MLB Trade Rumors: Luis Castillo, Frankie Montas 'Almost Certainly' Will Be Dealt
Jul 27, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 14: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas are reportedly the most likely star-level pitchers to be dealt ahead of the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported both pitchers will "almost certainly" be traded before the Aug. 2 cutoff date.
Castillo is fresh off his second All-Star appearance but has not been able to prop up a Reds team that's sitting at 37-59. He is 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season, striking out 82 batters in 78 innings.
Montas has been mentioned in trade rumors dating back to the winter as the Athletics engage in yet another roster teardown. The righty is 4-9 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings for the 37-63 A's.
Both pitchers are under team control through the 2023 season. That will make them attractive to opposing teams, given they should get at least a season-plus of work before they hit free agency.
The number of teams looking for starting pitching help at the deadline is anything but small. The New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres are all reportedly among that group.
Each of the teams mentioned has a legitimate shot at winning a World Series if things break right. Adding an All-Star-caliber pitcher to their rotation will go a long way toward making that October dream come true.
Expect a bit of a bidding war as the deadline approaches.
No matter if a team is buying, selling or somewhere in between at the MLB trade deadline, each one has something to look forward to in the back half of the...
MLB's Rob Manfred: Athletics' New Oakland Stadium Deal 'Needs to Happen Now'
Jul 19, 2022
OAKLAND, CA - JULY 10: Nick Allen #2 of the Oakland Athletics fields during the game against the Houston Astros at RingCentral Coliseum on July 10, 2022 in Oakland, California. The Astros defeated the Athletics 6-1. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters Tuesday that approval for the Howard Terminal Project, which would include a new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics, "needs to happen now" and "needs to be done."
"The condition of the Coliseum is a really serious problem for us," Manfred said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "It is not a major league-quality facility at this point.''
Per Barry M. Bloom of Sportico, an Oakland City Council vote on the project is pending, as is "the shelf life" of the Coliseum.
Per the City of Oakland website, the proposed project would include a 35,000-seat stadium, a 3,500-seat performance venue, up to 3,000 residential units, a hotel with 400 rooms and 1.8 million square feet of commercial development. It would be located at the "Port of Oakland along the Inner Harbor of the Oakland-Alameda Estuary."
The A's are considering a move to Las Vegas a la the NFL's Raiders, who left Oakland in 2020. In May, team president David Kaval said that stadium talks with Oakland and Las Vegas were on "parallel paths," per Kevin Bolinger of Fox5 Vegas.
There have been a few steps of late for the A's to remain in Oakland, though.
The next week, the Oakland City Council voted down a measure that would have put the project up for a public referendum, per Casey Harrison of the Las Vegas Sun.
"[Going to a public vote] could doom our efforts in Oakland," Kaval said, per Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
That won't be an issue, however, and there appears to be momentum for the A's to stay in Oakland.
The Athletics have called the city home since 1968 and have played at the Coliseum the entire time. Prior to their California move, they played in Philadelphia (1901-54) and Kansas City (1955-67).
A's SP Paul Blackburn Caught Ride on Astros' Charter Plane to 2022 MLB All-Star Game
Jul 19, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 18: Paul Blackburn #58 of the Oakland Athletics speaks with the media during the American League Media Availability at Dodger Stadium on Monday, July 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
It turns out even bitter rivals can throw away the competitiveness ahead of the MLB All-Star Game.
Oakland Athletics pitcher Paul Blackburn revealed the Houston Astros had him fly on their charter plane to Los Angeles after he was originally supposed to be on a commercial flight.
"It's awesome. It shows that, within baseball, it's kind of like a brotherhood," Blackburn said, per Mark Berman of Fox26. "Everyone respects each other and tries to help each other out. I'm greatly appreciative for their organization and letting me tag along over here."
.@Athletics All-Star pitcher Paul Blackburn was set to fly commercial from Houston to LA. The Astros found out & offered him a ride on their charter: “It shows within Baseball it’s like a brotherhood. Everyone respects each other..I’m greatly appreciative of their organization” pic.twitter.com/uH5ejNLL87
Blackburn was the A's lone All-Star representative, hence his non-charter flight arrangement. The righty is 6-5 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season, striking out 77 batters in 97 innings. While Blackburn said he was a little "uncomfortable" initially, the awkwardness soon subsided.
"It was fun. I felt like they made me feel very welcomed and comfortable," Blackburn said. "We had some good conversations and good laughs. It was a good time."
It may or may not have helped from the Astros' perspective that they're 2-0 against Blackburn this season.
MLB Futures Game 2022 Results: Shea Langeliers Wins MVP as AL Beats NL
Jul 17, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 16: Shea Langeliers #33 of the American League celebrates his solo home run in the fourth inning during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game against the National League at Dodger Stadium on July 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Jasson Dominguez (New York Yankees), Matt Wallner (Minnesota Twins) and MVP Shea Langeliers (Oakland Athletics) powered the American League to a 6-4 victory over the National League in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Dominguez's day started out looking rough when he dropped a routine fly ball in center field that allowed two runs to score for the NL in the bottom of the second. The 19-year-old made up for it in the top of the third with a two-run homer off San Francisco Giants right-hander Kyle Harrison.
Saturday capped off a memorable week for Dominguez. The Dominican star also found out he was being promoted to the Yankees' High-A affiliate in Hudson Valley.
Dominguez has been on the radar of Yankees fans since he signed with the organization as an international free agent in 2019. He was given a franchise-record $5.1 million signing bonus as a July 2 signee.
He earned his promotion to High-A after posting a .265/.373/.440 slash line with nine homers, 36 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 75 games for the Tampa Tarpons.
Three batters after Dominguez's moon shot, Wallner hit a scorching liner over the fence in right field off Harrison to put the AL on top.
The AL added to its run total in the fourth inning when Langeliers, who was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in March as part of the Matt Olson trade, hit a solo shot off Jared Shuster.
Langeliers and Shuster, who was Atlanta's top draft pick in 2020 (No. 25 overall), spent time together as teammates in Double-A last season. The 24-year-old was named MVP of the game after going 1-for-2 and throwing out Corbin Carroll trying to steal third base.
Jared Shuster just gave up a homer to Shea Langeliers in the Futures Game. Sometimes the universe is a little too on the nose.
In defeat, the most impressive play of the game belonged to St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn. The 20-year-old one-upped Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Oneil Cruz with his velocity on a throw to first base to get Yainer Diaz in the top of the second.
On Thursday, Cruz set a Statcast record with a 97.8 mph throw on an infield assist in the Pirates' 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins.
Winn came into the game trying to break the Statcast barrier and surpassed Cruz's record by nearly three miles per hour.
As @GeoffPontesBA wrote before the game, @MasynWinn said he wanted to break the Statcast INF throw record at the Futures Game and he wanted to break 100 mph.
Statcast has his 2nd inning throw as 100.5 mph. I checked and MLB said they believe it is an accurate measurement.
This is nothing new for Winn, who is in his third season with the Cardinals since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted Winn had more throws of at least 95 mph to first base during the 2021 season than any infielder in professional baseball.
Winn was a two-way player coming out of Kingwood High School when he was drafted. The Cardinals haven't really allowed him to keep doing it in pro ball. He did make one relief appearance at High-A for Peoria last season.
Based on how much better Winn has been as an offensive player in 2022, it's not hard to see why the Cardinals would prefer to keep him at shortstop. The Texas native has a .855 OPS in 75 games across two levels this season. He had a .680 OPS in 98 games last year.
The AL pitching staff was fantastic in shutting down the NL offense. All three runs scored by the NL were unearned because of Dominguez's error.
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Taj Bradley started the game, tossing a scoreless inning. His command and control weren't particularly sharp, but the stuff looked outstanding.
Taj Bradley struggled with command in the first inning of the futures game, but wow does his stuff look good. A 95-97 mph FB with elite riding action and a 90-91 slider/cutter type pitch with sharp movement as well. A great looking foundation for a young pitcher: pic.twitter.com/BuhxXFhxlj
Emerson Hancock of the Seattle Mariners was the most dominant pitcher of the day for the AL. The right-hander struck out the side in the sixth inning on 17 pitches, showing a big fastball and plus changeup.
Emerson Hancock looked pretty good in the Futures Game. 97 mph, 60 changeup.
— Jason A. Churchill (@ProspectInsider) July 17, 2022
There weren't many highlights to be found on the NL side. Winn's throw was the clear standout moment. The entire team combined for five hits, with Carroll's leadoff double in the first and Pete Crow-Armstrong's leadoff double in the seventh being the only extra-base hits.
NL pitchers did rack up 12 strikeouts in the loss, with eight of the nine used in the game recording at least one punchout.
Dodgers righty Bobby Miller, playing in front of his eventual home crowd, seemed nervous initially. He walked Gunnar Henderson and threw a wild pitch to advance him to third. The Louisville alum did allow a run but struck out three with dazzling stuff.
3 whiffs on off-speed stuff for @Dodgers' Bobby Miller in the first frame of the Futures Game in L.A.
This marks the first time the AL has won the Futures Game since the AL vs. NL format was adopted in 2019. The inaugural game three years ago ended in a 2-2 tie, and the NL took last year's contest 8-3.
Langeliers joins Grant Green (2011) as the only A's prospects to be named MVP of the Futures Game.
Warriors' Joe Lacob Says He Has 'Standing Offer' to Buy Athletics from John Fisher
Jul 10, 2022
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob reacts during an NBA basketball game between the Warriors and the Chicago Bulls in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
In the event he ever wants to sell the team, Oakland Athletics managing partner John Fisher may not have to look far for a buyer.
"I've had a standing offer to buy the A's from John Fisher for I don't even know how long. Over a decade," Golden State Warriors governor Joe Lacob told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's up to him; it's his business. It would have been smarter to sell to me a long time ago because we would have been partners, and he would have been able to own a part of the Warriors as well. I tried to tell him that. I would have done a ratio deal."
Lacob also recounted how he "had the A's done" before they were sold by Steve Schott to Fisher and Lew Wolff in 2005. Per Shea, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig preferred Wolff, who was a fraternity brother when they attended college at the University of Wisconsin.
Lacob said the purchase "got yanked from under me."
"I was really pissed at Bud Selig," he said. "I easily qualified; that wasn't the issue. Bud basically did what he wanted to do, and he didn't know me. So I learned a little lesson from that, which is it's not all about money. You've got to have the right friends in these leagues."
A's history would probably look a lot different if Lacob had come aboard.
Since 2008, the franchise has never had an Opening Day payroll higher than 23rd. The rise of Moneyball predated the tenure of Fisher and Wolff, but they have carried on the same spending habits.
Contrast that with the Warriors, who have spared no expense in order to maintain their dynasty. Between salary costs and luxury-tax payments, Golden State had a $184 million payroll for the 2021-22 season.
According to Forbes (h/t CNBC's Jabari Young), the Warriors generated the highest basketball-related revenue in the NBA in 2021 with $474 million, and the newly built Chase Center bolsters that financial strength.
The Athletics, meanwhile, are struggling to get a new stadium built, one that could theoretically pad their bottom line the same way Chase Center has for Golden State.
Lacob lamented how he "would've had this thing done a long time ago" in reference to a new A's stadium.
"I'd just pay for it all privately like I did with the Warriors," he said to Shea. "And you know what? You get to say at the end of the day, 'I didn't take any money from you.' You didn't get the $300 million or $400 million in infrastructure money, whatever, but it's easier for me to be able to take that tack."
The dream of a stadium at Howard Terminal in Oakland remains alive for the time being, but it still faces many obstacles before becoming a reality. And the absence of a firm plan for a new park has led to concerns over whether A's ownership will relocate.
In light of Lacob's comments, many Athletics fans will be left to wonder what could've been and what might be if Fisher ever takes him up on the offer.
Christian Bethancourt Traded to Rays from A's for Christian Fernandez, Cal Stevenson
Jul 9, 2022
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 01: Christian Bethancourt #23 of the Oakland Athletics looks on during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 01, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Oakland Athletics announced
Saturday they traded catcher Christian Bethancourt to the Tampa Bay
Rays in exchange for two minor league players, right-handed pitcher
Christian Fernandez and outfielder Cal Stevenson.
Bethancourt returned to the majors for
the first time since 2017 when he was recalled by the A's in
mid-April. He's compiled a .249/.298/.385 slash line with four home runs in 56 MLB games
this season.
Neither Fernandez nor Stevenson is
listed among the Rays' top 30 prospects by MLB.com.
Bethancourt was a highly rated prospect
in the Atlanta Braves' organization after signing as an international
free agent in 2008. He made his MLB debut in 2013 and reached as high
as No. 82 on MLB.com's list of the sport's top prospects in 2014.
The Panama native was traded to the San
Diego Padres in 2015 and received his most extensive playing time in 2016, hitting six homers in 73 games for the Friars.
He became a free agent after the 2017
season and made stops with three MLB organizations, the Milwaukee
Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, along with a
stint in South Korea's KBO League before landing in Oakland ahead of
the 2022 campaign.
With the A's in the midst of a rebuild,
Bethancourt was able to earn a long-awaited return to the majors in a
multifaceted role. He's played catcher, first base and designated
hitter, and he even pitched a scoreless inning in a blowout loss to
the Braves in June.
Now 30, he'll look to stick in the
majors as an option off the bench for the Rays.
Oakland capitalized on Bethancourt
restoring some trade value to add a couple of more players to its farm
system, which MLB.com ranked 22nd out of the league's 30 franchises
before the season.
Fernandez, 22, has compiled a mediocre
3.79 ERA in 72 appearances (43 starts) across five minor league
seasons. That said, he's shown some promising signs this year with a
2.79 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 58 innings in Single-A.
Stevenson, 25, doesn't bring much pop
(10 extra-base hits in 57 Triple-A games this season) but he carries
some intrigue thanks to his on-base ability and speed. He's compiled
a .407 OBP and 60 stolen bases in 323 appearances across four years
in the minors.
A's assistant GM Dan Feinstein says OF Cal Stevenson will report to Triple-A Las Vegas and "We like him as a center fielder," can also play corners. RHP Christian Fernandez will go into the rotation at High-A Lansing.
Expect Oakland to seek out more
prospects ahead of the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline with starting
pitcher Frankie Montas, outfielder Ramon Laureano and catcher Sean
Murphy among the team's veteran trade candidates.
4 Fans Injured by Bullet Fragments at Athletics' Coliseum During Fireworks Show
Jul 6, 2022
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 11: New Era Oakland Athletics hats and Wilson gloves and mitts are pictured during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 11, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Four fans attending Monday's game between the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California, suffered non-life-threatening injuries after getting hit by bullet fragments from "celebratory gunfire" outside the stadium.
According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the injuries occurred after the game as fans from the crowd of 24,403 gathered on the field for a Fourth of July fireworks show.
A's manager Mark Kotsay commented on the situation:
"I think if it wasn't Fourth of July, it would be more alarming. Any time during Fourth of July, I can remember this growing up, it's never safe but people tend to do things that aren't in the ordinary. That's firing weapons in the air in terms of celebration. It's really unfortunate that we had that happen here in the Coliseum and there were people injured. I know we've reached out to those people."
An investigation is ongoing regarding the shots that were fired, and the Oakland Police Department has offered a $20,000 reward for information that leads to one or more arrests.
The Athletics defeated the Blue Jays 5-1 on Tuesday on the strength of eight innings of one-run baseball hurled by starting pitcher Cole Irvin.
The injuries at the Coliseum occurred on the same day as a deadly shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, at a Fourth of July parade. Twenty-one-year-old Robert E. Crimo III has been charged with seven counts of first degree murder.
Athletics' Frankie Montas Day-to-Day with Shoulder Injury After Exiting vs. Mariners
Jul 3, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 28: Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics looks on from the dugout before the start of the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas was forced to exit Sunday's 2-1 loss against the Seattle Mariners after just one inning.
After the game, A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters that Montas has been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and is considered day-to-day after he experienced tightness in the back of his shoulder and "didn't feel like he could get fully extended."
Montas' outing on Sunday began with him surrendering a leadoff home run to Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. Montas threw a total of 13 pitches, eight of which went for strikes, but he didn't look like his usual self.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported that Montas' velocity on Sunday was "93-94 mph and topped out at 94.5 mph," while he typically throws at 96-97 mph.
The loss dropped Montas' record to 3-9 this season; he had nine losses total in all of 2021. The 29-year-old right-hander has a 3.26 ERA, but he hasn't gotten much run support this season. In Montas' nine losses, the A's managed to score just 11 runs total.
Oakland has lost six of its last seven games and has the worst record in the majors at 26-55. The A's are rebuilding after trading away much of their core during the offseason.
Many expected that Montas would be shipped away as well, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported in April that Oakland had a high asking price for him and could choose to keep him until the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
The A's will return home to begin a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
MLB Rumors: A's Won't Be Charged Relocation Fee If Team Moves to Las Vegas
Jun 27, 2022
OAKLAND, CA - JULY 22: General view of the Oakland Athletics logos in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland Coliseum on July 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
The Oakland Athletics organization has been mulling a relocation of the franchise for quite some time now, with Las Vegas under consideration for its next destination.
According to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, one hurdle has been cleared for the A's potential move to Sin City.
"If the Oakland Athletics end up moving to Las Vegas, Major League Baseball wouldn’t charge the team a relocation fee, an indication the league wants a team in Southern Nevada, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal," Akers wrote.
The Athletics have been looking to relocate from Oakland after MLB determined last year that RingCentral Coliseum is "not a viable option for the future vision of baseball." In November 2018, the A's began pursuing a waterfront location at Howard Terminal in Oakland for a mixed-use development project that would total $12 billion that includes a new 35,000-seat ballpark that would cost more than $1 billion.
The A's have faced numerous obstacles in their pursuit of the waterfront stadium, but the team took a significant step forward earlier this month.
On June 17, the staff of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission recommended the approval of the franchise's waterfront project ahead of the official vote that is scheduled for June 30. The staff also recommended the approval of the A's request to remove Howard Terminal’s 56 acres from port designation.
Akers noted that the A's have been "researching the Las Vegas market as a potential home" since May 2021. The team reportedly has already identified two potential sites for a ballpark in Southern Nevada.
Las Vegas is becoming a coveted location for sports teams. According to Akers, a pair of billionaires are hoping to bring a Major League Soccer team to the city and the NBA is also rumored to be interested in establishing an expansion team in Las Vegas.
