The Luckiest Pitching Staff in History

Mathewson’s inclusion on this staff shows that “great” and “lucky” aren’t mutually exclusive.

Orioles acquire Cole Irvin in trade with Athletics

The Baltimore Orioles acquired left-hander Cole Irvin from the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, bolstering their rotation as they look to take a step forward in the ultracompetitive American League East.

Irvin, who turns 29 this week, emerged as a reliable innings-eater over the last two seasons, throwing 359.1 innings at a 4.11 ERA after the A’s acquired him from Philadelphia for $100,000.

Baltimore used its significant middle-infield depth in the deal, sending 21-year-old Darell Hernaiz to Oakland. The Orioles also received 24-year-old minor league right-hander Kyle Virbitsky as part of the trade.

A’s reportedly reach one-year deal with Jesus Aguilar

The Oakland Athletics and first baseman Jesus Aguilar agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

The deal is pending a physical.

Aguilar, 32, will join his sixth MLB team if the deal is finalized. The one-time All-Star spent most of last season with the Miami Marlins.

Athletics, Shintaro Fujinami Agree To One-Year Deal

The Athletics have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). The hard-throwing 28-year-old was posted by the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball back on Dec. 1. His agreement is pending a physical, and the A’s expect to use him out of the rotation, Passan adds. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported not long prior to Passan that the A’s were in ongoing talks with Fujinami’s camp and considered a finalist to sign the righty.

Fujinami was a high school phenom from the same draft class as Shohei Ohtani, incredibly stepping right from high school ball into the Tigers’ rotation and as a 19-year-old rookie and pitching to a 2.75 ERA in 137 2/3 innings as a starter. For several years, he delivered standout results, pitching to a sub-3.00 ERA through his first four seasons as a professional and making the Central League All-Star team in each of those first four campaigns.

A’s appear to be down to 1 potential Las Vegas ballpark site

Bally’s President George Papanier, who oversees the company’s land-based casino operations, confirmed to the Review-Journal in an email that talks with the A’s regarding the Tropicana site remain ongoing.

All of this, of course, is contingent on the A’s deciding not to remain in Oakland. In the Bay Area, the A’s have a waterfront development at the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal in play. The $12 billion mixed-use development would include residential, commercial, hotel and public space centered around a $1 billion waterfront ballpark.

The process has a new twist now with newly sworn-in Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao replacing former mayor Libby Schaaf. Thao’s comments to Bay Area media seem to mimic Schaaf’s, with the desire to keep the team in Oakland, but not while putting taxpayers at risk.

Thao and her team haven’t responded to multiple requests by the Review-Journal to discuss her stance on Howard Terminal.

In Las Vegas, Ruffin’s executive assistant Alicia Crockett told the Review-Journal in an e-mail that there has been no recent contact between Ruffin’s group and the A’s. Crockett did not go into further detail or note when the last time talks with the A’s occurred.

Ruffin owns the Las Vegas Festival Grounds site located on the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. The 40-acre site was looked at early on by the A’s, but their focus shifted elsewhere. That was until last summer when the two sides began to talk again.

Last year, a source told the Review-Journal that that the A’s had narrowed their stadium search in Las Vegas to the Tropicana and the festival grounds sites.

The A’s didn’t immediately respond when asked to comment regarding the negotiations in Las Vegas, but team President Dave Kaval has spoken many times over the last year about the team’s desire for a ballpark built in the Resort Corridor.

A’s To Sign Drew Rucinski

The A’s are in agreement with starter Drew Rucinski, pending a physical. It’s reportedly a one-year, $3MM guarantee for the Paragon Sports International client. The deal also contains a $5MM club option for the 2024 season.

Rucinski returns to the U.S. after four seasons in South Korea. The 6’2″ righty kicked around the majors in the middle of the last decade as a swing option. While Rucinski worked as a starter in the minors, he came out of the bullpen for six of seven appearances with the Angels in 2014-15. Rucisnki spent the next year in Triple-A with the Cubs organization before spending two years as a depth reliever. He pitched twice for the Twins in 2017 and logged 35 1/3 innings over 32 relief appearances for the Marlins the next season.

Trevor May heads to A’s on 1-year deal

The A’s added some much-needed experience to their bullpen on Friday by signing right-handed reliever Trevor May to a one-year deal.

The contract is worth $7 million and includes a $1 million signing bonus and performance bonuses that could earn May another $500,000, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

May had somewhat of a down year for the Mets in 2022 as he battled injuries. The 33-year-old posted a 5.04 ERA with 30 strikeouts and nine walks in 25 innings across 26 relief appearances. Most of those struggles, however, came in his first eight outings of the season while he posted a 8.64 ERA before going on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right arm. Over his final 18 appearances, May notched a 3.24 ERA with 25 strikeouts and six walks in 16 2/3 innings.

Sean Murphy heading to Braves

The A’s are sending catcher Sean Murphy to the Braves, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. After multiple teams showed interest in the 2021 Gold Glove-winning backstop, Atlanta came out on top to add another catcher to its roster.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the move, and a source told MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos that it will be a three-team deal also involving the Brewers. Milwaukee is reportedly landing catcher William Contreras, per Passan.

Aledmys Díaz agrees to 2-year deal with A’s

Aledmys Díaz is set to stay in the AL West. The veteran infielder has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the Oakland A’s, according to MLB Network insider Joel Sherman. The club has not confirmed.

During his Astros tenure, Díaz was hampered by injuries, playing only 262 games in four seasons with Houston.

The 32-year-old batted .255/.313/.424 with 32 homers and 107 runs with the Astros from 2019-22, winning a World Series ring this past season in the club’s triumph over the Phillies.

Billy Beane Moves To Advisory Role With Athletics; GM David Forst To Oversee Baseball Operations

The A’s announced Friday that longtime executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane is transitioning into a new role — a senior advisor to managing partner John Fisher. He’ll “work closely with Fisher on strategic decisions,” per the press release, and will also “support the work of baseball operations now headed by general manager David Forst.”

“Billy is and will always be an Athletic,” Fisher said in a statement within today’s press release. “He is a trusted advisor to me and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him on strategic initiatives that impact our Club. This position at the ownership level allows Billy to pursue other non-baseball sporting interests while continuing to hold an important role with the A’s and me. I am also excited for David Forst to now serve as the head of baseball operations, while still continuing his long and successful partnership with Billy.”

Prior to this transition, Beane had been the longest-tenured baseball operations leader in the sport, having ascended to the post of general manager back in 1997. (That distinction now falls to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who’s been running baseball ops in the Bronx since 1998.) Though Beane’s Athletics have never won a World Series, they’ve been a remarkably competitive club over the years in spite of working under some of the most stringent payroll restrictions in the game.

AFL performances impacting rankings: Pipeline Inbox

Given that he was a Top 100 Prospect before his health issues, does Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad’s solid 2022 season and great AFL performance get him back into the Top 100 conversation?—Chris W., Harrisburg, Pa.

I always caution about reading too much into Fall League performance because it’s a small sample and the hitters are significantly better than the pitchers. In Kjerstad’s case, I’ll make an exception. Because he came down with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, he didn’t make his pro debut until two years after the Orioles made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Kjerstad faced better arms than he ever had before in the AFL and won MVP honors while hitting .357/.385/.622 and leading the developmental circuit in hits (35), doubles (nine), extra-base hits (15) and total bases (61). He offers big left-handed power and while his K/BB ratio was 31/5 in 104 plate appearances, scouts believe that didn’t reflect any flaws with his swing or pitch recognition. He’s not afraid to fall behind in the count while zeroing in on specific pitches and zones early in at-bats, and he can make some refinements to that approach.

One evaluator I spoke to thought Kjerstad was the best prospect in the AFL, ahead of even Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, who ranks No. 6 on the Top 100. He was one of the top five prospects in the league and that definitely will put him in the Top 100 conversation when we update the list again in January.

Sisolak, county officials: No tax money for A’s ballpark

Although the Oakland Athletics are looking for public financial assistance if they are to move to Las Vegas and build a MLB ballpark, state and local officials say the appetite to provide that is not there.

Gov. Steve Sisolak, who played a major role in the deal that landed the Raiders $750 million in public funds that went toward the construction of Allegiant Stadium and ultimately landed the Raiders in Las Vegas, said Saturday that type of deal isn’t on the table for the A’s.

The Raiders’ tax deal, a 0.88 percent hotel room tax in Clark County set up to recoup the massive investment, was a one-time thing for pro sports, Sisolak said. With Las Vegas proving to be a thriving major league professional sports market, there isn’t a need to offer additional tax money to other leagues, Sisolak said.

“We (the state) can’t build any more stadiums,” Sisolak said. “We built one, Allegiant, we contributed to one.”

But there are ways officials can sweeten the pot, outside of offering a direct tax toward funding a stadium, Sisolak noted.

‘It’s special, man’: Oakland native Stewart has jersey retired by A’s

As a native of Oakland who grew up in the shadows of the Oakland Coliseum, Dave Stewart vividly recalls the excitement he felt when the A’s moved out west from Kansas City in 1968.

Stewart immediately became a regular at the Coliseum, with the seats down the right-field line his preferred spot so he and his cousins could get a glimpse of Reggie Jackson. With the Swingin’ A’s dynasty that captured three straight World Series titles from 1972-74 forming over the next few years, Stewart developed an affinity for the likes of Bert Campaneris, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers.

“Every time I walk into that ballpark, I can replay different things on a given day,” Stewart said. “I remember when I was a little kid and Reggie was in right field with his back to the infield looking at me and my cousins collecting baseballs in the right-field seats. I remember when the A’s came to town and the first player I met was Ramón Webster. I remember ‘Campy’ Campaneris running around the bases and looking like he never touched the ground because his feet were so quick.”

Little did a teenage Stewart know that one day he’d be immortalized at that same stadium alongside those same legends he idolized. After living out a childhood dream by playing eight of his 16 seasons with the green and gold, Stewart had his jersey No. 34 retired before Sunday’s game against the White Sox. He became the sixth A’s player to have his number retired, and the first since Rickey Henderson—one of Stewart’s closest friends while growing up in Oakland—in 2009.

Athletics release Andrus in final year of $120M deal

The Oakland Athletics continued to reshape their roster amidst a dismal season, as they released veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus, the team announced.

Andrus, who turns 34 next week, is earning $14 million this year, the final guaranteed season of his $120-million contract originally signed in 2015.

Infielder Sheldon Neuse was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding roster move.

A’s Promote Shea Langeliers, Release Stephen Piscotty

The A’s announced they’ve selected the contract of top catching prospect Shea Langeliers. The club also recalled infielder David MacKinnon from Triple-A Las Vegas, placed center fielder Ramón Laureano on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 15, with a left oblique strain and released right fielder Stephen Piscotty.

It’s a notable shakeup for the A’s, who’ll get their first look at a player they hope to be a key piece of the future. Langeliers was one of four players Oakland received from the Braves in the Matt Olson trade this spring. Arguably the headliner of the deal, the righty-hitting backstop is regarded by most prospect evaluators as a potential above-average regular behind the dish.

The ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Langeliers has spent the past three years progressing up the minor league ladder.

Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino traded to Yankees (source)

The Yankees made another big splash ahead of the Trade Deadline, acquiring starter Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino from the Athletics, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Monday. The clubs have not confirmed the news.

The A’s return included a quartet of Yankees top prospects: left-handers Ken Waldichuk (New York’s No. 5 prospect/No. 70 overall) and JP Sears (No. 20), right-hander Luis Medina (No. 10) and second baseman Cooper Bowman (No. 21), according to Feinsand.

Source: A’s interested in Manny Ramirez

Just BillybeingBilly.

The Oakland Athletics are “very interested” in making Manny Ramirez their designated hitter next season, a source told ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com.

Ramirez, 39, has been working out in Miami since December and has plans to have open workout sessions for clubs interested in his services at the end of January.

Last week, ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reported that the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays had a look at Ramirez batting in an indoor cage.

“The Orioles and Blue Jays saw Manny work and Baltimore liked what it saw, but Oakland has been the team that has expressed the most interest, even before having him work out,” the source said.

Ramirez, a .312 lifetime hitter with 555 home runs and 1,831 career RBIs over 19 seasons, was reinstated by Major League Baseball from the “voluntarily retired” list after the Dominican player opted to leave the game instead of serving a second suspension for violating the league’s banned substances policy in 2011 while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Camden Depot: Rick Peterson Breaks Fewer Pitchers?

Jon Shepherd takes a first look at Rick Peterson’s record in keeping pitchers off the disabled list.

Rick Peterson and his pitching lab will apparently be in full effect for the Orioles in 2012.  His analytical technique has been hailed as a major prevention tool against injuries.  I have disabled list numbers of starting pitchers from part of his tenure with the A’s and all of his tenure with the Mets, giving us a time line from 2001 to 2007.  I also have disabled numbers of Orioles’ starting pitchers in 2009 and 2010.

Jonny Gomes to Sign with A’s

The Oakland Athletics are poised to sign Jonny Gomes, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser points out that he’s a local favorite set to join the club after Billy Beane indicated after the Seth Smith trade that he could be looking for more depth in the outfield.

Gomes, 31, has spent most of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays but was with the Cincinnati Reds for a couple seasons and then spent part of 2011 in DC. He’s never been an especially good hitter (being kind to the guy with the mohawk, ok?) but does have a little pop, with a career line of .242 / .329 / .451. If you’re playing at home, think Adam Dunn without the walks.

Thanks to Ferg.

Orlando Cabrera To Retire From Baseball

OH NO, EXPO!

Last season, Orlando Cabrera batted .238 with the Indians and Giants, posting a 61 OPS+. The season before that, he posted a 76 OPS+. The season before that, he posted an 85 OPS+. Orlando Cabrera has been declining, and just turned 37 years old. As a free agent, Cabrera didn’t drum up much interest, which I’m guessing is why he’s intending to hang ‘em up. Enrique Rojas:

  “Orlando Cabrera to retire from baseball, he said in Colombia radio station. Thanks for memories!”

Cabrera had a long career that’ll be difficult to forget. He debuted with the Expos in 1997, and remained there until the giant Nomar Garciaparra three-way trade in 2004. That year, with the Red Sox, Cabrera won a World Series. He wound up with the Angels, earning the unfortunate nickname “The Wizard of O.C.”, and then he wound up with the White Sox, and the A’s, and the Twins, and the Reds, and the Indians, and the Giants ... He remained a shortstop to the end, and collected 2,055 hits. He will always be remembered as a pest. An absolute pest.

A’s trade Moscoso, Outman for Seth Smith

#### THE GOLDEN GLOBES!

Billy Beane’s Oakland A’s continued their extreme offseason makeover Monday with yet another trade. This time Beane shipped pitchers Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso to the Rockies for outfielder Seth Smith—who has been involved in trade rumors throughout the offseason.

Smith, 29, has served mostly as a fourth outfielder type for the Rockies since 2008, but he got a career high 533 plate appearances last season. He hit .284/.347/.483 with 15 homers, 32 doubles and 10 stolen bases. He hasn’t played center field since 2008, so he’s best used as a corner outfielder. He’ll likely be the starter in left field with Coco Crisp in center and Josh Reddick in right. Of course, prospect Michael Taylor is going to figure in the mix at some point.

One item of note: Smith’s career splits indicate he was hugely helped by Coors Field. He’s hit .296/.366/.559 at home and .257/.332/.418 on the road. And Oakland plays in one of the worst hitters’ parks in the majors.

Moscoso, 28, was 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 128 innings last season. Outman, 27, was 3-5 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. And, again, we’ll note that these two pitchers are going from having a very pitcher-friendly home park to one of the most hitter-friendly yards in the bigs.

Oakland manager Melvin excited about Japan series

The Athletics and Seattle Mariners open the regular season with a two-game series at Tokyo Dome on March 28-29. Many hoped the series would feature a showdown between Matsui and countryman Ichiro Suzuki, but Melvin said the A’s likely wont be re-signing the 37-year-old free agent Matsui.

“Matsui was a great fit for us last year and we all loved having him on our team,’’ Melvin said at a press conference on Monday to promote the series. “But this year it doesn’t look like a fit for us based on the personnel we have going forward.’‘

...Suzuki also had a down season in 2011. For the first time in his career, He failed to reach 200 hits - finishing with 184 - and hit a career-worst .272. Other numbers were lower too, including on-base percentage, infield hits and home runs, while he struck out a career-high 69 times.

Former Seattle star Ken Griffey Jr., who now serves as a special consultant to the Mariners, said he expects Suzuki to bounce back this season.

“Ichiro is going to be fine, you can ask these two guys (Melvin, Wedge) if a guy had 184 hits they wouldn’t be complaining,’’ Griffey said. “But you are looking at a guy who is a special athlete. He had one hiccup in his career and come this time next year we won’t even be talking about this. He is going to come into this season determined and with a little fire.’‘

Hiccup?...That was a freakin’ Dave McNally tally if ever!

Phil Rogers: Bean-counting GM Beane deserves a better place to work

And furthermore

(bullet) MLB should have a minimum payroll. It would require all teams to at least attempt to be somewhat competitive, and fairness is an issue. For instance, how much of an advantage will the Angels and Rangers have in the wild-card race because they have 19 games each against Oakland?

(bullet) According to Bill James’ projections, the Athletics’ most productive hitter next season will be DH Brandon Allen, with a slash line of .243/.327/.449, 22 home runs and 71 RBIs.

(bullet) Melvin is a major upgrade in the dugout, probably the best manager they’ve had since Tony La Russa (although Art Howe was much better than the movie’s portrayal by Philip Seymour Hoffman suggests).

(bullet) MLB scoffs at Forbes’ projections, but they’re the best available.

(bullet) Wolff is very close to Selig, but so far that does not appear to have gained him any advantages.

(bullitt) There are bad writers and there are good writers - and then there’s Rogers.

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

On DVD: Moneyball’s deleted scenes reveal the numbers game

The deleted scene in question features Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) discussing the team’s relief pitchers with field manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The two butt heads several times in the film, as Beane recommends fielding undervalued, unorthodox players over the objections of the more conservative Howe.

This time he’s singing the praises of Chad Bradford over Mike Magnante. He concludes his own pitch by telling Howe to bring Bradford out of the bullpen no matter what. “If we’re in, let’s say to make it easier on you, any situation. OK? Righty, lefty, two outs, one out, the umpires want to finish the game throwing darts … Bradford!”

It’s no surprise, however, when Howe does the opposite. Magnante promptly gives up a home run, and the crowd boos lustily. Beane then makes a rare (and illegal) trip to the dugout during the game to tell Howe what a costly f-you that was, and adds: “Those boos; they’re for you. Drink up.”

It’s a clever scene, probably cut only because we see so much sniping between Beane and Howe that their animosity is already clear.

Thanks to Nroll.