The Angels added top prospects Brandon Marsh and Chris Rodriguez to their 40-man roster to protect them from being taken in the Rule 5 draft.

But the A’s have a superstar at the hot corner already in Matt Chapman, hopefully for at least a couple more years, so if Neuse stays at that position then it might have to be in another organization. But if he can shift to second base? That would be a different story, and it could open up some interesting possibilities for the green and gold.

The Oakland A’s have signed several minor league free agents during the month of November, as all teams do every year. Most of them are usually relatively unknown players, but this week they added someone you’ve actually heard of. The A’s signed shortstop Pete Kozma to a minors deal on Tuesday, per the team’s website.

The 2019 Rule 5 draft isn’t until Dec. 10, but the protection deadline is Nov. 20, which is Friday. That means teams have the rest of this week to figure out which eligible players they want to add to their 40-man rosters in order to protect them from the draft. In a nutshell, the Rule 5 draft helps prospects make it to the big leagues.

Michael Brantley: A thorn in the A’s side over the last two years with the Houston Astros, Brantley has finally stayed healthy for a prolonged stretch and continued to hit to all fields, posting a . average over two years in Houston. The biggest concerns surrounding Brantley will likely be contract length, as the 33-year-old may be searching for a long-term deal for his last major payday.

If Alderson wants to complete the revolutionary journey he instigated nearly four decades ago by reading Bill James, he needs -- above all else -- a listener.

South African double Olympic 800-metre champion Caster Semenya is to take her fight with World Athletics to the European Court of Human Rights, her lawyers confirmed on Tuesday. Semenya is one of a number of female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) competing in races ranging from 400 metres to a mile, who World Athletics insist must reduce their naturally high levels of testosterone in order to run. Semenya has vowed to fight the regulations, but has already lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and another subsequent plea to the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT) asking for the CAS ruling to be set aside.

Like La Stella, he bats left-handed, makes a lot of contact, keeps the strikeouts low, and gets on base, but on top of that he’s the best defensive 2B in the majors. And now, after the St. Louis Cardinals declined his $12.5 million option, Kolten Wong is out there looking for a new home. On the offensive side of the ball, Wong is a notch down from La Stella.

This year, four Oakland A’s stars join the group for consideration: RHP Tim Hudson LHP Barry Zito RHP Dan Haren OF Nick Swisher Each player also had major achievements in other uniforms, but they all made their names here in Oakland first — three were drafted by the A’s, and Haren was acquired as a youngster before he’d even played a full MLB season. Unfortunately, it’s likely that none of these four will ever make the Hall.

The A’s ace social media team is already on the case, putting together a bracket of top moments from 2020. Here’s what they came up with, with a mix of significant plays and simply beautiful ones: There are 16 entries, seeded in the following order. Most of them have links to either an AN article or at least a video highlight: And the voting has already begun!

Hello Bulldogs: I hope this note finds you and your family well. I am writing to you today with the exciting news that the Northeast Conference Council of Presidents has adopted a regular season and postseason tournament format for men's and women's basketball. This is very exciting news for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and the entire Bryant community.

We are talking about a 30 year old shortstop who spent his prime years improving defensively in a way that I’ve never seen — but who is about to take on Father Time in the quest to avoid beginning to decline. Just a reminder: Father Time remains undefeated. We are also talking about a player who has bookended 2019 with 5 seasons in which he was almost the definition of league average at the plate.

That doesn’t mean he’s a bad pick, though, as he tied for the AL lead in bWAR and ranked third in fWAR while leading a young team to the postseason to break a franchise playoff drought that lasted over a decade. The National League also chose a first baseman who contributes on both sides of the ball, in Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves. Long considered an underrated superstar, he delivered his best numbers yet in the shortened season.

You might well have a real-life reason why you think a player will outperform (or underperform) these numbers, like a pitcher whom you know added a new pitch over the offseason that hasn’t shown up in games yet, or an aging hitter who looks completely finished no matter what his past stats say about maybe bouncing back, etc. Young players with little to no track records are also difficult to project with precision.

He’s the first Reds pitcher ever to earn the Cy Young, after five runner-up finishes for the franchise, most recently by Johnny Cueto in 2014. Bauer led the NL in ERA (1.73), backed it up with a strong FIP (2.88), struck out a 100 batters in 73 innings (with nearly 6 Ks per walk), and tossed two shutouts among his 11 starts (albeit both in 7-inning doubleheader games). The right-hander is now considered arguably the biggest free agent on this offseason’s market.

Tony Kemp’s entire platform began with a simple mantra he remembers learning as far back as kindergarten: Treat everyone equally. You would think that is such a simple task, but here we are,” Kemp said. Kemp, a second baseman and outfielder for the AL West-winning Oakland Athletics this past season, became a social justice activist this summer thanks to the +1 Effect.

Teams’ finances are less than settled right now after the pandemic prevented ticket sales this past season and no way of knowing if or when the stands will be filled next year, but Wolfe firmly believes some deals will be completed this winter worth $80 million and up, and he expects Semien to be among them. Many teams have called already, and the number is growing.

Good morning afternoon, Athletics Nation! The Oakland A’s have been good for a while now, reaching the postseason in each of the last three years. That makes their players more expensive, as we’ll soon see in free agency when a couple top stars likely depart, but it also means other clubs are beginning to take notice of some of the administrative minds behind the success.

This is awards week in Major League Baseball! The first major offseason hardware was given out Monday with the Rookie of the Year in each league, and next up on Tuesday was the Manager of the Year. The American League award went to Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, who led a notoriously small-budget club to the best record in the AL.

Nationals free agency hunt: Marcus Semien originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington The Nationals have several spots to fill, a solid chunk of money to possibly do it with and lots of quality options to choose from. The free agent list this year is not about superstar names. Rather, it’s about depth and quality.