Athletics

As the fallout continues from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, many have wondered if other teams were involved in similar schemes to cheat the game.

You can count out the Oakland Athletics, according to former A's starter Brett Anderson. 

Not because of any moral high ground, though. Simply because the organization could not afford to pull off a scheme so high-tech. 

"I know the A's weren't cheating," Anderson, now with the Milwaukee Brewers, told The Athletic's Andy McCollough. "Because, one, I don't know if they could afford it. And to relay from f--king 300 yards away in the video room? What were we going to do, get some vendor to throw some popcorn up in the air, or something? It's too f--king far to relay something."

Anderson, who played for the American League West team from 2009-13 and again the last two seasons, added that the only way the A's could have cheated would be related to the Oakland Coliseum's "decaying infrastructure." 

“The lights go out, it's a curveball," Anderson joked. "If there's a sewage backup, it's a fastball."

The Astros and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred have been in the eye of a constant storm since the league announced the results of its investigation into Houston stealing signs using video camera and tipping off its batters. Players have called out Manfred for the lack of accountability from Astros players, who were granted immunity in exchange for detailing the scheme to MLB officials.

While Anderson makes an argument for why the A's weren't stealing signs, it's unlikely Houston is the only team that was using technology for its benefit. 

MLB is also currently investigating the Boston Red Sox for sign-stealing during their 2018 World Series-winning season. Then-Red Sox manager Alex Cora was Houston's bench coach when the club was stealing signs; he and the Sox parted ways in the fallout from the scandal. 

The details of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal became public knowledge when Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers was one of those who told Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic about it, but he is not concerned about his safety when he faces his old team and current American League West rival.

"I don't know how they would," he said when asked if Major League Baseball reached out to him about additional security, per Alex Coffey of The Athletic. 

He continued, acknowledging that he has dealt with plenty and just wants to play baseball:

"I'm not asking for extra security. I'm here to play baseball and I can defend myself, if anything. We do have National League games and I'm going to have to get into the box (to hit) just like everybody else. It's part of the game. If they decide to throw at me, then they throw at me. There's nothing much you can do about it.

"I've dealt with a lot in my life. I've dealt with people hating me before. I've dealt with a lot of life problems. It is what it is. And if someone's going to retaliate then by hitting me with a pitch, it's not a big deal."

Despite Fiers' comments, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters Tuesday: "We will take every possible step to protect Mike Fiers wherever he is playing. Whether it's in Houston or somewhere else."

Fiers, who played for the Astros during the 2017 World Series championship run, was the target of some criticism for going public, most notably from ESPN's Jessica Mendoza.

Mendoza appeared on ESPN's Golic and Wingo and said, "To go public with it and call them out and start all of this, it's hard to swallow" before clarifying she only disagreed with him not "going directly through your team and/or MLB."

While there may be some who agree with that line of thinking and want to target Fiers with hit-by-pitches, it is the Astros players and management who have been the subjects of far more criticism around the league.

Notable players such as Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Nick Markakis have criticized the Astros and the lack of player discipline for the cheating scheme. Even basketball great LeBron James weighed in, saying he would be "irate" if he was cheated out of a title.

The league fined the Astros $5 million, stripped them of their first- and second-round draft picks for 2020 and 2021, and suspended general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch—who were both fired by Houston—for one year.

There seems to be far more anger directed at the Astros than Fiers, and the pitcher is not concerned about his own safety at games.

The Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal first became public knowledge when pitcher Mike Fiers was among those who revealed the practice when speaking to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic in November. 

However, Fiers' current team, the Oakland Athletics, filed a complaint about Houston to Major League Baseball prior to the story going public.

Manager Bob Melvin and general manager David Frost both told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (h/t ESPN.com) the team did as much, but the former admitted it was hard for the league to do anything at the time.

"MLB does a great job of monitoring these things, but it's very difficult if a team calls in and complains about something, they can only do so much," Melvin said. "It took a player and a player who was on that team to put it over the top. And I think MLB is handling it very well right now."

Fiers has been with Oakland since the 2018 season but pitched in Houston from 2015-17.

While some, including ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza, criticized him for going to the press, his manager had his back.

"I'm glad we're at this point right now, and obviously Mike had a lot to do with that," Melvin said Wednesday. "The game's better for it from this point going forward. I think it's all about moving past right now and getting through a lot of the issues that you saw. It's supposed to be an equal playing field, and it wasn't."

MLB ultimately fined the Astros $5 million, stripped them of their first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and suspended then-general manager Jeff Luhnow and then-manager AJ Hinch for one year. Both were later fired.

The fallout went beyond Houston, as the Boston Red Sox parted ways with manager Alex Cora for his role in the scandal when he was the bench coach of the Astros. The New York Mets did the same with manager Carlos Beltran, who played for the Astros during their championship run in 2017 and was the only player to be named in the MLB report.

For his part, Fiers did not want to focus on the sign-stealing scandal and instead was looking ahead to the upcoming season.

"Right now I want to focus on this team and not the past," he said.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf confirmed Tuesday that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred raised the possibility of the Oakland Athletics moving to Las Vegas if the City of Oakland does not drop its lawsuit against the A's, according to KTVU's Sal Castaneda.

Per KPIX's Kiet Do, the City of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the Athletics in an effort to prevent the organization from redeveloping the site of RingCentral Coliseum.

The lawsuit came to pass after the City of Oakland caught wind of Alameda County attempting to sell its ownership stake in the Coliseum back to the Athletics organization.

According to Do, Oakland Councilmember Larry Reid said Manfred told him, Schaaf and Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan in a pair of meetings that the A's have "other options" if the lawsuit isn't dropped. Reid added, "I don't think he was bluffing. He was very serious."

Schaaf expressed confidence the A's will remain in Oakland and explained how she believes it will happen: "I've been clear about the path to keeping the A's in Oakland—build a privately-financed ballpark that's responsible to taxpayers and enhances neighborhood vitality."

The Athletics have been in Oakland since moving from Kansas City in 1968, and they have played in the Coliseum their entire time in the city.

The NFL's Raiders also have a lengthy history in Oakland and the Coliseum, but after they were unable to reach a new stadium agreement, they made plans to move to Las Vegas. The Raiders are currently scheduled to begin playing in Vegas next season.

Las Vegas would be a logical landing spot for the A's due to the crossover between the Athletics' and Raiders' fanbases.

The Athletics' Triple-A affiliate is located in Las Vegas as well, meaning there would be a built-in group of fans already in Vegas to support the A's.

With regard to the lawsuit Oakland filed against the A's, all parties are next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 14.

The Oakland Athletics clinched a postseason berth Friday after the Cleveland Indians lost to the Washington Nationals 8-2 at Nationals Park.

Bashin' and clinchin'!

We're officially locked in for Postseason baseball! #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/etjmgbhQpP

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 28, 2019

The club's last two postseason appearances (2018, 2014) ended in the American League Wild Card Game. Last year, the A's lost 7-2 to the New York Yankees. In 2014, a miracle 9-8 comeback by the Kansas City Royals in 12 innings eliminated them. 

Perhaps the third time will be the charm in the wild card, where Oakland is headed given that the Houston Astros clinched the AL West. 

The foundation has been laid throughout the regular season. Third baseman Matt Chapman and reliever Liam Hendriks both earned their first All-Star nods. Khris Davis' home run count dropped from 48 last season to 23 in 2019, but Chapman leads the team with 36 dingers along with a .247 batting average.

On Aug. 26, the 26-year-old became the third A's third baseman in franchise history (Sal Bando, 1969; Eric Chavez, 2001-02) to hit at least 30 homers in a season. 

The team owns a top-10 ERA (sixth at 4.00) for the first time since 2014. Following the 80-game suspension of Frankie Montas for performance-enhancing drugs in late June—disqualifying him for the playoffs—Chris Bassitt has filled the void and leads playoff-eligible starters with a 3.84 ERA.

Mike Fiers has also emerged at 15-4 with a 3.91 ERA.    

The A's last won the World Series in 1989, sweeping the San Francisco Giants.

The Oakland Athletics are down a relief pitcher for the rest of the regular season and perhaps the playoffs, and they can blame the shower for the misfortune.

According to the Associated Press, relief pitcher Lou Trivino fell in the shower in his apartment and cracked a rib. Manager Bob Melvin said the right-hander is "for sure" out for the rest of the regular season and added, "it doesn't look great" when talking about his potential playoff availability.

Oakland will need to find a way into the postseason without Trivino and holds a one-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the top American League wild-card spot. The A's are also just 1.5 games ahead of the pursuing Cleveland Indians, so a playoff berth is not assured at this point.

In terms of on-field production, this would have been a more significant loss last year.

Trivino posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 74 innings as a rookie during the 2018 campaign but has experienced a significant drop-off this year with a 5.25 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 60 innings. He dealt with thumb and elbow injuries early in the season that may have impacted his performance.

He isn't the only Athletics relief pitcher who will miss the rest of the season.

The AP noted Blake Treinen is also sidelined because of a back and hip injury. The right-hander has a 4.91 ERA in 2019.

The Oakland Athletics signed free-agent pitcher Matt Harvey to a minor league deal Wednesday, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Harvey, 30, went 3-5 with a 7.09 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 12 starts for the Los Angeles Angels before the team released him on July 21.

The right-hander was a rising star earlier this decade for the New York Mets and even started the 2013 All-Star Game for the National League. He finished that season 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 178.1 innings.

Unfortunately, Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2014 season.

He came back strong in 2015 and fared well, going 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA and 188 punchouts in 189.1 frames.

However, Harvey struggled over his next two full seasons, going 9-17 with a 5.78 ERA in 36 games. Thoracic outlet syndrome ended his 2016 season early, and a stress fracture in his scapula kept him off the mound for part of 2017.

Harvey's pinpoint control faded over the years, as his walk rate ballooned from 4.5 percent in 2013 to 10.9 percent in 2017, per FanGraphs. His strikeout rate also dipped from 27.7 percent in 2013 to 15.6 percent in 2017, in part because his four-seam fastball velocity dipped to a career-low 94.3 mph.

After he started the 2018 season with an 0-2 record and 7.00 ERA in his first eight games, the Mets traded him to the Cincinnati Reds, where he enjoyed a small career resurgence. He finished 7-7 with a 4.50 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 128.0 innings. His strikeout rate rose to 19.8 percent for the season, while his walk rate dropped to 5.6 percent.

That effort earned him a one-year, $11 million guaranteed contract with the Halos, but he found trouble locating the strike zone again, as he walked 10.9 percent of the batters he faced.

It may not have happened in Henry Rowengartner-like fashion, but 23-year-old Nathan Patterson can thank some throws at a recent Colorado Rockies game for helping him land a contract with the Oakland Athletics.

Patterson and his brother, Christian, made their way to Coors Field last month to catch a ballgame. While there, Nathan decided to take on the speed pitch challenge—and he wound up hitting 96 mph:

https://twitter.com/cpatterson_7/status/1150829879476260864

As that clip went viral, it apparently caught the attention of the A's:

https://twitter.com/cpatterson_7/status/1157096903894396931

According to Cut4's Adrian Garro, Patterson, who played baseball growing up, began training last year after hitting 96 mph on the radar gun during a speed pitch challenge at a minor league ballpark.

Unfortunately, his road to professional baseball endured a setback when he underwent surgery on his non-throwing wrist in December after being hit by a car.

Patterson reportedly had been in communication with Oakland back in February. Though the A's did not sign the right-hander at that time, they wound up calling following his Coors Field performance and got a deal done.  

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.