Recently Filed Lawsuit Interferes With Athletics’ Stadium Plans
The Athletics know the twists and turns that a Wild Card game can take; they’re in the middle of their latest do-or-die contest as we speak. The Oakland organization also just experienced a sudden jolt in the lengthy roller-coaster ride that it hopes will end in a new ballpark.
While the most recent news was positive, a sudden new roadblock has arisen, as Phil Matier and Sarah Ravani of the San Francisco Chronicle report. The city of Oakland has brought suit against Alameda County to prevent the county’s sale of the present Coliseum site to the A’s — a key part of the team’s overarching strategy of building a new stadium at Howard Terminal.
Sometimes these sorts of conflicts are anticipated. In this case, both the A’s and even Oakland’s mayor expressed great surprise at the move, which evidently emanated from a city council directive. The merits of the claims remain unclear, but a glance at the rundown of the complaint reveals a potentially fact-heavy matter that may not easily be resolved in an expedient manner — assuming, at least, that the city has no interest in a speedy end to the uncertainty.
The true motivations and possible pathways remain unclear at this time. But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred left no doubt as to the way the move was interpreted by the league. He tells the Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he’s “very concerned” by the litigation and the lack of “concrete progress” towards a new facility.
Manfred explained that he has already met with mayor Libby Schaaf and City Council President Rebecca Kaplan to convey his misgivings. Despite carrying a generally optimistic tone on the subject in recent years, Manfred was now willing to embed an obvious warning shot in his comments:
“What I would say is we can’t stay in a holding pattern with no progress indefinitely. There needs to be a plan to move this franchise forward. I’m hopeful it’s going to be here in Oakland.”
It’s worth bearing in mind that the redevelopment of the Coliseum site is not, in theory, inextricably tied to the new ballpark-building project. But even a casual glance through the above-linked A’s site on the initiative shows how closely connected these aims are. The goal is for the new park to be fully financed by the team itself, the accomplishment of which depends upon what the team has labeled a “two-project approach.”
MLBTR Poll: AL Wild-Card Matchup
The Athletics are minutes away from hosting the Rays in a wild-card matchup consisting of two of the majors’ lowest-spending teams. Even though the A’s and Rays don’t boast the spending power of fellow AL playoff clubs such as the Yankees and Astros, that didn’t stop either Oakland or Tampa Bay from enjoying outstanding regular seasons. The A’s, built by executive vice president Billy Beane and general manager David Forst, amassed 97 wins and posted the majors’ fifth-best run differential (plus-165). The Rays, led by by their own formidable two-man setup of senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom and GM Erik Neander, rival the A’s in victories (96) and run differential (plus-113, which places seventh in the game).
Oakland will initially turn to left-hander Sean Manaea in Wednesday’s matchup, even though he missed the majority of the regular season while recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent last September. The 27-year-old Manaea was fantastic during the five starts he did make this season, though, having notched a sterling 1.21 ERA (with a less imposing 3.42 FIP) and 9.1 K/9 against 2.12 BB/9 in 29 2/3 innings. He’ll try to contain a Rays lineup that was tough on lefties during the regular campaign, as the unit logged the league’s 11th-highest wRC+ (101) versus southpaws.
Meanwhile, the Rays will count on the battle-tested Charlie Morton, a brilliant offseason free-agent signing who’s just two falls removed from serving as a playoff hero for World Series-winning Houston. The 35-year-old Morton has been among the absolute best pitchers in baseball in 2019, evidenced by the 3.05 ERA/2.81 FIP with 11.1 K/9 and 2.64 BB/9 he has put forth across a career-high 194 2/3 frames. He’ll deal with an A’s offense that has caused headaches for righties, who yielded a 104 wRC+ (the game’s sixth-highest figure) to Oakland’s hitters. Center fielder Mark Canha, first baseman Matt Olson, shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman have made life especially miserable on RHPs this season.
In all likelihood, both teams’ bullpens will figure prominently in tonight’s contest. Both groups were among the league’s most successful in the regular season, and the two look especially loaded for a one-game playoff. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, breakout righty Tyler Glasnow and dominant in-season pickup Nick Anderson are at the forefront of the Rays’ options, while the A’s bring to the table imposing youngsters Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk, not to mention lights-out closer Liam Hendriks and workhorse righty Yusmeiro Petit, among others.
Regardless of who wins tonight, the hope is the game will rival the excitement of Tuesday’s Nationals-Brewers matchup. The home team, Washington, survived a thriller to advance to the National League Division Series. Now, will the A’s also hold serve in their stadium? Or will the Rays move on to face the top-seeded Astros in the ALDS?
(Poll link for app users)
Who Will Win Tonight's AL Wild Card Game?
-
Rays 64% (1,914)
-
Athletics 36% (1,057)
Total votes: 2,971
Athletics Announce Wild Card Roster
The Athletics have formally announced their roster for this year’s Wild Card game against the Rays. They’ll head into tonight’s sudden-death showdown with 11 pitchers, headlined by resurgent top starter Sean Manaea.
Right-handed pitchers
Left-handed pitchers
- Sean Manaea (starter)
- Ryan Buchter
- Jake Diekman
- Jesus Luzardo
- A.J. Puk
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
The fact that Manaea is in line to start tonight’s contest is remarkable for multiple reasons. The lefty underwent shoulder surgery last August that, at the time, was expected to not only end his 2018 season but quite likely his 2019 campaign. Over the course of the current season, though, Manaea passed recovery milestones and benchmarks well ahead of schedule — enough that he was able to make it back to a big league mound at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 1.
Talented as Manaea was known to be, few could’ve expected the type of otherworldly production he’s shown since activation. In five starts, he’s given the A’s 29 2/3 innings of 1.21 ERA ball with a 30-to-7 K/BB ratio and just three home runs allowed. He didn’t face a dominant series of lineups down the stretch, squaring off against the Tigers, Rangers (twice) and Mariners in addition to the more formidable Yankees, but that level of output immediately upon returning from major shoulder surgery is nevertheless impressive.
One name that is notably absent, as was first reported by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, is right fielder Stephen Piscotty. The decision to carry Barreto over Piscotty boiled down to the simple matter of health, manager Bob Melvin explained in that interview with Slusser. Piscotty missed a month with a sprained ankle late in the year, and while he returned in time to take four at-bats in the Athletics’ regular-season finale, the club felt Barreto’s superior speed was a better use of the roster spot. The A’s could, of course, change gears and carry Piscotty on the roster in the ALDS if they advance beyond tonight’s one-game playoff.
More broadly looking at the Oakland roster, it’s punctuated by a rather large number of rookies. Not only have none of Luzardo, Puk, Neuse, Murphy or Brown played a full season in the big leagues — none of those five had even played in a single Major League game prior to Aug. 21. Barreto, meanwhile, has seen action in parts of three Major League seasons but still has just 209 plate appearances at the game’s top level under his belt.
Oakland isn’t carrying veteran starters Tanner Roark, Homer Bailey or Brett Anderson on its single-game roster, either, although as with Piscotty, they can be added back into the mix for the Divisional round of play in the event of an A’s victory tonight.
A’s To Activate Stephen Piscotty; Latest On Mark Canha
The Athletics will activate outfielder Stephen Piscotty from the injured list in time for tonight’s game in Seattle, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The A’s have been without Piscotty since he suffered a high ankle sprain Aug. 24. It was the third significant health problem of the season for Piscotty, who previously dealt with a melanoma on his right ear in mid-June and then missed all of July with a sprained right knee.
A healthy Piscotty hasn’t matched his quality 2018 production, having hit .252/.312/.416 with 13 home runs in 389 plate appearances, though he seemed to be rounding into form before landing on the shelf last month. The fact that he’s returning when the A’s are pushing for a playoff spot looks like a boon with fellow outfielder Mark Canha battling groin troubles.
Canha’s injury appeared as if it could end his regular season when he suffered it Wednesday, but it now seems he dodged a worst-case scenario. He may be available off the A’s bench as early as tonight, Slusser tweets. Meantime, Oakland will start Ramon Laureano, Robbie Grossman and Seth Brown in its outfield.
Athletics Call Up Skye Bolt
The A’s have called up some outfield depth for the final few games of the season, summoning Skye Bolt to the big league roster, per a club announcement.
Oakland was without Khris Davis due to the stomach flu yesterday and saw Mark Canha exit last night’s game due to a groin injury, thus prompting the move to get an additional body onto the roster. It won’t be the MLB debut for the 25-year-old Bolt, who appeared in four games with the Athletics earlier this season.
Bolt, a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft, spent the rest of the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, where he batted .269/.350/.459 with 11 homers, 19 doubles, three triples and seven steals in 347 plate appearances. He had his share of strikeout issues with the Aviators (27.1 percent) but did manage to draw a free pass in 10.7 percent of his trips to the plate.
Despite modest stolen-base totals throughout his pro career, Bolt fittingly draws plus grades on his speed in scouting reports and is also considered to have an above-average throwing arm. He’s not considered to be one of the organization’s top prospect but does land in the middle of the team’s Top 30 rankings at MLB.com and Fangraphs. Bolt has split the Triple-A season between center field and right field in mostly even fashion, so he’ll presumably be an option at any of the three outfield slots should a need arise.
The A’s have a half-game lead over the Rays for the top Wild Card spot in the American League, with the Indians still factoring into the mix. Cleveland trails Tampa Bay by a 1.5-game deficit with another four games to play.
West Notes: Angels, Maddon, Giants, Sabean, D-backs, A’s
Angels manager Brad Ausmus has only been on the job for a year, but the club “would consider” firing him to hire Joe Maddon after the season, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription link). That would require the Cubs to move on from Maddon, whose contract is up, while the Angels would likely need to make the 65-year-old a substantial offer. The first part of that equation looks like a real possibility, but it appears the second would pose a problem. Angels owner Arte Moreno likely doesn’t want to pay two managers, per Rosenthal, who adds it’s very doubtful he’d be willing to match Maddon’s current salary of $6MM. Notably, though, there is quite a bit of history between Maddon and the Angels. He spent 31 years with the organization in a variety of roles before his managerial career began with the Rays prior to the 2006 season.
- Recent speculation has linked longtime Giants executive Brian Sabean to the Marlins, but the 63-year-old told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he isn’t going anywhere. Although Sabean’s contract is about to expire, he and the Giants are in talks to keep him in place for what would be his 28th year with the organization in 2020. “We’re in the process of sorting that out as we speak,” Sabean said. “I’m quite sure my Giant career will continue in some form or fashion. I’m not interested in looking to go anywhere else. We’ll see how it develops in the next month or so.” While Sabean was at the helm of the Giants’ baseball department during all three of their World Series wins this decade, he has taken on a lesser role since the team hired Farhan Zaidi to steer the ship last offseason. Sabean spent a large portion of this season scouting, which is his passion, Schulman notes.
- The Diamondbacks have shut right-handers Luke Weaver and Zac Gallen down for the season, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Weaver sat out all of June, July, August and most of September with forearm and UCL injuries, but he made a successful two-inning return last weekend to cap off his 2019. He and Gallen, whom the D-backs acquired at the trade deadline, figure to slot in near the top of the club’s rotation in 2020. Fellow righty Taijuan Walker could join them if he overcomes the arm problems that have essentially shelved him for two straight seasons. Walker could, however, take the ball for the first and only time of the season in Arizona’s finale on Sunday, Piecoro relays.
- The Athletics just designated catcher Beau Taylor for assignment for the second time this year, but that doesn’t mean his days with the organization are over. On the contrary, chances are “good” that the A’s will try to re-sign Taylor in the offseason, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Judging by the glowing reviews of Taylor that prized young catcher Sean Murphy and manager Bob Melvin offer in Slusser’s piece, he clearly has the respect of the A’s players and coaches.
Mark Canha Suffers Strained Groin
1:11am: Canha and the A’s may have dodged a bullet: He hopes to play Friday, Slusser tweets.
12:53am: The playoff-contending Athletics picked up a crucial victory over the Angels on Wednesday, but they may have suffered a serious loss in the process. Outfielder Mark Canha left the game in the seventh inning with a strained groin, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. With so little time left in the season, it’s possible Canha won’t play again in 2019, Slusser notes.
This had been a dream season for Canha prior to Wednesday’s unfortunate turn of events. The 30-year-old has enjoyed one of the biggest breakouts of any player in 2019, having slashed .275/.399/.524 with 26 home runs in 489 plate appearances. Canha ranks ninth in the majors among qualified hitters in wRC+ (148), while his 4.2 fWAR places third out of Oakland’s position players. And Canha has complemented his stellar offensive output with versatility in the outfield, where he has seen time at all three spots (primarily center of late).
There’s no doubt Canha’s contributions are among the chief reasons the A’s own a 95-63 record and a half-game lead on the AL’s top wild-card spot. Now, if the A’s do hang on to reach the playoffs, it’s possible they’ll have to go without one of their best players. They’re already down fellow outfielder Stephen Piscotty, who hasn’t played since Aug. 24 and who’s not a sure bet to return from an ankle sprain. Aside from Canha, Oakland’s recent outfield mix has featured Ramon Laureano, Seth Brown, Chad Pinder and Robbie Grossman.
Athletics Reinstate Frankie Montas, Designate Beau Taylor For Assignment
The Athletics announced Wednesday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Frankie Montas from the restricted list now that his 80-game PED suspension has been completed. Oakland had a full 40-man roster, so catcher Beau Taylor was designated for assignment in order to open a spot for Montas’ return. Montas won’t be postseason-eligible because of that suspension, but he’ll take the ball and start tonight’s game against the Angels.
Montas, 26, hasn’t pitched since June 20 after testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine. As with virtually all players who fail a drug test, Montas claimed to have been unaware he’d taken a banned substance, blaming the positive test on a “contaminated supplement” which he “purchased over-the-counter at a nutrition store here in the United States.” Regardless of intent (or lack thereof), he served out the full 80-game ban that first-time offenders face.
It’s not clear what type of workload Montas will be able to handle, although general manager David Forst indicated earlier this month that the A’s have kept Montas stretched out with a series of simulated games. Whatever volume of innings Montas can handle, they’ll all be pivotal at this point; the A’s are in the thick of a three-team AL Wild Card race with the Indians and Rays.
If the A’s get anything close to the form Montas displayed from March until late June, then they’ll be in excellent shape for tonight’s contest. Through 90 innings earlier this season, Montas pitched to a pristine 2.70 ERA with a similarly strong 2.91 FIP and a 3.42 xFIP. He averaged 9.7 strikeouts, 2.1 walks and 0.7 homers per nine innings pitched while keeping the ball on the ground at a healthy 50.8 percent clip.
Of course, skeptics will attribute that apparent breakout to Montas’ failed drug test, and there’ll be nowhere near enough time in 2019 for him to prove that he’s capable of sustaining that level of pace post-suspension. He’ll surely have a place earmarked in Oakland’s 2020 rotation, at which point he’ll strive to continue upon this year’s breakout and distance himself from that suspension as best he can. He’ll presumably be joined by Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers in that regard. Righties Chris Bassitt, Daniel Mengden and Jharel Cotton will compete with top left-handed pitching prospects Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk for the final spots in Oakland’s rotation.
Montas, who’ll turn 27 next March, lost more than half a season’s worth of service time but will still ever-so-narrowly eek out enough service to reach two full years of big league service in 2019. As such, he’s still controlled through the 2023 season and remains on track to be arbitration-eligible following the 2020 campaign.
As for the 29-year-old Taylor, this won’t be the first time he’s been cut loose by the A’s. Oakland outrighted him off the 40-man roster following the 2018 season but re-signed him to a minor league deal, and the Athletics also designated Taylor for assignment earlier this year. He landed with the Blue Jays via a waiver claim but was eventually DFA’ed by Toronto and returned to Oakland on a second waiver claim.
Taylor is 5-for-30 with a pair of homers in a tiny sample of 36 MLB plate appearances. He’s spent parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level and batted a combined .256/.373/.385 there. He’s been about a percentage point below average in terms of caught-stealing rate for his pro career and has drawn average or better pitch-framing grades in the past few seasons.
Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino Done For Season
The Athletics shut injured reliever Blake Treinen down for the regular season last week, but the hope then was that he’d return from the stress reaction in his back for a potential playoff run. That’s now out of the question, though, as Treinen’s officially done for the year, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Meanwhile, fellow righty reliever Lou Trivino is “likely” finished for 2019 as a result of a cracked rib, according to Slusser. Trivino suffered the injury when he slipped in his shower earlier this month.
While Treinen and Trivino were two of the Athletcs best relievers just a year ago (the former was historically good), they don’t look like enormous losses for the hard-charging A’s this season. Neither has pitched in a couple weeks, and when the two have taken the mound, they’ve been anything but lights-out.
It’s especially surprising how much the 31-year-old Treinen declined this season. Treinen notched an otherworldly 0.78 ERA (1.82 FIP) across 80 1/3 innings in 2018, when he also posted 11.2 K/9 with 2.35 BB/9 and converted 38 of 43 save chances. But everything trended the wrong way in 2019 for Treinen, whom injuries helped limit to 58 2/3 innings of 4.91 ERA/5.15 FIP ball with 9.05 K/9 and 5.68 BB/9. He also blew five of his 21 save attempts and lost his spot as the A’s closer to Liam Hendriks.
Now, it’s up in the air whether Treinen has thrown his final pitch as an Athletic. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out last week, Oakland will face an offseason decision on whether to tender Treinen a contract for next year. He earned $6.4MM this season and will collect a raise over that figure if he makes his last trip through arbitration over the winter.
There are no such financial concerns with Trivino, who’s still in the pre-arb phase. The 27-year-old wasn’t the dominant force Treinen was in 2018, but Trivino more than held his own as a rookie setup man. Trivino didn’t offer particularly valuable results this year, however, as he struggled to a 5.25 ERA/4.54 FIP with 8.55 K/9 and 4.65 BB/9 over 60 frames.
AL Notes: Semien, Orioles, Astros
For those actively searching for a player ready to assume Anthony Rendon‘s former title as the game’s “Most Underrated” player, Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien is making a valid case for himself in 2019. As Martin Gallegos of MLB.com notes, Semien scored his 120th run of the season on Sunday, placing him just three runs behind Reggie Jackson 1969 record for most runs scored by an Athletic in a single season (link). Besides that possibly impending accomplishment, it’s important to note that the 28-year-old Semien has done more than just cross the plate in 2019. Among AL shortstops, his 32 homers place him 3rd, his 90 RBIs are good for 2nd, and his 7.2 WAR valuation places him behind only Houston’s Alex Bregman at his position. However you slice it, 2019 has been a banner year for the former Cal Bear, who will likely garner MVP consideration at season’s end.
Semien’s near-peerless production has been a large reason behind Oakland’s 2.0-game cushion on all Wild Card competitors. He’s likely due a sizable raise in his third trip through arbitration this offseason, as his $5.9MM salary this year represents one of baseball’s biggest bargains.
More notes from around the league on a quiet Sunday eve…
- Yesterday, we passed along word of one dissatisfied ex-employee of Orioles GM Mike Elias’–namely, former special assignment instructor BJ Surhoff, who felt disrespected by Elias’ handling of his dismissal. Despite that bit of scuttlebutt, Elias is feeling good about his organization’s direction now that he’s had nearly a calendar year to direct its progress, as he told Roch Kubotko of MASN Sports in a wide-ranging interview (link).“When we came in here, the big league team (had) the worst record in the league last year,” Elias told Kubotko. “The farm system was ranked in the 20s…We had no real international scouting function, a minimalist analytics group. All of that’s changed. We’ve got our program going internationally. We’re signing players, we’re competing for players out there. We’re building towards a bigger analytics staff. The farm system’s taking a huge jump this year.” There are several other items of note in the article itself, among them his support of manager Brandon Hyde (who did ‘Great’ in 2019, in Elias’ estimation) and his expectations for the club in 2020.
- The Astros were finally able to pop the corks on champagne bottles that had remained on ice through Friday and Saturday, as Sunday saw the team capture its third consecutive AL West title. In a well-written piece from the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome, manager A.J. Hinch credits mentality–not the team’s embarrassment of stars–as the source behind Houston’s success (link). “We just keep on keeping a winning culture, a winning mindset. We show up ready to play every day,” Hinch told Rome. “It’s the thing I’m most proud of. We just stay current in the moment.” Also of note in Rome’s article is a rundown of the club’s utter dominance of its AL West opponents in 2019; the club has won 32 out of its last 38 games at home against AL West competitors, en route to an overall 51-19 record against divisional foes this year.