Pache didn’t make Oakland’s Opening Day roster and was out of Minor League options. This meant that the team only had an option of trading him or making him designated for assignment.

Back in 2021, Cristian Pache was ranked as the No. 12 best prospect in baseball as a member of the Atlanta Braves farming system. He landed in Oakland ahead of the 2022 MLB season as part of the trade that sent star first baseman Matt Olson to the Braves.

Despite being the key return in the Olson trade, Pache never managed to find his footing with the A’s. The 24-year-old player demonstrated exciting athleticism in 2022, but his batting failed to get on the level that would make him a regular fixture in the majors. He played 91 games last season, batting .177 with three home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Phillies have added Pache to their 40-man roster and probably hope that they can do a better job of developing him than the A’s did. The potential is there, especially on the defensive end, but it remains to be seen if the Dominican outfielder can progress enough to hold his own on the plate.

For A’s, getting Sullivan is better than letting Pache leave for nothing. The 23-year-old player was 5-1 with Phillies’ Double-A affiliate Reading Fightin Phils in 2022, producing a 4.59 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 44 games.

The post Oakland A’s Trade Former Top Prospect Cristian Pache to the Phillies appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In addition to being a late bloomer in baseball, Vogt also had to endure a 15-month wait to take his first swing of the bat. “It was like a year-and-a-half wait in between my first at-bat and when I got the first hit,” Vogt recalled. “I couldn’t believe it had happened. It had been 32 at-bats, and I was in my 33rd at-bat, got a pitch to hit, and fortunately I got my first hit.”

An MLB journeyman, Vogt played for an array of teams from coast to coast, including Arizona, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Oakland, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. During his career, Vogt had been what he considered both one of the best players and one of the worst players in the league while also undergoing a major shoulder injury in 2018. Still, this did not get in the way of him winning a World Series ring in 2021.

With his playing days now behind him, Vogt hopes to move into a coaching or managerial role, having learned from the likes of Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay.

The post Oakland Athletics Veteran Stephen Vogt Set To Retire appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Their most recent victory, against the Minnesota Twins, was won in dramatic fashion. By all accounts, they should not have won. But when things are going your way, almost everything goes your way.

The A’s and the Twins had taken things to extra innings, and then Minnesota took a 12-11 lead in the top of the 10th. Fast-forward to the bottom of the 10th, and Ramon Laureano is at the plate with two outs, bases loaded, behind the count at 1-2, and his team down by one.

Laureano then hit a sharp grounder down the third base line. This wasn’t an easy play for Minnesota third baseman Luis Arraez to make, but he was able to scoop up the ball and throw it… wildly off target.

Arraez’s throw went beyond the first baseman’s hands, and Oakland was able to score two runs to win the game, extending their win streak to 11 games.

If this dramatic ending is any indication of how things have been going for the A’s lately, it’ll be quite interesting to see how long this win-streak will go on. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy the ride with them.

The post Oakland A’s Win Their 11th Straight After Rocky Start appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s have long been adept at finding unheralded arms and turning them into important bullpen pieces, and this appears to be their aim in what is a low-risk deal with the rebuilding squad.

Turley, who is 31 years old, made his Big League debut with the Twins in 2017 and then missed the next two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He returned to the mound in 2020 with the Pirates and posted a 4.98 ERA in 25 appearances, mostly as a lefty specialist. Turley struggled with walks and hit batters as well, but he did strike out 20 batters in only 21.2 innings of work.

Turley looks to be a candidate to fill a spot in the A’s bullpen heading into the season, but will likely face competition from other lefty arms like Jake Diekman and AJ Puk for a prominent role.

The California native returns to his home state and will still be under team control for the next six seasons, setting up the A’s to potentially have an important piece in their staff for years to come if Turley can polish up his control.

The post Oakland A’s Add Lefty Reliever Nik Turley in Trade with Pirates appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 58-year-old baseball executive was made famous by “Moneyball”, the Hollywood movie in which he was played by Brad Pitt.

Beane is currently the co-chair of RedBall Acquisition Corp, which will soon merge with Fenway Sports Group. And even though Beane is expected to partner with Red Sox owner John Henry in this new deal, he will not be taking any type of position within the Red Sox organization.

According to sources, Beane is interested in shifting his business focus to European soccer. He recently purchased a stake in Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

After a short-lived career as a player, Beane shifted his focus to scouting. He has been a member of the Oakland Athletics front office for the past 30 years. The A’s have made it to the playoffs in each of their past three seasons, but haven’t had much success in the postseason.

Because of the movie about his life, Beane is known even outside of baseball circles as one of the people who was most responsible for ushering in the use of modern analytics when putting together a baseball team.

The post Executive Billy Beane to Leave Oakland Athletics in Pursuit of New Business Opportunities appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s, despite not playing on Monday, were mathematically ensured of the division crown after the second-place Houston Astros fell 6-1 at home to the Seattle Mariners. Houston’s loss dropped them to the .500 mark and 6.5 games behind Oakland, making the Athletics the first team to clinch first place in a division in the Majors.

Oakland has been a team that has surprised many by displacing the Astros from the top of the division, as the 2017 World Series champions were the favorite heading into the season after winning the division in each of the past three seasons.

The Athletics have been led by one of baseball’s best pitching staffs which has combined to post an excellent 3.64 ERA on the season and prop up the team’s relatively average offensive output. With baseball’s best bullpen by ERA, Oakland will be a threat to advance in the playoffs if their bats can produce enough offense to keep their heads above water.

The A’s will either be the league’s 2nd or 3rd seed in the upcoming playoffs, which are set to begin next week.

The post Athletics Clinch First AL West Title in 7 Years appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Puk, who impressed in a late season cameo with the A’s as a reliever to the tune of a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings on the mound, was slated to be one of Oakland’s key rotation options for the 60-game 2020 regular season.

The former Florida Gator, who was rated as MLB.com’s #60 ranked prospect in the sport heading into the 2020 season, was the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and signed with the A’s for a hefty $4.1 million signing bonus.

His shoulder injury seems to be of significant concern for the A’s and manager Bob Melvin. The veteran skipper said of his planned #5 starter, “The fact that we have to put him on the (injured list) right away, obviously there’s a level of concern. We want to make sure we get this right before we throw him back out there again.”

There is no word currently on how long it may be until the big lefty is ready to make his A’s debut in the 2020 season.

The post Top A’s Prospect AJ Puk Hits IL With Strained Shoulder appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s acquired veteran starting pitcher Homer Bailey in a trade with the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

The A’s sent minor league infielder Kevin Merrell back to the Royals in exchange for the new member of their starting rotation.

2019 has been a bounce-back year for Bailey, who has improved greatly on his dreadful season last year with the Reds. He’s posted a 4.80 ERA in 90 innings pitched, striking out 81 batters.

The 33-year-old isn’t a top-tier starting pitcher as he was during his early day with Cincinnati, but he is expected to be a reliable, stabilizing presence in Oakland’s rotation down the stretch. Many believe that his numbers will improve due to the pitcher-friendly nature of the A’s home stadium and the team’s excellent defense.

Bailey has also improved in recent months, posting a 3.30 ERA over his last eight starts.

The right-hander is expected to make his starting pitching debut with Oakland on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners.

The post Oakland A’s Add SP Homer Bailey in Trade with Royals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Mike Fiers, the Oakland A’s veteran righty, tossed nine innings without allowing a hit against Cincinnati. That, in and of itself, is a rare feat.

When you consider the circumstances, the story gets even more improbable.

The game between the Athletics and Reds took place at the Oakland Coliseum, a derelict and aging stadium. Some of the lights in the stadium wouldn’t turn on, so a delay lasting 98 minutes delayed the first pitch.

The game that was supposed to begin at 7:07 PM local time instead began at 8:45 PM.

Two hours and 25 minutes later, at 11.15 PM, Fiers and his teammates celebrated after he tossed nine no-hit innings.

Fiers totaled 6 strikeouts and 2 walks in his masterful outing. Not many could’ve expected a performance like this going into the game, however, as Fiers was the owner of a 6.81 ERA after his first eight start of the year.

Fiers was also helped by an amazing catch by Ramón Laureano in the sixth inning, who robbed Joey Votto of a home run.

The no-hitter was the second of Fiers’ career. He also completed the impressive feat in the 2015 season as a member of the Houston Astros.

The post Oakland A’s Pitcher Mike Fiers Throws Second Career No-Hitter appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Rangers will also waive Rollie Lacy, a minor-league player they acquired this summer from the Chicago Cubs as part of the r deal. Lacy will head to the Rays alongside reliever Emilio Pagan and a 2019 draft pick.

Besides White, other players heading to Texas are Kyle Bird, Yoel Espinal and Brock Burke. The Rangers will also receive international bonus money from the A’s. Sources close to the Rangers reported the bonus amount will be $750,000.

After they elevate Bird and Burke to the team’s major league roster, the Rangers will still have four open spots. Meanwhile, Profar will add depth to the A’s squad with his multi-position skills. Last season he hit .254 for 20 home runs and 77 RBIS. He played mostly as a third baseman and a shortstop. He can also play the second base position and will most likely fill up Jed Lowrie’s open position in Oakland.

The post Rangers Trade Jurickson Profar to Oakland A’s in 3-Team Agreement appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Pache didn’t make Oakland’s Opening Day roster and was out of Minor League options. This meant that the team only had an option of trading him or making him designated for assignment.

Back in 2021, Cristian Pache was ranked as the No. 12 best prospect in baseball as a member of the Atlanta Braves farming system. He landed in Oakland ahead of the 2022 MLB season as part of the trade that sent star first baseman Matt Olson to the Braves.

Despite being the key return in the Olson trade, Pache never managed to find his footing with the A’s. The 24-year-old player demonstrated exciting athleticism in 2022, but his batting failed to get on the level that would make him a regular fixture in the majors. He played 91 games last season, batting .177 with three home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Phillies have added Pache to their 40-man roster and probably hope that they can do a better job of developing him than the A’s did. The potential is there, especially on the defensive end, but it remains to be seen if the Dominican outfielder can progress enough to hold his own on the plate.

For A’s, getting Sullivan is better than letting Pache leave for nothing. The 23-year-old player was 5-1 with Phillies’ Double-A affiliate Reading Fightin Phils in 2022, producing a 4.59 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 44 games.

The post Oakland A’s Trade Former Top Prospect Cristian Pache to the Phillies appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In addition to being a late bloomer in baseball, Vogt also had to endure a 15-month wait to take his first swing of the bat. “It was like a year-and-a-half wait in between my first at-bat and when I got the first hit,” Vogt recalled. “I couldn’t believe it had happened. It had been 32 at-bats, and I was in my 33rd at-bat, got a pitch to hit, and fortunately I got my first hit.”

An MLB journeyman, Vogt played for an array of teams from coast to coast, including Arizona, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Oakland, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. During his career, Vogt had been what he considered both one of the best players and one of the worst players in the league while also undergoing a major shoulder injury in 2018. Still, this did not get in the way of him winning a World Series ring in 2021.

With his playing days now behind him, Vogt hopes to move into a coaching or managerial role, having learned from the likes of Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay.

The post Oakland Athletics Veteran Stephen Vogt Set To Retire appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Their most recent victory, against the Minnesota Twins, was won in dramatic fashion. By all accounts, they should not have won. But when things are going your way, almost everything goes your way.

The A’s and the Twins had taken things to extra innings, and then Minnesota took a 12-11 lead in the top of the 10th. Fast-forward to the bottom of the 10th, and Ramon Laureano is at the plate with two outs, bases loaded, behind the count at 1-2, and his team down by one.

Laureano then hit a sharp grounder down the third base line. This wasn’t an easy play for Minnesota third baseman Luis Arraez to make, but he was able to scoop up the ball and throw it… wildly off target.

Arraez’s throw went beyond the first baseman’s hands, and Oakland was able to score two runs to win the game, extending their win streak to 11 games.

If this dramatic ending is any indication of how things have been going for the A’s lately, it’ll be quite interesting to see how long this win-streak will go on. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy the ride with them.

The post Oakland A’s Win Their 11th Straight After Rocky Start appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s have long been adept at finding unheralded arms and turning them into important bullpen pieces, and this appears to be their aim in what is a low-risk deal with the rebuilding squad.

Turley, who is 31 years old, made his Big League debut with the Twins in 2017 and then missed the next two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He returned to the mound in 2020 with the Pirates and posted a 4.98 ERA in 25 appearances, mostly as a lefty specialist. Turley struggled with walks and hit batters as well, but he did strike out 20 batters in only 21.2 innings of work.

Turley looks to be a candidate to fill a spot in the A’s bullpen heading into the season, but will likely face competition from other lefty arms like Jake Diekman and AJ Puk for a prominent role.

The California native returns to his home state and will still be under team control for the next six seasons, setting up the A’s to potentially have an important piece in their staff for years to come if Turley can polish up his control.

The post Oakland A’s Add Lefty Reliever Nik Turley in Trade with Pirates appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 58-year-old baseball executive was made famous by “Moneyball”, the Hollywood movie in which he was played by Brad Pitt.

Beane is currently the co-chair of RedBall Acquisition Corp, which will soon merge with Fenway Sports Group. And even though Beane is expected to partner with Red Sox owner John Henry in this new deal, he will not be taking any type of position within the Red Sox organization.

According to sources, Beane is interested in shifting his business focus to European soccer. He recently purchased a stake in Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

After a short-lived career as a player, Beane shifted his focus to scouting. He has been a member of the Oakland Athletics front office for the past 30 years. The A’s have made it to the playoffs in each of their past three seasons, but haven’t had much success in the postseason.

Because of the movie about his life, Beane is known even outside of baseball circles as one of the people who was most responsible for ushering in the use of modern analytics when putting together a baseball team.

The post Executive Billy Beane to Leave Oakland Athletics in Pursuit of New Business Opportunities appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s, despite not playing on Monday, were mathematically ensured of the division crown after the second-place Houston Astros fell 6-1 at home to the Seattle Mariners. Houston’s loss dropped them to the .500 mark and 6.5 games behind Oakland, making the Athletics the first team to clinch first place in a division in the Majors.

Oakland has been a team that has surprised many by displacing the Astros from the top of the division, as the 2017 World Series champions were the favorite heading into the season after winning the division in each of the past three seasons.

The Athletics have been led by one of baseball’s best pitching staffs which has combined to post an excellent 3.64 ERA on the season and prop up the team’s relatively average offensive output. With baseball’s best bullpen by ERA, Oakland will be a threat to advance in the playoffs if their bats can produce enough offense to keep their heads above water.

The A’s will either be the league’s 2nd or 3rd seed in the upcoming playoffs, which are set to begin next week.

The post Athletics Clinch First AL West Title in 7 Years appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Puk, who impressed in a late season cameo with the A’s as a reliever to the tune of a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings on the mound, was slated to be one of Oakland’s key rotation options for the 60-game 2020 regular season.

The former Florida Gator, who was rated as MLB.com’s #60 ranked prospect in the sport heading into the 2020 season, was the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and signed with the A’s for a hefty $4.1 million signing bonus.

His shoulder injury seems to be of significant concern for the A’s and manager Bob Melvin. The veteran skipper said of his planned #5 starter, “The fact that we have to put him on the (injured list) right away, obviously there’s a level of concern. We want to make sure we get this right before we throw him back out there again.”

There is no word currently on how long it may be until the big lefty is ready to make his A’s debut in the 2020 season.

The post Top A’s Prospect AJ Puk Hits IL With Strained Shoulder appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s acquired veteran starting pitcher Homer Bailey in a trade with the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

The A’s sent minor league infielder Kevin Merrell back to the Royals in exchange for the new member of their starting rotation.

2019 has been a bounce-back year for Bailey, who has improved greatly on his dreadful season last year with the Reds. He’s posted a 4.80 ERA in 90 innings pitched, striking out 81 batters.

The 33-year-old isn’t a top-tier starting pitcher as he was during his early day with Cincinnati, but he is expected to be a reliable, stabilizing presence in Oakland’s rotation down the stretch. Many believe that his numbers will improve due to the pitcher-friendly nature of the A’s home stadium and the team’s excellent defense.

Bailey has also improved in recent months, posting a 3.30 ERA over his last eight starts.

The right-hander is expected to make his starting pitching debut with Oakland on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners.

The post Oakland A’s Add SP Homer Bailey in Trade with Royals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Mike Fiers, the Oakland A’s veteran righty, tossed nine innings without allowing a hit against Cincinnati. That, in and of itself, is a rare feat.

When you consider the circumstances, the story gets even more improbable.

The game between the Athletics and Reds took place at the Oakland Coliseum, a derelict and aging stadium. Some of the lights in the stadium wouldn’t turn on, so a delay lasting 98 minutes delayed the first pitch.

The game that was supposed to begin at 7:07 PM local time instead began at 8:45 PM.

Two hours and 25 minutes later, at 11.15 PM, Fiers and his teammates celebrated after he tossed nine no-hit innings.

Fiers totaled 6 strikeouts and 2 walks in his masterful outing. Not many could’ve expected a performance like this going into the game, however, as Fiers was the owner of a 6.81 ERA after his first eight start of the year.

Fiers was also helped by an amazing catch by Ramón Laureano in the sixth inning, who robbed Joey Votto of a home run.

The no-hitter was the second of Fiers’ career. He also completed the impressive feat in the 2015 season as a member of the Houston Astros.

The post Oakland A’s Pitcher Mike Fiers Throws Second Career No-Hitter appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Rangers will also waive Rollie Lacy, a minor-league player they acquired this summer from the Chicago Cubs as part of the r deal. Lacy will head to the Rays alongside reliever Emilio Pagan and a 2019 draft pick.

Besides White, other players heading to Texas are Kyle Bird, Yoel Espinal and Brock Burke. The Rangers will also receive international bonus money from the A’s. Sources close to the Rangers reported the bonus amount will be $750,000.

After they elevate Bird and Burke to the team’s major league roster, the Rangers will still have four open spots. Meanwhile, Profar will add depth to the A’s squad with his multi-position skills. Last season he hit .254 for 20 home runs and 77 RBIS. He played mostly as a third baseman and a shortstop. He can also play the second base position and will most likely fill up Jed Lowrie’s open position in Oakland.

The post Rangers Trade Jurickson Profar to Oakland A’s in 3-Team Agreement appeared first on yoursportspot.com.