Athletics

Welcome to the future, Oakland Athletics.

Athletics president Dave Kaval announced Monday that his team completed the first Dogecoin transaction in Major League Baseball history for tickets to see Oakland take on the Toronto Blue Jays at RingCentral Coliseum:

Oakland is selling two-seat pods for the series that runs Monday through Thursday for 100 Dogecoin.

According to an MLB press release, the Athletics were also the first team in league history to offer tickets for cryptocurrency earlier this year when they made full-season suites available for one Bitcoin.

Fans purchasing tickets with cryptocurrency will have the chance to watch a first-place team, as the 17-12 Athletics are one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Jesus Luzardo suffered a hairline fracture in his hand while going through his pregame warm-up routine (some might say).

Luzardo was playing a video game before his start against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday when he hit his hand on a table. Trainers cleared him to pitch, but he underwent an X-ray after the game that revealed a hairline fracture, manager Bob Melvin told reporters Sunday. Luzardo was ultimately moved to the injured list with a fracture in his pitching hand. 

He lasted three innings and gave up five hits and six runs (three earned) in the 8-4 loss. The former top prospect has a 5.79 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in six starts this season.

Maybe next time he'll just opt for the classic rage quit.

Oakland Athletics infielder Jed Lowrie claimed the New York Mets prohibited him from getting surgery to address a knee fat pad impingement from 2019, according to The Athletic's Peter Gammons.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com spoke to a source who confirmed Lowrie requested to have surgery last summer but was denied. A team spokesman declined to comment.

Gammons reported the Mets had threatened to file a grievance against Lowrie if he had the procedure. The 36-year-old subsequently went under the knife last October.

"When you’re questioned on social media or by people behind your back, I consider it to be nothing more significant than gossip," Lowrie said. "I’ve had some injuries, but this last situation with the Mets was really frustrating."

Lowrie signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Mets ahead of the 2019 season. A month after agreeing to his contract, he was diagnosed with a knee capsule sprain. As the 2018 All-Star continued to be out, then-general manager Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters in July 2019 he was suffering from posterior cruciate ligament laxity.

Lowrie ultimately made just nine appearances that season before missing all of the shortened campaign in 2020.

Now that he's back to 100 percent, the MLB veteran is starting to look like his old self. He entered Saturday with one home run, three RBI and a .276/.364/.448 slash line through nine games.

On the Mets' side, it's doubtful there will be much fallout since Van Wagenen is out and the franchise is under new ownership with Steven Cohen.

The Oakland Athletics have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with veteran closer Trevor Rosenthal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.  

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Rosenthal was originally looking to sign a four-year deal but had to settle for a short-term offer because the market for relievers "cratered."

Rosenthal missed the entire 2018 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2019 and had the worst year of his career, posting a 13.50 ERA over 15.1 innings. As a result, he had to settle for a minor league deal heading into the 2020 campaign.

The 30-year-old returned to form in 2020 between spells with the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres. He finished with a 2.22 FIP and averaged a personal-best 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings, according to FanGraphs.

Per Baseball Savant, opposing hitters had an expected weighted on-base average of .210 against Rosenthal, the third-lowest in all of MLB.

There's likely to be some level of regression in 2021 because stats can be a bit skewed in a shortened season. Even if the A's get the pre-Tommy John version of Rosenthal, this will have been a shrewd move.

The right-hander gives Oakland an upgrade at closer and a possible trade chip at the deadline if the team is out of the playoff hunt.

Kansas City got outfielder Edward Olivares and a player to be named later (minor league pitcher Dylan Coleman) when it flipped Rosenthal to San Diego last August. Olivares, 24, had a .240/.267/.375 slash line in 31 games for the Padres and Royals.

The one-year term on the contract also allows Rosenthal to cash in next offseason if he puts together another dominant year.

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy will miss "several weeks" after undergoing surgery for a collapsed lung. The 26-year-old is expected to be ready by Opening Day on April 1.

"I don't think he liked the idea of just sort of being out there in the world not knowing if this was going to happen again, so he got the surgery done, took care of it and it's only going to set him back a few weeks," A's general manager David Forst told reporters Wednesday. "It's one of those things that popped up. We're glad he got it taken care of, got the surgery done."

The team isn't exactly sure how Murphy sustained the injury but believes it may have occurred during a coughing fit while the catcher was sleeping. Murphy woke up with the issue a few weeks ago and went to the emergency room because he didn't feel right.

The New York native is expected to join the team at spring training in the coming days after pitchers and catchers for all clubs were scheduled to report Wednesday.

"The prognosis as we sit here sounds good," manager Bob Melvin said. "Our training staff believes we'll get him here in time in spring at some point, obviously a little bit delayed, but the timetable is for him to be ready for Opening Day. It sounds pretty dramatic and it certainly did to me as well, but they think the procedure went well and the prognosis is good."

Murphy was one of the constants in Oakland's lineup last year as the A's made a run to the American League West title before they fell to the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series.

He slashed .233/.364/.457 in 43 games with seven home runs and 14 RBI.

Oakland enters camp with Aramis Garcia and Austin Allen lined up behind Murphy at catcher on the 40-man roster depth chart. Those two will now get a bigger opportunity to prove themselves as the regular season nears.

The Oakland Athletics reportedly bolstered their bullpen with two additions on Sunday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the American League West team signed Yusmeiro Petit and Sergio Romo. Petit's deal is for one year and $2.55 million, while Romo's is for one year and $2.25 million. 

According to Spotrac, Oakland's total 2021 salary was $59.9 million before these deals. That means its updated payroll will be approximately $64.7 million.

Here is a look at how the bullpen may look in 2021, per FanGraph's roster breakdown:

• Closer: Jake Diekman
• Closer/Set-up: Sergio Romo
• Closer/Set-up: Lou Trivino
• Middle: J.B. Wendelken
• Middle: Yusmeiro Petit
• Middle: Nik Turley
• Middle: Adam Kolarek
• Middle: Dany Jimenez
• Long: Paul Blackburn

Both of these pitchers will add a veteran presence to the bullpen.

Petit has been in the league since 2006 and has pitched for then-Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Athletics. He won a World Series in 2014 for the Giants as teammates of Romo and was in Oakland the last three seasons.

He sparkled in 2020 with a 1.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.

Romo has been in the league since 2008 and pitched for the Giants for the first nine years of his career. Since then, he has been a journeyman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins.

He was at his best in San Francisco as an All-Star in 2013 and three-time World Series champion. His best days may be in the rearview mirror since he posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings during the shortened 2020 campaign for the Twins.

Still, that was a small sample size and not far removed from when he tallied a solid 3.43 ERA in 2019 for the Twins and Marlins. 

Oakland made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and now has two more quality and proven arms to rely on in the bullpen.

The Oakland Athletics have agreed to one-year contracts with free-agent relievers Yusmeiro Petit and Sergio Romo, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Petit's contract will be worth $2.55 million, plus incentives, agent Rafael Godoy told Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 36-year-old Petit has spent the past three years with the Athletics.

"He's excited to return. It was his first choice all along,'' Godoy told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "The team had been in contact all winter.''

Romo, who spent the past one-plus seasons with the Minnesota Twins, will make $2.25 million, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Petit made 26 appearances for the Athletics in 2020 and pitched well, finishing 2-1 with a 1.66 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. In his three seasons with the A's, he's posted a 2.73 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.

In his career, Petit has pitched for the Florida Marlins (2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007-2009), San Francisco Giants (2012-2015), Washington Nationals (2016), Los Angeles Angels (2017) and the Athletics. He's posted a career 3.93 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.

Petit began his career largely serving as a starting pitcher but later made the switch to full-time reliever, even ending up out of Major League Baseball in 2011 and pitching in the Mexican Baseball League. He's been nothing short of fantastic for the Athletics, however, making his return to Oakland a savvy move for the team.

Romo, 37, spent the 2020 season with the Minnesota Twins, finishing 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings. He spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants (2008-2016), where he won three titles and was an All-Star in 2013, before stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017), Tampa Bay Rays (2017-2018), Miami Marlins (2019) and the Twins (2019-2020).

For his career, he's posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

Oakland's bullpen was one of its strengths in 2020 for the 36-24 Athletics, though losing Liam Hendriks and Joakim Soria in free agency was a major blow. The return of Petit and to a lesser extent the addition of Romo should help mitigate those losses.

The Oakland Athletics agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with veteran pitcher Mike Fiers, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Alex Coffey.

Fiers, who spent the last two-and-a-half seasons in Oakland, finished 6-3 with a 4.58 ERA and a 4.94 FIP in 11 appearances in 2020, per FanGraphs.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reported the A's were the only MLB team to table a firm offer and questioned whether other franchises were retaliating against Fiers.

The 35-year-old told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich in November 2019 how the Houston Astros stole signs electronically during the 2017 season. For many, the scandal tainted Houston's World Series triumph.

Perhaps some teams were freezing Fiers out for blowing the whistle. His free-agent profile wasn't one of a pitcher likely to get heavy interest this offseason, though. He's on the wrong end of the aging curve, and he has finished with more than two wins above replacement twice since becoming an MLB regular in 2012.

Per Brooks Baseball, his four-seam fastball and sinker velocity dipped to 88.48 and 88.47 mph, respectively, in 2020. In addition, his strikeout percentage has fallen for three straight seasons, hitting a career low 14.4 percent last year, according to Baseball Savant.

From 2015 to 2019, Fiers averaged 31 appearances and nearly 172 innings.

A pitcher who can eat up innings while keeping his ERA relatively low will always have a place at the back of the rotation. Fiers is unlikely to make a big difference in Oakland's staff, though.

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.