Former Tigers sidearm pitcher lands minor league deal with Brewers
A former Detroit Tigers sidearm slinger is on the move. Right-handed sidearm pitcher Nolan Blackwood inked a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive announced. Blackwood had previously signed to play in the Mexican League in 2024 but gets another opportunity to pitch in the big leagues –– something he's yet to do in his eight-year career. The right-handed reliever has spent time with four ball clubs' systems in his career, and came to the Motor City in 2018 as part of a trade that sent Mike Fiers to the Oakland Athletics.
A's Butler keeps hitting but Oakland's spring winning streak ends at 3
Just a week into spring training, A's flashy outfielder Lawrence Butler is doing it again. The loss snapped the A's modest three-game winning streak. Oakland fans may recall the A's only had one winning streak longer than three games last season. A year ago, Butler turned heads as a 22-year-old from Single-A in his first big-league camp by leading the team with a robust slash line of .478/.556/.870 in 12 games.
Chris's Column: Are the new Major League Baseball jerseys a smart move?
Starting in the 2024 season, Major League Baseball will have new jerseys. After Nike signed a 10-year deal with the MLB before the 2020 season, their goal was to enhance player performance and comfort during the summer months of the season. For certain teams, it is visibly noticeable when players' underwear/jersey tuck is exposed in photo shoots for the MLB.
Oakland A's remove Coliseum 'Rooted' sign as Kaval shares plans for season-long 'celebration'
Rooted in Oakland no longer, the A's finally ditched their slogan this week. The A's have removed their infamous “Rooted in Oakland” sign that was plastered across the Coliseum and visible from Interstate 880. The A's then replaced the giant sign with several smaller photos of historic moments in A's history. Thursday, team president Dave Kaval shared photos of the new signage via social media while saying the 2024 season “will be a celebration of our 50-plus years in Oakland.”
Oakland A's remove Coliseum 'Rooted' sign as Kaval shares plans for season-long 'celebration'
Rooted in Oakland no longer, the A's finally ditched their slogan this week. The A's have removed their infamous “Rooted in Oakland” sign that was plastered across the Coliseum and visible from Interstate 880. The A's then replaced the giant sign with several smaller photos of historic moments in A's history. Thursday, team president Dave Kaval shared photos of the new signage via social media while saying the 2024 season “will be a celebration of our 50-plus years in Oakland.”
A's help Muller change key part of his game after 2023 struggles
Kyle Muller had a rough 2023 MLB season for the struggling Athletics, but it might have been because of one particular area of his game. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound pitcher recently shared how he corrected his delivery over the offseason with Oakland, which was on display in his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. “I'd be the first to say that last year was a bad year and nothing I expected,” Muller said (h/t MLB.com's Martín Gallegos). Muller revamped his delivery this offseason by raising his arm slot and adjusting his windup rotation "from east-to-west to more of a north-to-south motion," per Gallegos -- a change suggested by the A's baseball operations department.
Oakland A's veteran Tony Kemp departs for new team, thanks fans with heartfelt letter
Tony Kemp, one of the longest-tenured Oakland A's, has officially signed with a new team. Kemp joined the Cincinnati Reds on a minor league contract this week. The 32-year-old was granted free agency for the first time this offseason after playing four of his eight big league seasons with the A's. The speedster hit .240 with a .675 OPS while playing mostly second base and left field over his four years in Oakland. “A piece of my heart will always be with you in the bay,” he wrote.
Oakland A's veteran Tony Kemp departs for new team, thanks fans with heartfelt letter
Tony Kemp, one of the longest-tenured Oakland A's, has officially signed with a new team. Kemp joined the Cincinnati Reds on a minor league contract this week. The 32-year-old was granted free agency for the first time this offseason after playing four of his eight big league seasons with the A's. The speedster hit .240 with a .675 OPS while playing mostly second base and left field over his four years in Oakland. “A piece of my heart will always be with you in the bay,” he wrote.
Foul Play
The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, had this to say about the Oakland Athletics relocating to her city: “I personally think they've got to figure out a way to stay in Oakland.” Ms. Goodman made this suggestion just a few days before pitchers and catchers were supposed to report to spring training. It seems that Mayor Goodman is having difficulty getting the ownership of the team to settle down on the site the city had originally proposed. Instead, the formerly Oakland A's have selected a much smaller parcel that would put them closer to The Strip.
Trevor May on Oakland A's owner John Fisher: 'He really hasn't done anything successfully'
Trevor May is finally free from the Oakland A's and owner John Fisher. “Like a bird, finally let loose to fly,” May said Saturday at Fans Fest, a celebration of Oakland sports fans at Jack London Square. Last season, May was the highest-paid player on the A's and one of the team's veteran leaders who was trying to keep things positive in a difficult year for him personally, having stepped away for about a month to deal with mental health issues, and for the franchise, which announced its plans to leave for Las Vegas. Like on that Tuesday night in June, when more than 27,000 A's fans showed up for a reverse boycott to protest Fisher's decision to move the team to Vegas.
2024 Guardians Spring Training Players Of The Game: Game 4
Deyvison De Los Santos, Johnathan Rodriguez, Jhonkensy Noel Ready To Make Impact For Guardians Deyvison De Los Santos, Johnathan Rodriguez, Jhonkensy Noel Ready To Make Impact For Guardians 2024 Guardians Spring Training Players Of The Game: Game 4 Cleveland's Chase DeLauter, José Ramírez, Hunter Gaddis, and Franco Aleman all had strong performances in the team's 11-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Author: Logan Potosky Publish date: Feb 27, 2024 10:31 PM EST In this story: Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians suffered their second 2024 Cactus League loss with an 11-2 defeat to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday afternoon. With 90 players representing the Guardians during spring training
Why Kotsay compares A's prospect Spence to All-Star Blackburn
As the Athletics move through spring training in preparation for the start of the 2024 MLB season, pitcher Mitch Spence is impressing manager Mark Kotsay. Kotsay recently explained how impressed he has been with Spence so far during spring training, noting that the young right-hander reminds him of All-Star reliever Paul Blackburn. “He's a kid that reminds me a little bit of like a Paul Blackburn,” Kotsay said Monday (h/t MLB.com's Martín Gallegos).
Kyle Muller strikes out three in Cactus League debut for Oakland A's in loss to Dodgers
One of the A's biggest questions entering camp is where Kyle Muller fits into their pitching plans. Muller, a key piece to the prospect package the A's received from Atlanta in the Sean Murphy trade before last season, is out of options, so he'll have to break camp with the team or possibly be lost to a waiver claim. Sunday, Muller made his Cactus League debut and allowed one run with three strikeouts in two innings in Oakland's 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale, Arizona.
Kyle Muller strikes out three in Cactus League debut for Oakland A's in loss to Dodgers
One of the A's biggest questions entering camp is where Kyle Muller fits into their pitching plans. Muller, a key piece to the prospect package the A's received from Atlanta in the Sean Murphy trade before last season, is out of options, so he'll have to break camp with the team or possibly be lost to a waiver claim. Sunday, Muller made his Cactus League debut and allowed one run with three strikeouts in two innings in Oakland's 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale, Arizona.