Oakland Athletics

The Cincinnati Reds have traded veteran right-hander Tanner Roark to the Oakland Athletics, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, minor league center fielder Jameson Hannah is going to Cincinnati.

Roark is 6-7 with a 4.20 FIP in 21 appearances this season, per FanGraphs. The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans detailed the moment he learned of the trade:

Tanner Roark learned of his trade in an @arbys parking lot. He wanted a beef and cheddar (and curly fries). He was driving to Atlanta, where he lives in the off-season. @JonHeyman approves. He will not be driving to Oakland

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) July 31, 2019

The move comes on the same day the Reds confirmed they acquired Trevor Bauer from the Cleveland Indians. Bauer's arrival likely allowed the Reds to feel more comfortable trading Roark, a free agent at the end of the season. What is now the team's starting rotation is all under team control for 2020.

Roark finished 10th in the National League Cy Young voting in 2016. Since then, his performance has steadily declined. Although he's averaging a career-high 8.81 strikeouts per nine innings, he's offsetting that with a 3.10 walk rate.

The A's can still count on Roark to be a good back-of-the-rotation starter, which is largely the limit to which anybody could've expected them to improve their pitching staff.

https://twitter.com/DevanFink/status/1156635648394235904

Based on his contract, Roark was always unlikely to see out the entire 2019 season in Cincinnati. The Reds turned him into a 21-year-old outfielder whom MLB.com ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the A's minor league system.

Jameson Hannah an interesting get for the Reds. Three tools that flash plus (hit, run, glove). Question is the power.

— Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB) July 31, 2019

Hannah has spent the season in High-A, batting .283 with two home runs, 31 RBI and six stolen bases.

By getting Bauer, the Reds appear to be positioning themselves to contend in 2020. Trading Roark doesn't disrupt that plan while simultaneously adding a young player who might join the major league lineup in a few years.

What do Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman have in common?

For starters, they're alumni from the same infield at El Toro High School and have both since matured into outstanding major league third basemen. The key differences are that Arenado's star shines brighter and, oh yeah, he's about $260 million richer.

But just wait. In a few years' time, those differences should gradually become commonalities.

Things have already changed for Chapman since B/R praised him last August as the biggest Major League Baseball star nobody knew about. Following his second season with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, he earned his first Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove as the American League's finest defender.

The 26-year-old's fame is escalating even further in 2019. He was under the bright lights just a few weeks ago as a first-time participant in both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

The fly in the proverbial ointment is that Chapman didn't get his ticket to Cleveland from the fans. Heck, he didn't even make it to the final round of voting for the AL's starting third base gig. Alex Bregman won that handily, leaving Chapman to make the roster as a reserve.

As far as travesties go, baseball fans wanting to see Bregman—who has talent and charisma in spades—over Chapman is minor. But in retrospect, it's worthy of a good ol' fashioned finger-wagging.

According to Baseball Reference's wins above replacement, the only American Leaguer having a better season than Chapman in 2019 is some MVP-sounding dude named Mike Trout:

• 1. Mike Trout: 6.7 WAR
• 2. Matt Chapman: 5.1 WAR

Chapman's status as a god of WAR isn't just a one-year thing. Go back to 2017, and he slots in behind only Trout and some other MVP-sounding dude named Mookie Betts:

• 1. Mike Trout: 23.4 WAR
• 2. Mookie Betts: 21.7 WAR
• 3. Matt Chapman: 16.8 WAR

Even Arenado—who's probably on his way to a fifth straight season with an All-Star nod, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger—didn't start as strong through his first three seasons with the Colorado Rockies as Chapman has with the A's. And this time last year, he couldn't help but to concede to his former high school teammate:

Nolan Arenado is full of praise for former HS teammate Matt Chapman, says, “He’s probably better than me now.”

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 27, 2018

If nothing else, Chapman has already surpassed Arenado with his glovework at the hot corner.

Chapman's 61 defensive runs saved since 2017 are tops among third basemen by a healthy 29 over Arenado. To boot, they also tie him with defensive-whiz shortstop Andrelton Simmons for second among all defenders.

Yet perhaps more so than any other defender in baseball today, it seems pointless to illustrate Chapman's defensive prowess with numbers. They just don't underscore his wide range, soft hands and downright unparalleled arm strength as well as the video:

So far in 2019, Chapman is doing his usual thing to the tune of a third-base-best 13 defensive runs saved.

Never mind just Arenado. At this rate, Chapman might as well be looped into the same defensive conversation as Brooks Robinson and Adrian Beltre.

Then again, this is where Chapman isn't so much defying expectations as he is living up to them. He was always built up as a practitioner of magic as he was coming up through Oakland's farm system. The big question was how much he would hit once he reached The Show.

To wit, the book on him for Baseball America (subscription required) going into the 2017 season noted "he'll strike out a lot and is a below-average hitter."

Yet Chapman was an above-average hitter right away with a .785 OPS and 14 home runs in his first 84 games with the A's. He then got better with an .864 OPS and 24 homers in 2018, and he's now up to an .882 OPS and 23 homers in 2019.

Chapman demonstrated an ability to draw walks from the get-go, but it's taken until this year for him to finally get his strikeout rate below the MLB average. As he told Ben Ross of NBC Sports California, the difference is all in his discipline.

"For me, it really is pitch selection and making sure I'm hunting the pitches I'm looking for. I used to let a certain pitch get me off of my plan or let the situation or count change my approach. I would try to do too much. I feel like I've gotten better at being more disciplined to stay in my zone and use my strengths."

Chapman's enhanced discipline can be traced to an increasing rate of swings at pitches in the "heart" of the strike zone. He also doesn't chase off-speed and breaking junk like he did as a rookie in 2017:

While speaking with Ross, A's manager Bob Melvin pointed to something even more specific as a reason for Chapman's ongoing offensive surge: "He knows where that outside corner is now."

He does indeed. Over the last three years, the right-handed swinger's slugging percentage against pitches on and beyond the outside edge of the zone has gone from .314 to .353 to .471.

As Chapman's spray chart against those pitches demonstrates, that improvement is the driving force behind still another improvement he's made in 2019. He entered this season with two career home runs to the opposite field. He now has 10, including his Make-A-Wish shot from Saturday:

The @Athletics signed 8-year-old August Wold to a 1-day contract today.

He predicted a Matt Chapman HR tonight. He was right. pic.twitter.com/ELTKVy5GBr

— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2019

Ultimately, there isn't much that Chapman can't do right now. He gives the A's a sturdy linchpin at the center of their quest for a second straight postseason.

The elephant in the room (no, not that one) concerns just how long the A's can keep Chapman. They've enjoyed him for the league minimum through his first three seasons. But starting in 2021, he'll become a multimillionaire many times over in three trips through arbitration.

Barring a massive influx of cash—perhaps by way of an oft-dreamed-about yet elusive new stadium—the A's may have to give Chapman the Josh Donaldson treatment and trade him before he weighs too heavily on their books.

Such an event could be beneficial to Chapman. Were he to land with a deeper-pocketed team, he would have a much better shot at signing a big-money extension in the mold of Arenado's $260 million contract. If not, perhaps the upcoming collective bargaining storm will make it easier for him to attain such a deal in free agency after 2023.

In the meantime, all Chapman has to do is keep shining in the field and in the batter's box. The more he does that, the more he'll pave his path to a proper payday.

                            

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The Oakland Athletics bolstered their bullpen Saturday, agreeing to trade for Kansas City Royals left-hander Jake Diekman.

The A's sent outfield prospect Dairon Blanco and right-handed pitching prospect Ismael Aquino to Kansas City.

Diekman, 32, is 0-6 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 48 appearances. He's had a string of strong performances of late, giving up only one run in his last six appearances, and has struck out 63 batters in 41.2 innings.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals were among the teams to reportedly express interest.

Kansas City traded Homer Bailey to Oakland earlier this month, as the two sides have become strong trade partners. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the A's are expected to remain active this week looking for a starting pitcher. The New York Mets' Zack Wheeler and Cincinnati Reds' Tanner Roark are reportedly among their targets.

Oakland is second in the AL West with a 58-47 record but has lost five of its last six games. The A's are half a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the second wild-card spot in the AL and should battle with Tampa and the Boston Red Sox down the stretch for the berth.

Adding another starting pitcher would help the cause, as the A's rank just 13th in starter ERA. Diekman will give them one of the better bullpens in baseball and a necessary left-handed power arm. He joins a hard-throwing quartet in the back half that includes Blake Treinen, Liam Hendriks and Lou Trivino.

The A's and Diekman have a mutual option for 2020 on his contract.

The Kansas City Royals have reportedly moved on from pitcher Homer Bailey.

On Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Royals traded the right-handed starter to the Oakland Athletics. Passan pointed out Bailey is making the league minimum, which means his new team will have to pay him just $250,000 for the remainder of the campaign. 

Bailey spent the first 12 seasons of his career on the Cincinnati Reds but signed a minor league deal with the Royals this past offseason. The deal included an invitation to spring training, and he showed enough to earn a spot in the starting rotation.

He has a 4.80 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 90 innings this season, which is a marked improvement from the end of his tenure with the Reds. He sported an ERA north of 6.00 in each of his final three seasons with Cincinnati and hasn't finished with an ERA below 5.56 since the 2014 campaign.

Bailey never fully lived up to expectations after entering the league as a highly regarded pitcher, but he does have three seasons with an ERA below 4.00 in his career, two no-hitters and is still just 33 years old.

He has also pitched well of late, allowing two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts.

Oakland will now turn its attention toward a playoff push with additional pitching depth following this trade. It is six games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the race for the second wild card.

Bailey also provides further injury insurance to the pitching staff as Sean Manaea and Jharel Cotton work their way back from injuries.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas has been suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug and Prevention and Treatment Program after testing positive for Ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced the decision Friday (h/t MLB.com reporter William Boor).

Montas apologized in a statement Friday and said that he did not intend to take Ostarine:

"I am deeply saddened to confirm that MLB recently notified me that I tested positive for Ostarine, a prohibited substance under MLB's Joint Drug Agreement. While I never intended to take any prohibited substance, I unfortunately and unknowingly ingested a contaminated supplement that I had purchased over-the-counter at a nutrition store here in the United States. That said, I respect MLB rules and understand my responsibilities under the Joint Drug Agreement, and accept full responsibility. I sincerely apologize to the A's organization, the fans, my teammates, and my family for this mistake. My hope is to be able to return to the A's later this season and contribute as best I can."

The Athletics also released a statement:

Statement regarding Frankie Montas suspension:

The A’s were disappointed upon learning of this suspension. We fully support MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and we will welcome Frankie back after the discipline has been served.

— A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) June 21, 2019

Montas, 26, is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts this season. He's struck out 97 batters in 90 innings alongside a 1.12 WHIP.

The Athletics ace was cruising through his last four starts, going 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA. He pitched eight innings of one-run ball alongside nine strikeouts Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The suspension comes at an unfortunate time for the 40-36 Athletics, who are one game behind the Boston Red Sox for the final American League wild-card spot.

The Athletics starting rotation has been hit-or-miss this season outside his efforts. No Athletics starter minus Montas has a FIP mark (Fielding Independent Pitching) under 4.32, per Baseball Reference. The league average among starters is 4.42, per FanGraphs.

Montas would be eligible to return with six games left in the regular season, but he will not be allowed to participate in the postseason should the A's get that far.

Per the National Cancer Institute, Ostarine (or enobosarm) is defined as "a non-steroidal agent with anabolic activity":

"Enobosarm is designed to work like testosterone, thus promoting and/or maintaining libido, fertility, prostate growth, and muscle growth and strength. Mimicking testosterone's action, this agent may increase lean body mass, thereby ameliorating muscle wasting in the hypermetabolic state of cancer cachexia."

The Athletics have time to figure out who will take Montas' spot in the rotation, as he wasn't scheduled to pitch until Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Longer-term, this is a tough blow for a team that is fighting for a playoff spot.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty is recovering after having surgery to remove melanoma from his right ear.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the A's expect Piscotty to miss at least one week while awaiting additional information from his pathology report. 

Per the team's official statement, Dr. Joseph Chao identified a suspicious mole on Piscotty during a routine spot check. 

Dr. Brian Parrett performed the surgery Thursday, and the melanoma was excised in its entirety. 

Per SkinCancer.org, it's estimated 192,310 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed this year in the United States. Out of that total, 95,830 will likely be confined to the top layer of the skin and won't require invasive surgery. 

Piscotty is in his second season with the A's after being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in December 2017. The 28-year-old is hitting .250/.314/.400 with eight homers in 65 games.

Don't sleep on the Oakland A's offense. The A's are among the American League leaders in multiple offensive categories, led by AL home run leader Khris Davis. Watch the video above for all of the statistics. 

   

Connect to the stories, teams, athletes and highlights that make the game more than a game.

Speaking of the game, it's time to take your sports knowledge to the next level! Download the free Bleacher Report app to catch all the moments that matter in one place. Get the app to get the game.

The Oakland Athletics and designated hitter Khris Davis reached an agreement Thursday on a two-year contract extension.

Keep Khrushing.

Khris Davis remains "Rooted In Oakland" with a contract extension through the 2021 season. #RootedInOaklandhttps://t.co/se7xyQFUn7 pic.twitter.com/2BAJnOs9GR

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 18, 2019

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the deal is worth $33.5 million.

Davis joined the A's in a February 2016 trade after three years with the Milwaukee Brewers and immediately became one of MLB's most dangerous sluggers. He hit 133 home runs over the last three seasons.

He posted a .247/.326/.549 triple-slash line with 48 homers across 151 games in 2018. It marked the fourth straight season he finished with a .247 batting average—an incredible statistical oddity.

"I know he's going to hit .247 next year," A's executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane jokingly told reporters in October. "We can count on that consistency. We also know he's going to hit 40 home runs. I'm a big fan of the home run."

The 31-year-old California native signed a one-year, $16.5 million contract with Oakland in January to avoid arbitration and could have become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Last April, the former Cal State Fullerton standout expressed interest in remaining with the A's.

"I want to be an Oakland Athletic," Davis told reporters. "I think I fit in well here. I like the organization, I like the coaching staff, I like my teammates."

While Davis is a major threat at the plate, he was mostly restricted to DH work in 2018 because of his past struggles in the field. He posted minus-13 defensive runs saved in 2017, according to FanGraphs.

That said, he'll remain a key cog in the middle of the Oakland order for the foreseeable future.

The Houston Astros aren't invincible after all.

Houston had its 10-game winning streak that included sweeps of the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners come to an end Wednesday when it lost 2-1 to the A's at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Matt Chapman proved to be the difference when he launched a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to put the home team up for good.

Marching to the beat of our own 🥁

FINAL: #Athletics 2, Astros 1! #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/Jb30y6WN5G

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 18, 2019

Matt Chapman: E-L-I-T-E#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/FDzRLHqOpW

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 18, 2019

Oakland started the scoring in the second inning when Jurickson Profar drove in Mark Canha with an RBI double, although the Astros battled back to tie the game in the sixth with an RBI single from Michael Brantley.

The Athletics' pitching was ultimately too much for the visitors, as starter Frankie Montas allowed the single run and three hits with six strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Lou Trivino (1.2 innings and three strikeouts) and Blake Treinen closed the door from there, with the latter escaping a jam in the ninth inning with a strikeout of Robinson Chirinos to end the game.

Blake reached back and brought the 🔥 to end it! #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/nLGgesQPEn

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 18, 2019

While it's a bit early in the season to be watching the standings, the Athletics will need plenty of head-to-head wins over the Astros to contend in the American League West after they reached the postseason as a wild card last year.

Houston won the division the last two years and sports a 2.5-game lead over the fourth-place Athletics in the early going this season.

After losing two players to injuries following their trip to Japan, the Oakland Athletics acquired Kendrys Morales on the eve of Opening Day.

The A's announced they acquired Morales from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league infielder Jesus Lopez.

The A's will be without first baseman Matt Olson for an unspecified period of time after he had surgery to excise a broken hamate bone in his right hand.

Passan noted Morales will likely fill in with Olson out of action, either as the full-time first baseman or as part of a platoon with Mark Canha playing against left-handed pitching.

Oakland also lost top pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo for four to six weeks with a strained rotator cuff.

This is also good news for Blue Jays fans clamoring to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Even though he won't start the season in the big leagues because of an oblique injury, manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters his star prospect is ahead of schedule in his recovery.

With Morales out of the picture, the Blue Jays will have an opening at designated hitter. Guerrero figures to be in Toronto at some point this season after hitting .381/.437/.636 in 95 games across four levels last season.

Morales could be in Oakland's starting lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.