) possibility of the funniest trade in baseball history.
Who cares three bad teams moving a bad contract
If you want players to desire to come to your team
Simple. Spend money and try and win.
Why not just try to win? Does how much they overspent on a player really have an influence?
Wrong Max Muncy
I think that’s a major bullet dodged. Arenado would have been a terrible use of money that should be going to SP.
Arenado is coming off of a .237/.289/.377, 84 wRC+ 0.9 WAR season in which his OAA plummeted from +10 to +3. And given that he turns 35 in April there’s every reason to worry this is a trend and not a blip.
You know who would be capable of providing an 84 wRC+ with above average 3B defense? Brett Harris at league minimum.
I guess I’m glad the A’s are interested in upgrading their defense but Arenado would be an awful choice as an expensive player on the steep decline.
Do you know who hit for a 93 or 94 wRC+ last year when he wasn’t playing hurt for an entire month? Arenado
Meanwhile, 4 out of the 6 projection systems listed on Fangraphs predict Arenado to rebound to at least a 95 wRC+ this year, while a 5th one puts him at 92.
He might be capable of a 95 wRC+. More likely, given natural decline at age 35 it’s more like 92 wRC+. Which is fine with elite defense but not so much with average/tick above average defense.
Why pay tens of millions for low 90s wRC+ and slightly above average defense when Brett Harris provides roughly that for league minimum?
Or let Muncy win the job.
Arenado’s OAA or range was in the 81st percentile. That is not average or a blip above average. His FRV was 69th percentile. His DRS was 6 or a touch better than Matt Chapman and 5th best in MLB at 3B.
After the Rockies and Cards pay their portion of his salary, Arenado is a $5.5 million AAV expense for the Diamondbacks. That is the cost of a 0.5 WAR free agent in this year’s market.
Then it’s a good thing he still plays excellent if not quite elite defense.
I’m not understanding why a team would prefer Arenado over moncada
Look at Moncada’s career numbers as a third baseman and then let me know if you’re still wondering!
Arenado was injured. There is every reason to believe that his OAA, which only measures range, will rebound at least some. Since you are using FG stats, look at their FGDC projections for Arenado in that stat for 2026. They are saying that post injury it will rebound.
You are right that the A’s should focus on pitching, but nothing short of signing a couple of top of the rotation starters and a closer like, oh say, Miller would make that pitching staff even MLB average.
“…OAA, which only measures range…”
Although range is the major factor, it isn’t the only one. OAA takes into consideration how fast the runner is, and how far he is from the base when the fielder gets to the ball. It also considers how hard the ball is hit. So time is a factor. A strong, accurate arm is more likely to record an out than lesser one resulting in a better OAA.
OAA does not take into account the throw at all. Just the player getting to the ball in play. So, Range. That is why next to OAA on the player page it says Range on StatCast.
Like I said, range is the main component but arm is a factor. This is from the Baseball Savant website:
• How far the fielder has to go to reach the ball (“the intercept point”).
• How much time he has to get there.
• How far he then is from the base the runner is heading to.
• On force plays, how fast the batter is, on average. (A runner’s average Sprint Speed is used in the calculation, rather than his Sprint Speed on that particular play. For new players with no data, a league-average — 27 ft/sec — score is used; once the player qualifies for the leaderboard, all of his previous plays are re-run.)
The first 2 are clearly about range. But the second 2 take into account the arm. A strong throw in those situations lead to a better chance for an out. A lot of people think OAA is just range, but that’s inaccurate.
Attention Reds: PLEASE trade Ke’Bryan to the A’s ! (Lifelong Reds fan here)…
To what end though, they wouldn’t get much and they’d have to find another infielder somewhere.
The athletics are a poverty organization and I’m glad they’re moving to a city on the decline so they can continue to be poverty. That franchise deserves to wallow in mediocrity.
News flash. Almost half the league is a poverty franchise
Right, they are losing money and can hardly keep the lights on.
Go ahead, pull the other one.
That would have made all a’s fans very happy … BOTH of them!!!
After all of these years, you still have one joke, sad..
Arenado wasn’t ready to be among elites in Wilson and Kurtz.
I would say Kurtz is elite, maybe not Wilson just yet.
I don’t know what the hell you are talking about bro. Wilson is elite.
When a rookie misses a quarter of a season and still comes back behind close a batting title and rookie of the year award, yeah I would say thats close to elite.
He has a good batting average. Would you count Luis Arraez elite?
Wilson started the all-star game. Before getting hurt before the all-star game he was hitting around .350 and still finished with an elite .311 avg
Yep. That 7 for 50 July, trying to play through what turned out to be a fracture, killed his season stats. I don’t know that he was going to hit .339 like he did April-June, but he may well have ended up around .325 which is legitimately elite in this day and age.
Ok, you’ve established that he’s elite at batting average.
Yes, elite at hitting for average, THE most scarce skill in today’s game.
He’s not elite in the field at SS or at any other aspect of offense besides batting average though.
Thus making him a good young player but not particularly close to elite on the whole.
As things stand, are the As third in the west? I’m thinking so. And they could do even better depending on how the Astros finish their offseason. Altuve in the OF will never not be funny.
Astros are better than the Rangers. I don’t think the A’s will finish in front of the Rangers with their current pitching staff, it’s largely unproven. Astros and Mariners have really good rosters already and the Astros I believe have 1 big move left up their sleeve. Mariners are very good too. The Rangers are largely unchanged and I don’t see how different the A’s are too. Angels need to do more.
Thing is, “unproven” =/= poor. A lot rests on how good Morales, Lopez, and Perkins are, and how quickly Jump gets to the big leagues. Lots of volatility there for sure, but also considerable upside.
Right, but when I was replying to FOmeOLS, I’m guessing his AL West rankings but Astros 4th. They are a 2nd place team at worst (Astros). I would replace the term “Astros” with Rangers.
I was projecting Seattle, then Houston, then Sacramento, but depending on what the Astros do, the As could be second, which would mean playoff games in a minor league stadium. That would be great fun.
“depending on what the Astros do”
Sell all their players? The Astros roster is so much better than the A’s right now, so unless the A’s do something crazy (which isn’t happening), or the Astros sell all their players, it’s Houston and Seattle 1st and 2nd place. Now, you can have even more injuries than 2025, but the A’s have no chance of being 2nd unless the at least one of the Astros or Mariners perform completely under expectations or the A’s play like the Dodgers. A’s in third place isn’t unreasonable, but no, no way the A’s finish in front of the Astros like this.
Astros have done surprisingly little, they are a year older, and my comment about Altuve in the OF is as much a commentary on how they’re not being very smart as it was meant to be humorous. Complacency is a deadly desease.
Meanwhile, the Athletics are making a concerted effort to get better, and although it is unquantifiable, the enthusiasm of being a young exciting team in unusual circumstances can often lead to unexpected success.
Also, Nick Kurtz…
I’m not saying it will happen, and I’m certainly not going to die on that particular hill, but it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see the Athletics finish ahead of the Astros. That’s why what they do. The remainder of the season is going to be extra interesting.
And there’s no way the Seattle group finishes behind Houston.
Okay. Signing Tatsyua Imai and trading for Mike Burrows was nothing.
We likely have an Issac Paredes trade coming up and maybe a Jesus Sanchez one also coming. We still have to find a backup catcher.
What have the A’s done? Even more nothing. Signing Soderstrom to an extension won’t help their 2026 chances. You only added Jeff McNeil and Mark Leiter Jr. Also, the Astros are mainly healthy again and will be a dangerous squad.
The chances Houston finishes in front of Seattle is higher than the A’s finishing ahead of Houston.
You either haven’t been following baseball or you are overconfident in the A’s to finish ahead of the Astros. Who else agrees?
They made a move for Ryan Weiss and Nate Pearson too, I believe Weiss is going to be a steal. Overall, our team just became better. We have Yordan Alvarez as our big slugger.
The Rangers O/U is 9 wins higher than the A’s. It would take a major miracle or major injuries for the A’s to surpass the Rangers.
Yeah, much less the Astros. Still, you don’t believe the Astros have done little this offseason do you? And I don’t think you believe they can be 2nd place as well?
If Perkins, Morales, and Lopes perform consistently and as good as they did last season in their short terms, Rangers are in trouble.
Jamie Arnold too, he is a year away.
As of today, the A’s and Angels are fighting it out for last in the West. The O/U’s have the A’s at 74.5 wins, Angels at 71.5 wins. The Mariners are currently at 90.5 wins, the Astros at 85.5 wins, and the Rangers at 83.5 wins. That is a huge gap for the A’s to make up. They need to add good pitching to make that happen.
I don’t know what he was saying with the A’s being better than the Astros. I think the Mariners, Astros, and A’s could all beat expectations by a mile. When healthy, Astros are what the Mariners are projected to get, if not more. The Mariners had long losing streaks and no Josh Naylor for a lot of the season, so I think almost 100 wins isn’t unreasonable either. The Rangers I think could get what the Astros got in 2025, while the A’s 80 wins (maybe).
If Grayson Rodriguez pitches like an ace, the Angels could get 75 wins, but not 80 wins.
Unwise move. 81 games in West Sacramento where RH pull hitters can thrive would have helped Arrenando tremendously. The glove is still credible which would have given the A’s a better shot at the playoffs on the AL West than the Diamondbacks in the NL West. Dodgers, Padres and Giants will keep Arizona out of the playoffs for many years.
Yeah, but you’re still asking a veteran player to play full-time in a minor league park. He’s a former star player, perhaps even a HOF player. Those kind of guys aren’t going to play in a minor league park on purpose.
Does he really care that much about being in the playoffs though? Who knows, but fans are a lot more concerned about players picking a “winner” to play for than some of the players themselves are.
Mark Vientos enters the chat…
Mark Vientos’ -10 DRS/-7 OAA in 2025 quietly leave the chat.
I’d love to get Baty but price will be high
Why would a Mets player, penciled in as “Utility”, have a high price?
The A’s even thinking he’d waive the NTC for Sacramento is pretty hilarious
Arenado thinking he will win in the NL west with the Dodgers and Padres up front is even more hilarious.
He may not even care that much about winning.
The A’s have far less shot at a playoff spot than the Diamondbacks who have wither been in the playoffs (WS in 2023) or in the chase until the end each of the past 3 seasons.
I’m sure he doesn’t think the D-Backs are gonna be better than the Dodgers.
I’m sure he does think the D-Backs with himself healthy do have a very legitimate shot at making the playoffs though.
This is the case in point as to why a FO should nearly NEVER give a no-trade contract to an aging player on a long-term contract.
Arenado screwed himself and the Cards by declining the Astros trade last season, and he screwed the Cardinals again this year. JUST DON’T DO IT!
The point of giving a player a NTC is to convince them to take the dollar amount youre willing to give them. Its part of the negotiation. A player exercising their contractual right that both parties agreed to is not case and point why it shouldnt happen. You’ll get over it im sure
I get what the point is, Bega. And this IS in fact the case in point as to why you should never do it – you end up with an old, ineffective player that is being overpaid and can’t be dealt away. I am not a Rockies or Cards fan, so I really don’t care if their front offices do stupid things.
Not with that attitude will you sign desired free agents, Bob. Are you in it to win, tread water, or tank? Ya got any jelly donuts left, Bob?
Bob, some teams have to do this to sign free agents or retain homegrown talent. Otherwise they’ll be outspent by other clubs.
BOB, he was dealt twice with an NTC so its not a case in point. Teams want players to stick around because fans pay to see them play even after they are no longer stars. That is one of the benefits for the team of an NTC.
Wow…wait a second there Begamin….so you’re actually trying to sell us on the idea that St Louis and Arenado in 2020-21 actually had to “negotiate” a NTC on a 9 year $$$275 millions dollar contract…that’s over $30 million/yr at a time when that was a pretty handsome number and Arenado would have turned that down if NTC’s weren’t included….methinks your dreaming pal….I understand that a club might offer NTC as a perk to save some money on a contract or even get a player to sign but your criticism of Bob when he said it “shouldn’t happen” is way off……It shouldn’t be in the negotiating bag a GM uses to close a deal unless your saving money or years on an offer……St Louis probably never should have put that into a contract where they were not only paying Insane dollars and years when they knew that the last several years of that contract would probably age very poorly and to boot, they have to get the players permission to trade them on the same contract which to date has held up St. Louis from moving forward with their roster….so I agree with Bob…it shouldn’t happen and the GM that agrees to salary and years plus a NTC should be fired….
Barger plus for Mason Miller?? Are we doing this??
Not without knowing the rest of the trade.
LMAO pal….if the A’s intend on contending for a WC this season, Miller becomes pure gold as far as closing….dream on….
Miller is a Padre now. The A’s traded him last season at the deadline. The Padres have Machado at 3B and Tatis in RF so they have no need for Barger.
A’s have Leo De Vries coming later this year (Wilson probably slides to 3B), so I’m ok not getting Arenado. I’d love to get Andujar back though
I had thought that Soderstrom could be a good third baseman. I know he hasn’t played much if any 3B but he came up as a catcher, has a season of starts at 1B and was real good his first season in LF.
I think if he was on board with taking starts at 3B he could probably be a plus defender at the position in short time.
He might be too good in LF to consider it but I’d say Soderstrom can be the guy at 3B with De Vries at SS and Wilson at 2B for what could be the best infield group in MLB with Kurtz at 1B and Langeliers at C.
A move to third leaves two spots open in the OF in ’27 – Henry Bolte could break out this year. His hit tool is a little better than advertised and he has a grade 80 speed profile. If he hits this season, he will be in the A’s OF sooner than later. Junior Perez also an interesting prospect. He had a 1.054 OPS in the desert air at AAA Las Vegas, and could be another good bat in the A’s pipeline.
Signing Ramon Urias would cost less and might give them similar offense if given similar ABs. He would definitely provide a decent glove at 3B. He also wouldn’t get upset if he becomes a platoon player.
How about Moncada? Quality bat, meh but playable glove. Big knock is heath these days
Maybe reading too much into this but I hope this isn’t a signal that the A’s FO is getting impatient and trying to accelerate the rebuild.
All the best players on this team came from the farm and the farm is still stocked so there’s no reason to think it won’t keep producing great players if you’re patient and let it do it’s thing.
I don’t think you start entertaining these types of trades until after Lin, Arnold, and Jump are on the main squad. I might be reading too much into this though and maybe the A’s were trying to buy low on Arenado and flip him in July because I think Tommy White is our 3B by then.
Nothing wrong with accelerating rebuild. Boston made playoffs one time over 6 years. Traded for crochet, gray in offseason then signed Suarez. Of course different financial situation and easier to attract free agents to Boston than Sacramento and a maybe on time stadium in 2 years in Vegas
If it’s done right I’m good with it, I just don’t want to sit through another four-year rebuild. The team is relatively stacked with minor league talent to where we should be bringing up strong talent annually from here on out. This year it’s Bolte, Jump, White, etc. next year it’s LDV, Lin, Arnold, etc. Year after it’s the next group, etc. We have a chance to be good every year for a long time I don’t want to see my team throw it all away on a single season prayer that we get lucky in October.
That AAA ballpark with the clubhouse in the outfield is sure a big draw!
This is a tired and lazy excuse and they improved the facilities since the end of the season…
Wow! Professional athletes make their decisions on whether they have to walk an extra 200′ to the clubhouse! Best one I heard all day! Do you think it would tucker them out?!
I’m still a little surprised Arenado didn’t end up in Anaheim. That seemed to scream an Angels type of move. Perhaps another crashing out vet on the Rendon money wasn’t where they wanted to go. And Arenado as a vet gets a say in his outcome. He goes to a team with a chance
Shoulda, woulda, coulda. What bunch of bovine excrement.
What I mean is that there was no deal in place because there was no way that Arenado was going to approve a trade to; A – play for a team with little to no shot at making the playoffs, and B – play in a AAA facility. Give us a break Mr. Bowtie.
Glad the A’s didn’t pull that trade…they have De Vries and Tommy White right behind him, save the trades for some pitching…
You have about a 20% chance that one of those two will be a major league average player. Good luck with that.
I’m guessing he didn’t want to play in a minor league stadium half of the season
This is a non-story. This is the A’s trying to show a “willingness to spend” by pursuing and agreeing to a deal with a player that was never going to waive his no-trade clause to go to Sacramento and play in a minor league park. It’s like saying they made an offer to Tucker or Bichette when you know it was significantly less than anyone else offered
Maybe he didn’t want to play half of his last two seasons in a minor league ballpark.
Man up and tell us who he would have been traded for, ain’t no all cash deal.