Oakland Athletics

Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart has submitted a $115 million bid to purchase the city's 50 percent stake in the site of the Oakland Coliseum, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser and Matt Kawahara.

Stewart, an Oakland native, said he plans to redevelop the area, potentially with a new stadium, if the Athletics' plans for a new ballpark at Howard Terminal do not materialize.

The 63-year-old spent eight years with his hometown ballclub over two stints. He helped win the 1989 World Series for the A's while being named series MVP in the process. Now Stewart wants to be a part of the franchise's future.

The city of Oakland confirmed it received Stewart's bid and will begin an "extensive, transparent and public review process."

Regardless if the A's leave for Howard Terminal or remain on the Coliseum site, Stewart wants to make sure the area in East Oakland isn't forgotten in the process.

"To me, the most important thing is for Oakland to keep the A's free and clear—even if they do it at the current stadium site, that's fine with me," Stewart said. "But you still have to do something to improve that area for the residents and make it a more attractive destination. ... I'm just trying to do what I've always tried to do—something good in the area I'm from."

Per the Chronicle:

Now an analyst on their pre- and post-game TV broadcasts, [Stewart] said he has talked with team president Dave Kaval about how the Coliseum site would be used and would be happy to work with the A's. Stewart also said he still views the site as a viable option for a new A's ballpark and he's submitting plans to the city that both do and do not include a stadium there.

The Athletics' lease with the Coliseum ends in 2024, and the team had planned to move to the new, privately financed stadium at Howard Terminal by then, but those plans are far from solid.

In the meantime, Stewart has his own plans for the land on which the Coliseum sits—with or without the A's.

Free-agent shortstop Marcus Semien could be in high demand this offseason as a cheaper alternative at the position compared to next year's class, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The 2021-22 class is a "shortstopalooza," as Passan calls it, with Javier Baez, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Trevor Story all potentially hitting the open market. Teams in need at the position would likely have to pay a heavy price to land one of the big names.

Semien, 30, could give an organization a reliable player this season without breaking the bank.

The veteran's age would likely limit the length of a new deal, especially compared to the younger players in next year's class, while the struggles in 2020 could lower the overall value.

Semien finished last season hitting just .223 with seven home runs in 53 games for the Oakland Athletics.

Despite the question marks, this signing could represent excellent value if he can replicate his past production.

Semien set career highs in 2019 with a .285 batting average, .892 OPS, 33 home runs and 92 RBI. He also played above-average defense at a key position, tallying 12 defensive runs saved in 2019, per Fangraphs.

His 8.9 wins above replacement ranked third in the majors, per Baseball Reference. It was enough to finish third in voting for AL MVP behind only Mike Trout and Alex Bregman.

A team could get a steal in free agency if Semien is able to return to this level in 2021 and beyond.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers are all teams that could be in the market for a shortstop.

The end of an era may be approaching for the Oakland Athletics.

The Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond, Joshua Robinson and Miriam Gottfried reported Billy Beane is expected to assume a prominent role with Fenway Sports Group if the company merges with RedBall Acquisition Corp. 

Beane, the executive vice president of baseball operations for the A's, is a co-chairman for RedBall.

According to the WSJ report, MLB's conflict-of-interest rules wouldn't allow Beane to work for the A's—in addition, he is a minority owner—while having an investment stake in the Red Sox. Leaving Oakland altogether would resolve the situation.

And rather than working for the Red Sox, the 58-year-old "would turn his attention to other sports business ventures, particularly European soccer, an area he has demonstrated a passion for in recent years."

In addition to the Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group owns a controlling stake in reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. 

Assuming this is the end for Beane in the Bay Area, his 30-year run will go down in history. Upon the publication of Moneyball in 2003, Beane became the face of baseball's sabermetric revolution.

Since his ascension as Oakland's general manager in 1997, the franchise made 11 postseason appearances despite failing to have a payroll in the top half of MLB. This season, the Athletics won the AL West with a 36-24 record.

Some will point to the A's only making the American League Championship Series only once as a mark against Beane, and that's a fair critique to some extent. But his influence is evident in how many front offices have used advanced metrics to guide their decision-making.

To some extent, the scope of Beane's impact may not lead to the kind of power vacuum that can arise when a legendary figure leaves a team. The blueprint general manager David Forst uses to continue constructing Oakland's roster probably won't be all that different.

But finding the market inefficiencies and improving around the margins is what the Moneyball strategy was all about. Moneyball never represented one hard and fast strategic approach.

Without Beane's input, continuing to excel in that regard could prove difficult.

The Oakland Athletics won the American League West during the 60-game, COVID-19 pandemic-shortened regular season, but that division crown will mean much less if they are unable to defeat the Houston Astros in the second round of the playoffs.  

"I think there's a little bit of us wanting to prove we're better than them," Oakland relief pitcher Liam Hendriks said, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. "But we also don't want to get petty and let emotions get the best of us. ... We're going to prove we're the best team in the AL West."

Hendriks is one reason Oakland finished seven games ahead of Houston during the regular season considering the right-hander posted a 1.78 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 14 saves and 37 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

The Athletics earned the matchup with a Wild Card Round win over the Chicago White Sox, while the Astros swept the Minnesota Twins.

If it goes anything like the regular season, Oakland will play its way into the American League Championship Series. The division champions were 7-3 against the Astros, helping create the separation that eventually led to the No. 2 seed in the expanded playoffs.

There is also the underlying storyline of the Astros trying to compete without stealing signs and put their scandal behind them every time they lace it up in the postseason. Houston lost its first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and was fined $5 million as a result of Major League Baseball's investigation into the sign-stealing practices that helped it win the 2017 World Series.

Carlos Correa even called out the team's critics when speaking to reporters following the win over the Twins.

There will surely be plenty of baseball fans happy to see the Astros lose as a result of that scandal, and Hendriks sounded like someone happy to make that a reality when preparing for the upcoming series.

The Oakland Athletics are playing their third straight playoff game Thursday at 12 p.m. PT, and the players aren't happy about it.

Reliever Jake Diekman provided his candid thoughts on the start times:

Jake Diekman is NOT happy about the early start times 🤬 https://t.co/x31V3onIAE pic.twitter.com/gDOUJcRTbG

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) October 1, 2020

"I think that's horses--t," he said of the noon start. "I'm sorry, but we're the second seed and we play three noon games in a row, that's terrible."

The Athletics have split the first two games of their three-game wild-card series with the Chicago White Sox.

Oakland earned the No. 2 seed in the American League after tallying a 36-24 record on the season, good for the team's best winning percentage since 2002. However, the squad has been relegated to afternoon matchups while other series play in prime time.

The No. 4 Cleveland Indians and No. 5 New York Yankees—both Eastern time zone teams—played night games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Other West Coast teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres were able to host later games during the opening series.

In the National League, the No. 2 seed Atlanta Braves were also forced to play a noon local time for each of their first two games against the No. 7 Cincinnati Reds.

It's hard to keep everyone happy with 16 teams in action during this first round of the postseason, but the Athletics were clearly hoping for some later games while trying to advance.

The Oakland Athletics forced a Game 3 in the AL Wild Card Series with Wednesday's victory over the Chicago White Sox.

After Lucas Giolito shut down the Athletics lineup in Game 1, Chris Bassitt helped Oakland bounce back in Game 2 with a 5-3 win.

The starter allowed just one run in seven innings, while Marcus Semien and Khris Davis helped provide the offense for the No. 2 seed in the American League.

Chicago nearly overcame the 5-0 deficit against closer Liam Hendriks, putting the potential winning run on base in the ninth inning. However, Jose Abreu grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game.

The win kept the A's season alive and snapped a streak of six straight playoff losses, although the pressure only grows in the decisive Game 3. The franchise has lost its last nine winner-take-all games dating back to 2000, including Wild Card Game losses in each of the last two years.

Chicago hasn't even been in the playoffs since 2008, but the No. 7 seed could have confidence going into the final game of the series.

    

Notable Performances

Chris Bassitt, SP, OAK: 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 1 BB

Marcus Semien, SS, OAK: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Ramon Laureano, CF, OAK: 2-for-4, 1 R

Dallas Keuchel, SP, CHI: 3.1 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 K

Tim Anderson, SS, CHI: 3-for-5, 1 R

Yasmani Grandal, C, CHI: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB

       

Chris Bassitt Helps Athletics Turn Series Around

Jesus Luzardo started Game 1 of the postseason, but Chris Bassitt was the Athletics' ace this season and pitched like it Wednesday.

The 31-year-old didn't have his best stuff in the early going but found a way to get through it without allowing runs:

Bassitt struggling with some command issues but gets through the first three innings scoreless

— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) September 30, 2020

Bassitt showed some real mettle in that third

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) September 30, 2020

He gained confidence as the game progressed and shut down the White Sox lineup:

12 up, 12 down from third through 6th for Chris Bassitt, #Athletics lead 5-0 into bottom 6th

— John Hickey (@JHickey3) September 30, 2020

Genoa HS grad Chris Bassitt is absolutely dealing right now in his first career postseason start. He's thrown 7 shutout innings for the A's.

— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) September 30, 2020

Chris Bassitt has been Oakland’s most consistent starter. And now he has delivered in a huge spot for a franchise that has wilted in elimination games.

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) September 30, 2020

The pitcher also got plenty of help from his defense during the day.

Caught by Canha. 😱 pic.twitter.com/IcHiobzdb9

— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2020

Liam Hendriks struggled out of the bullpen to create a scare in the final two innings, giving potential AL MVP Jose Abreu the chance to win, but Oakland was able to escape with a victory.

The Athletics provided enough help this time around, tallying five runs on seven hits after getting just three hits in Game 1.

The team scraped two runs across in the first inning before long shots by Marcus Semien and Khris Davis helped extend the lead:

The @Athletics came out swinging. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/MtRkDF6JBH

— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2020

KD salute BACK! #RepTheTown pic.twitter.com/3w1a7AMsPG

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 30, 2020

Oakland excelled in all phases of the game, living up to the expectations set after an impressive regular season.

Another performance like this would certainly get the squad into the next round.

    

Costly White Sox Errors Lead to Disappointing Loss

You don't need to be perfect to win in the playoffs, but you have to be close in order to upset one of the best teams in baseball. The White Sox were far from it Wednesday.

Chicago got into an early hole thanks to a two-run error by rookie Nick Madrigal:

The Official Scorer rules: This content is good #RepTheTown pic.twitter.com/dbZZd09rWL

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 30, 2020

Madrigal has to make that play... Down 2-0 early on what I would classify as an error.

— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) September 30, 2020

The second baseman later hurt the team on a mental mistake on the bases:

Madrigal on a straight steal didn’t pick Anderson’s single to right field and didn’t wind up on third, and as a result doesn’t score on Moncada’s drive to the left field wall

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) September 30, 2020

The team didn't get any more help from its veterans, including a surprising bomb from starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel:

Dallas Keuchel just delivered probably the worst postseason start of his career.
Tied a career low going just 3 1/3 innings, and gave up a career-worst 5 runs.
(had only allowed more than 3 runs once in 12 playoff starts)

— Matt Zahn (@mattzahnsports) September 30, 2020

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/1311402423135727624

Keuchel just didn't have it today for the White Sox as he's had it most of the season. Was hurt by an error in the first that let in two runs and allowed two homers after that.

— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) September 30, 2020

Adding an offense that finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and there were few positives for much of the game.

The team at least showed life before the day ended, including a two-run shot from Yasmani Grandal:

Keep battling. pic.twitter.com/gKm1T52vv3

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 30, 2020

A push in the ninth inning appeared enough to come through with the shocking win, but the squad fell short.

The White Sox likely learned they need to be sharper throughout all nine innings next time out in order to advance. 

      

What's Next?

The two teams will meet at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday for Game 3. Neither side has announced a starter, but it will likely be all hands on deck to avoid elimination.

The Oakland Athletics are the American League West champions for the first time since the 2013 campaign.

Crown the Town as the best of the American League West.#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/Gj3kQYMRYg

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 22, 2020

Oakland did not play Monday but still clinched its division crown thanks to the Seattle Mariners' 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros. Houston won the AL West in each of the last three years and reached two World Series during that span, winning one.

While it was fair to view the Astros as favorites coming into the season given their recent run of success, they were also under the microscope given their cheating scandal that dominated baseball headlines last offseason.

It's not as if the Athletics came out of nowhere, either, as they went 97-65 in 2018 and 2019 while reaching the playoffs as a wild-card team. However, they lost the American League Wild Card both times and have not won a playoff series since the 2006 campaign.

The next step would be winning in the postseason, and the Athletics have the personnel in place to perhaps do just that.

Matt Olson is seventh in the American League in both home runs (14) and RBI (42), while players such as Ramon Laureano, Mark Canha, Tommy La Stella and Marcus Semien provide important lineup depth and can come through in pressure-packed situations.

Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt and Jesus Luzardo will be a difficult trio of pitchers for opposing teams to deal with in the playoffs, and Liam Hendriks has been excellent as the anchor of the bullpen and someone who can shorten games in the upcoming series.

The Athletics also have time to potentially set their rotation since they clinched with more than a week remaining in the regular season, although they are competing with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox for seeding atop the American League.

The Oakland Athletics have clinched a spot in the 2020 MLB playoffs following the Seattle Mariners' 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday night. 

For the 3rd straight year, the @Athletics are headed to the #postseason! #CLINCHED pic.twitter.com/PUt5s1csiA

— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2020

The A's are in line to win their first American League West title since 2013. They hold a seven game lead on the Houston Astros following Friday's win over the San Francisco Giants. 

Oakland has reached the postseason in each of the last two years, losing in the wild-card game. 

MLB lowered the bar for entry in this year's playoffs, with eight teams from each league moving on. As a result, the wild-card game is giving way to its own separate round.

Despite Oakland's success to this point, its pitching will be under the microscope come playoff time. As things stand, the A's are 16th in ERA (4.57) and 15th in FIP (4.40), per FanGraphs.

The rotation's collective FIP speaks to a unit that is solid but may not have a bona-fide ace.

Frankie Montas has fallen short of expectations and endured a brutal end to August, allowing 18 earned runs over 9.2 innings. Sean Manaea boasts a 4.50 ERA, which is skewed by a .322 opponent batting average on balls in play, per FanGraphs. Chris Bassitt and Jesus Luzardo have both been very good, but Luzardo's three innings in the 2019 wild-card game are the entirety of their playoff experience.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported ahead of the trade deadline the A's were expected to add a starting pitcher, with the team eventually acquiring Mike Minor from the Texas Rangers. 

Minor's performance has dipped significantly compared to his 2019 production (14-10, 3.59 ERA and 200 strikeouts), which was good enough to earn his first All-Star nod. The veteran southpaw might not make a big impact when the postseason rolls around.

The Athletics have a strong bullpen led by Liam Hendriks, Jake Diekman, J.B. Wendelken and Yusmeiro Petit. Getting into a position where the relievers have a lead to protect could be the issue.

Oakland Athletics star Matt Chapman will miss the rest of the 2020 season because of a hip injury. 

The A's announced that Chapman has been placed on the 10-day injured list and will undergo surgery Monday. 

Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the surgery will keep Chapman out for the remainder of the year. 

Chapman left Oakland's 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sept. 6 in the fifth inning after attempting to field a ground ball from Jurickson Profar. 

A's manager Bob Melvin told reporters Chapman suffered a right hip strain, but the hip had been "bothering him some" leading into the game. 

Chapman finished in the top 10 in American League MVP voting and won the Gold Glove at third base in each of the past two seasons. He put up a .263/.348/.507 slash line with 60 homers and 159 RBI in 301 games from 2018-19. 

This season has been a struggle for Chapman. He was hitting .232/.276/.535 with 10 homers and 25 RBI in 37 games before the injury. 

Rookie Vimael Machin will likely serve as Oakland's full-time third baseman for the remainder of this season. 

The Athletics (28-15) are percentage points ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays (29-16) for the AL's best record. They have a seven-game lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West with 17 games remaining. 

The Oakland Athletics will resume their season on Friday against the San Diego Padres, the club announced Thursday:

A’s to resume play on Friday vs. San Diego. pic.twitter.com/igrhgCWIO9

— A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) September 3, 2020

Oakland's season has been on hold since a member of the organization tested positive for COVID-19 on August 28. Three games were postponed against the Seattle Mariners and will be made up as part of two doubleheaders on September 14 and September 26, while a makeup game against the Houston Astros has been rescheduled as a doubleheader on September 8.

All tests taken by the rest of Oakland's traveling party since the initial positive result last week have been negative.

The A's remain first in the American League West by two games despite the layoff. Whether or not they can quickly return to their winning ways remains to be seen. 

At 22-12 and with a plus-36 run difference, Oakland has been one of the more dominant teams this season and only grew stronger ahead of the August 31 trade deadline. The A's added both infielder Tommy La Stella from the Los Angeles Angels and pitcher Mike Minor from the Texas Rangers. 

La Stella has yet to take the field for Oakland since being acquired on August 28—the same day a member of the A's tested positive. 

No starter has been named for Oakland on Friday as of Thursday afternoon. Right-hander Zach Davies is expected to take the mound for a San Diego team with one of the most potent offenses in baseball. If the A's are going to pull of a series victory, they'll need to show their bats haven't cooled off during the delay.