Athletics

Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller is going on the 15-day injured list with a broken left hand, the team announced.

Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reported the 2024 All-Star suffered a fracture in his left pinkie finger because he put his hand "awkwardly on the training table while getting ready to do an exercise" after Oakland's 4-0 win over the Houston Astros on Monday. Gallegos initially said he hit the table "in frustration."

A's manager Mark Kotsay later cleared up any speculation surrounding Miller's injury, telling reporters that the original statement regarding the pitcher fracturing his pinky while hitting the table in frustration "is pretty accurate."

Miller has been dominant on the mound this season. He has 15 saves and a 1.69 FIP in 34 appearances, and he's averaging 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Pitchers hitting triple digits on the radar gun is becoming more commonplace, but the right-hander's velocity has turned heads in 2023. According to Baseball Savant, he's averaging 100.9 mph on his four-seam fastball, and he got up to 103.6 mph in the All-Star Game.

Miller's performance and the Athletics' 41-63 record has made him the speculation of trade rumors leading up to the July 30 deadline.

However, ESPN's Buster Olney reported recently he's "out of play in the trade market." Now, the hand injury effectively removes any doubt as to his short-term future, though his return date is unclear for the time being.

Unfortunately for Miller, there will now be a place on the long list of MLB players to get hurt in unusual circumstances.

The A's will also need to find another closer, having already lost reliever Michael Kelly to a one-year suspension for betting on games while in the minors. Lucas Erceg or T.J. McFarland is the likeliest candidate to handle ninth-inning duties for now.

The Oakland Athletics put on an impressive power display on Sunday, blasting eight home runs in an 18-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Leadoff hitter Lawrence Butler accounted for three of the home runs himself and recorded a team-high six RBI.

Per ESPN, this is the first time an MLB team has hit eight homers in a single game since September 1999 when the Cincinnati Reds launched nine longballs, also against the Phillies. The Toronto Blue Jays set the MLB record with 10 home runs in a game in 1987.

Despite having the second-worst record in the American League at 37-61, the A's have put up some of the most eye-popping scores of the 2024 season:

In addition to Butler's big day, Brent Rooker and Seth Brown each had two home runs. Zack Gelof capped things off with a grand slam in the ninth inning.

Sunday's blowout win was a big way for the A's to enter the All-Star break. Oakland will return to action on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Oakland Athletics are in last place in the American League West and will likely be sellers at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean they have to move star relief pitcher Mason Miller.

Especially since he is under team control through the 2029 season.

With that as the backdrop, Jon Heyman of the New York Post cited a league executive Thursday who said it would take a "Herschel Walker-type trade" for any team to convince Oakland to trade Miller this year given the contract situation.

Yet there may be a team out there willing to blow away the Athletics' front office with an offer.

After all, there might not be many impact players available at the deadline. The Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins are the only teams in the entire league that are not within nine games of a playoff spot.

Heyman listed the White Sox, Marlins, Angels and Athletics as the only "certain sellers" even though other teams could decide to be sellers before the July 30 trade deadline.

Without as many players potentially available, contenders could see even an outside chance at Miller being available as an opportunity to trade significant assets for someone who would be under team control for years.

And any such contender would be getting one of the best relief pitchers in baseball this year.

Miller was named to the All-Star Game and sports a 2.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 68 strikeouts and 15 saves in 38.2 innings this year. He has been one of the few bright spots for a struggling organization and is just 25 years old in his second season in the league.

He could also be one of the faces of the franchise for years for Oakland as it prepares for an eventual move to Las Vegas, which is something the front office will also have to keep in mind as it approaches the deadline.

But a "Herschel Walker" trade offer could change the approach considering the Dallas Cowboys traded the running back to the Minnesota Vikings in a deal that eventually featured 18 players plus draft picks.

Other MLB teams might want to start studying the largest trade in NFL history if they want to land Miller at the deadline.

Teams looking for bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline will have to pay a heavy price if they want to try getting Mason Miller from the Oakland Athletics.

One source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Patrick Mooney and Katie Woo that Oakland's asking price for Miller is "going to be absurd."

It's hard to find a recent parallel for Miller because most teams wouldn't even be shopping a dominant closer in his rookie season who has two years remaining before becoming eligible for arbitration and is under team control through 2029.

Of course, the A's don't exactly operate like a normal team would.

The closest example was two years ago when the Milwaukee Brewers traded Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres prior to the deadline in August 2022, but even at that point he only had one full year of arbitration remaining before hitting free agency after the 2023 season.

Milwaukee was able to get Taylor Rogers, Robert Gasser, Dinelson Lamet and Esteury Ruiz in the deal. Gasser and Ruiz were top 30 prospects in the Padres' system at the time, with Gasser being the main piece of the deal as a second-round pick in the 2021 draft.

Another problem with putting a steep price on a closer is the volatile nature of relief pitching in general. Miller was developed as a starter, but moved to the bullpen late in the 2023 season after an elbow injury kept him on the injured list for four months.

Since making the move to a relief role, Miller has been as dominant as any pitcher in MLB. The 25-year-old leads all relievers in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (1.5), ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (15.6) and owns a 2.08 ERA in 34.2 innings.

Miller's talent is unquestionably tantalizing for contending teams, but it's hard to fathom a scenario in which a club pays a steep price for a reliever. The A's have no reason to trade him right now unless they are just intent on dealing all of their good players no matter what.

In a move that could have serious financial implications on the Oakland Athletics' move to Las Vegas, the American League West team is requesting to play up to eight home games a season in neutral locations away from the future new ballpark.

Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent reported as much this week and noted the request was part of the proposed 30-year non-relocation agreement that will be voted on by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board on July 18.

That is more than double the three most recent non-relocations agreements in Major League Baseball. The Miami Marlins (2009), Atlanta Braves (2014) and Texas Rangers (2017) all put a cap on the neutral-site home games per season at three.

Stutz noted having up to eight neutral-site games "could significantly undercut the financial projections presented last year when the team sought $380 million in public financing for the project."

Stadium Authority Chairman Steve Hill pointed to concerns with the bonding capacity, which stands at $120 million.

"If you eliminate 10 percent of the games that will be played at the stadium, chances are you're going to eliminate about 10 percent of that bonding capacity," he said.

Athletics President David Kaval explained the team's perspective, noting "in most years it's expected to be way less" than the cap of eight and that the idea behind it would be improving the team's brand and promotions.

It is yet another factor in the ongoing relocation situation.

Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports noted the Athletics agreed to a deal that will allow them to play three seasons in Sacramento's Triple-A ballpark before moving into the new Las Vegas stadium that is expected to cost approximately $1.5 billion.

Fleming pointed out it still remains unclear how the stadium will be funded outside of the already approved $380 million in public funding that is currently being challenged by education advocates.

Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller is drawing trade interest, but "no team has come close" to meeting the team's "steep" demands, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

"No team has come close to meeting the A's price," Rosenthal reported, citing a team source. "Perhaps no team will. Miller, 25, is not only Oakland's best young player, but also their best player, period. To acquire him, a team likely would need to give up a young player of comparable ability, or a substantial package of multiple youngsters who could be part of the A's future."

In 13 games this season, the 25-year-old Miller has posted eight saves, a 1.10 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. He's also struck out 33 batters in 16.1 innings.

Aside from his on-field success, Miller would also be a big-time trade target because he isn't eligible for free agency until 2030. He also isn't eligible for arbitration for another two years.

The Athletics are controversially on their way out of Oakland. The team is set to spend its next three years in Sacramento before heading to Las Vegas in 2028.

Oakland has infamously gone through cycles of competing and rebuilding with the team sitting at or near the bottom of the payroll ledger for much of the century. But the A's have now hit complete rock bottom in payroll over the past two years.

The A's understandably struggled last year, going an MLB-worst 50-112. This team has fought hard in 2024 but still sits under .500 at 18-21.

The A's could deal off their best assets at the trade deadline if they're out of the playoff race by then. On the same token, it would also probably be best for the A's to put themselves in position to be competitive and get the Las Vegas era off on the right foot.

"On the other hand, the A's say they are planning to ramp up their payroll and improve their roster as they prepare for their scheduled move to Las Vegas in 2028," Rosenthal wrote. "Miller could play an important role in that process, giving the franchise credibility and identity during the three seasons it plans to spend in Sacramento."

Miller is the A's best player. With him being under team control through the 2020s, it doesn't make a lot of sense to trade him unless they get an offer they can't refuse. He can certainly be part of the solution to brighter days for the franchise as it undergoes this transition period.

For now, Miller remains a member of the Athletics and the unquestioned top closer in baseball as the season hits the quarter point.

Former MLB pitcher Ken Holtzman died Sunday at the age of 78, per MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan. Holtzman was hospitalized with heart issues for three weeks before his death.

Holtzman had a 15-year MLB career, playing for four different teams. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round of the first-ever MLB draft in 1965 out of the University of Illinois.

Holtzman, who spent his first seven seasons with the Cubs, threw no-hitters in 1969 and 1971, recording the big league's last no-hitter to be thrown without a strikeout. In 1967, Holtzman enlisted in the National Guard and only pitched on weekends, making 12 starts to go 9-0 with a 2.53 ERA.

When Holtzman was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1971, his career took off. He was named an All-Star in the 1972 season, notching a 2.51 ERA while helping lead Oakland to a World Series. He was once again named an All-Star in 1973, when the A's repeated as champions. Though he wasn't an All-Star in 1974, he was a key member of Oakland's rotation as it won a third straight World Series.

After four seasons in Oakland, Holtzman was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for part of the 1976 season before being dealt to the New York Yankees. As a member of the Yankees rotation, he helped New York win a World Series in 1977.

Holtzman was traded back to the Cubs in 1978, where he finished up his career in 1979 at the age of 33.

He finished his career with a 3.49 ERA, recording 1,601 strikeouts and notching 174 career wins.

The Oakland Athletics will be moving to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park from 2025-2027 before heading to Las Vegas in 2028.

In anticipation of that move, the franchise has reportedly filed trademarks for "Sacramento Athletics" and "Sacramento A's," per trademark attorney Josh Gerben, founder and principal of Gerben IP.

A team spokesperson had previously told Evan Drellich of The Athletic that the team would be called the "A's" or "The Athletics" during the three-year interim period between Oakland and Vegas.

Oakland needed a home for the next three seasons with the lease at its current field, Oakland Coliseum, expiring after this year.

The A's were negotiating with both Sacramento and Oakland but ultimately chose the former city for the time being.

Obviously, using Oakland in the team's name isn't going to fly after 2024 with the team moving to a new city. Plus, the distance between the Athletics' current field and its new temporary home is 86 miles.

At this point, the question is whether the team goes with the A's or included its temporary home in the team name for three years.

Regardless of the decision, the impending leave is a tough blow for Oakland A's fans, who have enjoyed their team in the city since 1968 after the franchise moved from Kansas City.

There is "digust" among MLB teams regarding the way that the Oakland Athletics have handled the team's stadium situation, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Despite the Athletics' eventual move to Las Vegas in 2028 already getting approved, they don't currently have a stadium plan settled in the city. After the 2024 season concludes, the team will play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento from 2025 through 2027.

"This makes us all look bad," one member of an organization said, per Olney.

Sutter Health Park has been used by the Sacramento Rivercats, a Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The stadium can hold 14,014 fans, which is much smaller than Oakland Coliseum's capacity of 63,000.

Oakland's fans have been disappointed with the decision to move and haven't appeared at many home games during the team's final season in the city. The A's currently have an average home attendance of 6,438 fans, the worst mark among all MLB teams that have played in a home game in 2024.

Prior to the announcement of the team's temporary move to Sacramento, it was revealed that Oakland officials offered the A's a three-year, $60 million lease extension according to John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle (h/t NBC Sports' Ali Thanawalla).

As part of the offer, officials wanted the league to allow the city to have one year to find interested owners for a possible future expansion team. However, it seems as though the team preferred to go in a different direction.

The A's haven't given fans many reasons to show up to home games to begin the 2024 season, owning a record of just 1-7 as the team currently sits in last place in the AL West. Opposing MLB teams appear to be irked by the team's lack of certainty regarding a future stadium as well.

Before the Oakland Athletics announced they would play the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, the team received a three-year, $60 million lease extension from Oakland officials, per The San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea (h/t NBC Sports' Ali Thanawalla).

The deal had a caveat, however, as if the A's took the offer, MLB would allow Oakland one year to find interested owners and investors for a potential future expansion team. That offer seemingly wasn't enough to keep the team in Oakland.

Now, the A's will play the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park, a Triple-A stadium home to the Sacramento Rivercats, as they await the move to Las Vegas.

Oakland originally offered the A's a five-year lease extension that asked the team to pay $97 million with a three-year opt-out included.

The move to Sacramento comes with a major downsize in capacity. The Oakland Coliseum holds 63,000 fans, while Sutter Health Park holds roughly 14,000. The A's have averaged around 6,000 fans through the first seven home games this season.

Since news of the expected move to Las Vegas, A's fans have protested in various ways. On Opening Day, fans protested by watching the game from the parking lot, a contrast to last year's protest where they filled the stadium for two days in a "Reverse Boycott."

After the A's announced the move to Sacramento for the next three seasons, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao issued a statement regarding the city's pitch to the team.

"Oakland offered a deal that was fair to the A's and was fiscally responsible for our city," the statement read. "We wish the A's the best and will continue our conversations with them on facilitating the sale of their share of the Coliseum site. The City of Oakland will now focus on advancing redevelopment efforts at the Coliseum."

Fans will still have the remainder of the season to watch the A's play in Oakland, as they won't make the move to Sacramento until the 2025 season. Unfortunately for fans, they haven't had much to root for so far as the A's have started the season 1-6.