Athletics

Amid rumblings that the Oakland Athletics are looking into reducing their payroll, several of their veteran players are reportedly available in trades. 

Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are among the players that Oakland is willing to take offers on, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman. 

In a recent interview with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, A's general manager David Forst indicated that ownership may look to reduce payroll before the 2022 season. 

"I think right now we’re in the middle of those conversations with [ownership],” said Forst. "We don’t have exact direction yet. But you look at our history, and we have three- or four-year runs and recognize where we are makes it necessary to step back. But we have not gotten to that point yet with ownership."

Oakland's 2021 payroll was $90.9 million, per Spotrac. That marked a $54.2 million increase from the previous season ($36.7 million). 

USA Today's Bob Nightengale cited two MLB executives who believe the Athletics are planning to go with a "major-league low $50 million (payroll) for the 2022 season."

The A's have several players who could be attractive trade candidates, including Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson. It's unclear if the team is going to make either of them available. 

Bassitt and Manaea both have one more year of team control before they can become free agents. Montas is under team control for two more seasons before hitting free agency after 2023. 

The combination of Montas' age (28) and team control would likely make him the most attractive trade chip for Oakland. He finished 2021 with a 3.37 ERA, setting career highs in starts (32), innings pitched (187) and strikeouts (207). 

Bassitt, 32, led the A's starters with a 3.15 ERA and was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career this season. 

Manaea, 29, had a career year in 2021 with a 3.91 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 179.1 innings over 32 starts. The southpaw tied for the MLB lead with two complete-game shutouts. 

Oakland finished the season with an 86-76 record but missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2017.    

The San Diego Padres will be under the microscope in 2022 after failing to live up to elevated expectations in 2021, and they now have the manager who will look to turn things around after last season.

San Diego and Bob Melvin agreed to a three-year deal on Thursday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reported the Oakland Athletics picked up Melvin's 2022 option on his contract but allowed him to interview with the Padres.

The San Diego position was open because the Padres announced they fired manager Jayce Tingler on Oct. 6 after the team missed the playoffs with a 79-83 record. It wasn't just that San Diego missed the playoffs—it was the fact it did so after bringing in Yu Darvish and Blake Snell while attempting to build on the momentum its 2020 postseason appearance figured to create.

It also signed star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a massive 14-year contract extension and was a popular World Series pick.

Things seemed to be on track when the Padres were 17 games above .500 in August, but they collapsed down the stretch and missed the playoffs entirely in a loaded National League West. Tatis and Manny Machado got into a public shouting match in the dugout during one game in a moment that seemed to symbolize the team's downfall.

In September, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported many inside the Padres organization did not think Tingler had enough "sway to have quashed a situation that had been brewing for weeks."

Acee noted, "the sentiment Tingler was not the leader they needed or wanted has been growing in some corners of the clubhouse for a while" when writing about the manager's inability to address the Tatis situation as he became frustrated with the team's struggles.

"There are differences of opinion among some of the team's on-field personnel," Acee wrote. "But one thing virtually everyone agreed on in the hours after Saturday's mini-brouhaha was that it was the culmination of an issue a stronger manager would have taken care of weeks ago."

The report also explained many players saw Tingler as just an extension of general manager A.J. Preller and were never truly keen on him as the manager.

That is the situation Melvin is walking into for a team that will still be expected to win as soon as the upcoming season.

Tatis and Machado will anchor the lineup, and Darvish is back to lead the rotation as a five-time All-Star. The talent was there to jump out to an excellent start in 2021, and the goal in 2022 will be to do the same while avoiding the collapse that came with it.

It won't be easy in a division that also features the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, but San Diego hired Melvin because it believes he can establish consistent success within the organization that has been missing of late.

His resume suggests he can.

Melvin coached the Seattle Mariners in 2003 and 2004, the Arizona Diamondbacks for the next five seasons, and the Athletics for 11 years from 2011 through 2021. He finished his tenure in Oakland with a 853-764 record and made the playoffs six times.

He never won a World Series, though, and will look to change that on the Padres.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt says Major League Baseball was only scratching the surface when it investigated the Houston Astros for stealing signs in 2017 and 2018.

Bassitt said on The Chris Rose Rotation that the Astros' cheating was an open secret and that they were far from the only team stealing signs:

"We knew they were cheating. Like, we knew what was going on. Every team in the big leagues knew what was going on. ... This is not to open up a massive can of worms, this kind of thing. But like, Houston was not the only team doing stuff. Like, there was a lot of people doing stuff. It was just un—I mean, fortunately, but unfortunately, only one team essentially got caught doing it or was the guinea pig of it to like clean the whole entire league up."

The Astros were part of a major investigation that revealed players used video cameras to steal signs and tip pitches to batters over the course of two seasons, including when they won the 2017 World Series. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for the 2020 season by MLB and then fired by the Astros over their knowledge of the scheme. No players were punished under an agreement with Major League Baseball for their cooperation.

The Boston Red Sox also parted ways with manager Alex Cora for taking part in stealing signs as Houston's bench coach. An investigation into the Red Sox found the team stole signs in the 2018 season, but a replay operator was found to be the main culprit.

Boston brought Cora back ahead of the 2021 season.

Stealing signs has long been part of baseball, but the use of technology took it to a new level—one that had to be rectified. Advancements in technology made a controversy like this inevitable, and it wouldn't be a shock if Bassitt is right that the Astros were essentially a scapegoat.

That said, Bassitt said the game has been cleaned up in the fallout of the Houston scandal, so we may never know how prevalent the issue became.

Former MLB catcher Ray Fosse died at the age of 74.

The Oakland Athletics, for whom he played three seasons and later worked as a broadcaster, said Wednesday they're "heartbroken" to learn of his death:

NBC Sports California shared a statement from his wife, Carol:

It is with a heavy heart that Carol Fosse, Ray Fosse's wife of 51 years, shares the sad news that Ray Fosse lost his battle to cancer on October 13, 2021 after silently fighting it for the past 16 years. Carol and daughters, Nikki and Lindsey, send their love out to family, friends and fans that mourn his loss with them.

Fosse spent 12 seasons in MLB, the bulk of which came with Cleveland. He was a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner while playing for the organization. His best season was in 1970, when he hit 18 home runs, had 61 RBI and batted .307.

The most enduring image from his playing career was in the 1970 All-Star Game, when Pete Rose barreled into him at home plate to score the winning run for the National League.

The Illinois native, who suffered a fractured and separated shoulder on the play, acknowledged in 2015 he still felt the physical effects from the collision and the general strain he put on his body while playing catcher for a dozen years.

For a younger generation of fans, Fosse is most remembered for his work as an Athletics color commentator. He joined the booth in 1986 and remained there until this summer. He was nominated for a Ford C. Frick Award in 2002.

In August, Fosse announced he was stepping away due to cancer, which he'd had for 16 years.

Oakland Athletics shortstop Elvis Andrus suffered an ankle injury while scoring the game-winning run in Saturday's game against the Houston Astros.

Starling Marte's walk-off double scored Andrus from first base, but the former All-Star was noticeably hobbling around third base and fell to the ground after touching home plate.

A's manager Bob Melvin told reporters after the game that Andrus "felt a pop in his ankle" and will undergo X-rays. 

Andrus spent the first 12 years of his MLB career with the Texas Rangers before getting traded to the A's during the offseason as part of a deal that sent outfielder and designated hitter Khris Davis to Texas.

In 2018, Andrus missed extended time after suffering a broken elbow brought on by getting hit by a pitch. In 97 games, Andrus hit .256 with six home runs and 33 RBI in 2018.

He managed to bounce back in 2019, though, with a .275 average, 12 homers, 72 RBI and 31 steals in 147 games, marking one of his best offensive campaigns to date.

Andrus' career year came back in 2017 when he hit .297 and stole 25 bases while setting personal bests with 20 home runs and 88 RBI.

He had never previously hit more than eight home runs in a single season, but he managed to become a true speed-power threat that season.

Last season was a struggle for Andrus, as it was for many players who had a hard time adjusting to the COVID-shortened campaign. In 29 games, he hit just .194 with three homers and seven RBI. The 33-year-old has a .241/.290/.318 slash line so far this season.

Although he has never won a Gold Glove, the Venezuelan is a solid defender who provided the Rangers with strong play at shortstop for 12 years as well.

Prior to 2018, he had appeared in at least 145 games in each of his first nine campaigns with the Rangers. His durability has come into question since then, though.

For as long as Andrus is on the shelf, the A's will be hurting for depth at the shortstop position and figure to miss his experience. Josh Harrison and Chad Pinder would be among the options to fill in for Andrus at short.

Less than two weeks after being hit in the face by a line drive, Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt hopes to return before the end of this season. 

Speaking to reporters prior to Saturday's game against the New York Yankees, Bassitt said he's keeping the door open for a 2021 comeback:

“The doctors made a mistake in telling me that I’m going to be OK in a couple weeks. 

“When they said that, I said, ‘All right, we’re rocking.’ Obviously the front office and (manager Bob Melvin) and those guys are going to do everything to take care of me. But if everything progresses the way it should, I want to be back before the end of the season and hopefully I am.

Bassitt was hit in the face by a liner off the bat of Chicago White Sox outfielder Brian Goodwin in the top of the second inning during an Aug. 17 game. 

Oakland's medical staff had to take Bassitt off the field on a cart. He was transported to the hospital for evaluation that same night. 

The Athletics announced on Aug. 18 that Bassitt was released from the hospital after being "diagnosed with a displaced tripod fracture in his right cheek that will require surgery."

The team also noted there was no sign of eye damage or vision problems for Bassitt. 

Bassitt is expected to need six weeks of recovery time after undergoing surgery. It seems unlikely based on that timetable he would be unable to pitch again in 2021, barring an extended playoff run for Oakland.

The 32-year-old right-hander was in the midst of arguably the best season of his career prior to the injury. He posted a 3.22 ERA with 154 strikeouts and 1.046 WHIP in 151 innings over 25 starts and was named to the American League All-Star team. 

Oakland (70-59) enters Saturday with 33 games remaining in the regular season. The team trails the Boston Red Sox by three games for the second wild-card spot in the AL.    

Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt will reportedly undergo surgery after being hit in the face by a line drive during Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Bassitt's surgery is expected to take place within three to five days after the swelling goes down. 

Bassitt tweeted a message thanking the A's and White Sox, as well as the medical professionals and fans who have offered their support:

A's trainer Nick Paparesta told reporters on Wednesday that Aug. 24 is the target date for Bassitt to undergo surgery on his cheekbones, and the right-hander could potentially return to physical activity 10 days after the procedure. 

Paparesta did note the Athletics will take things "week-to-week" with Bassitt's recovery and return.

ESPN's Jeff Passan added that there was no damage to Bassitt's eye.

The injury occurred in the bottom of the second inning when Brian Goodwin hit a comebacker that caromed off the side of Bassitt's head. Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports noted the ball came off Goodwin's bat at 100.1 mph. 

Bassitt fell to the ground when Oakland's medical staff came out. He remained on the ground for several minutes before being carted off the field.. 

The A's public relations staff announced on Twitter that Bassitt was "conscious and aware" as he was being transported to the hospital. 

Oakland manager Bob Melvin told reporters after the game that the medical staff believes the ball hit Bassitt below the eye. 

"He's got some cuts and used some stitches," Melvin added. "He's in a scan and we'll know about potential fractures tomorrow or later tonight.”

Bassitt began his professional career with the White Sox. He made his MLB debut for Chicago in 2014 before being traded to Oakland in December 2014. 

The 32-year-old leads the American League with 12 wins and 151 innings pitched this season.     

Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt was removed in the second inning of Tuesday's start at the Chicago White Sox after taking a line drive to the head off the bat of Brian Goodwin. 

Bassitt was falling off the mound while following through on a pitch and was unable to protect himself as Goodwin sent the ball barreling 100.1 miles per hour back at him. The pitcher immediately crumpled to ground as trainers ran to check on him. 

Ultimately, Bassitt was able to get to his feet and climb onto the medical cart. 

The 32-year-old has been one of the most impressive pitchers for an Oakland team contending for an American League West title. Through 24 starts, the righty is 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153 strikeouts while walking only 35. 

He was replaced by Burch Smith with the bases loaded and no one out. The first batter he faced, Andrew Vaughn, hit a two-run single. Smith then allowed a three-run homer to Jake Lamb as the Sox took a 5-0 lead. 

Bassitt was making a return to the South Side where he began his career. Chicago selected him in the 16th round of the 2011 draft, and he started five games for the Sox in 2014.

The White Sox won, 9-0. 

Oakland Athletics right fielder Ramon Laureano has been suspended 80 games without pay after violating Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy by testing positive for nandrolone.

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post relayed Major League Baseball's statement, and the A's released their own remarks (h/t Martin Gallegos of MLB.com): "The A's were disappointed to learn of this suspension. We fully support MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and we will welcome Ramón back after the discipline has been served."

Laureano was hitting .246 (.760 OPS) with 14 home runs and 39 RBI for the 61-48 A's, who are second in the American League West.

Laureano released a statement through the MLB Players Association (h/t Jessica Kleinschmidt of NBC Sports Bay Area) and denied knowingly taking nandrolone, an anabolic steroid:

Per MLB's policy, a player's first violation results in an 80-game suspension. A second violation prompts a full-season suspension (162 games), and a third leads to a permanent suspension from the league.

A player can appeal only under three circumstances, per the policy: chain of custody, laboratory error and exceptional circumstances.

The A's hold the second American League wild-card spot by just one-and-a-half games over the surging New York Yankees. Oakland is four games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West.

The 27-year-old had moved from center field to right field to make way for Starling Marte, whom the A's acquired from the Miami Marlins on July 28.

Without him, Stephen Piscotty figures to play right field. The seven-year veteran is hitting .207 (.613 OPS) with five home runs and 14 RBI in 64 games.