MLB Thread - 2023
- Thread starter SLAB
- Start date
This A's front office has spent the last 3 years haggling with the city of Oakland over who has to pay roughly $240 million in up-front development fees (in other words, one season's worth of Dodgers payroll) for an ocean-front ballpark site that the city is giving them for free while simultaneously scrapping a 100 win team with 3 potential MVP candidates on it who are all Gold Glove winners in their 20s drafted and developed within the organization (Chapman, Olson, Murphy). They now have potentially the worst team in MLB history (-142 runs after only 38 games) and the vague hope that voters in Las Vegas will give them $500 million to build a dome stadium which will be sealed year-round because Vegas is 120 degrees in the summer. Keep in mind their current owner is the third richest owner in MLB.
If John Fisher had any business sense at all to go with the $2 billion he inherited from his parents he would have spent the $240 million to get shovels in the ground back in 2020 and the A's would be opening Howard Terminal next season to a sell-out crowd with one of the best teams in baseball competing for championships for the next decade. I don't even know what he's doing at this point. Maybe he thinks he's playing hardball and eventually some city will cave and build his stadium for him but the development costs for any site have likely doubled in the last few years so all he's done is bet against himself.
Another 2 hits tonight. And now started at 3B/SS/2B in 7 big league starts lol. Dude is fun to watch
SLAB
Hall of Famer
QWERTYLICIOUS
Starter
I feel terrible for Oakland A's fans. And "Oakland" Raiders fans. And Golden State Warriors Fans. And the citizens of the city of Oakland. Their city's doing them dirty.
Well, as Dorothy Parker famously said about Oakland: "Sports no sport sport."
...or something like that.
SLAB
Hall of Famer
Bring MLB to Sacramento!!!
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
I love the A’s. I absolutely would not want them in Sacramento as long as John Fisher is still attached to the franchise.
Raley Field (OK, what is it, "Sutter Health Park" or whatever) capacity is several thousand more people than the A's are currently averaging at home games. Just saying.
This whole saga is the Maloofs moving the Kings to Seattle all over again. Fisher has been offered $320 million in public money from the city of Oakland to build a 34,000 seat ballpark and a hotel on 18 acres of ocean front property adjacent to Jack London Square which already has a ferry terminal and is walking distance from downtown Oakland. Instead he wants $395 million from the city of Vegas to build a 30,000 seat ballpark in a parking lot on the strip and so far Vegas is only willing to offer him $195 million. This makes no sense. This ownership group has already tried to move the team to Freemont and San Jose instead of building in Oakland. How much clearer could it be that they're not negotiating in good faith?
SLAB
Hall of Famer
Im ready for the prospect rush. This team is so bland and mediocre with zero excitement.
I don’t have much hope for Bailey. But looking forward to Matos (in AAA now), Harrison (also AAA), and Luciano (AA, finally healthy). Luciano probably another year off, but we could see the other two sooner than later.
Farhan correctly realizing his seat is getting fairly warm. I don't think he'd get fired this off-season if we struggled, but I do think his seat would be SCORCHING hot heading into next year.
The farm has mostly been incredible all year. Love the idea of just giving these guys a shot, especially if the major league guys arent
The off-season signings are actually starting to play how we expected too. Conforto been red hot, Rogers has given up 1 ER since getting blown up by the Dodgers in April. Manea and Stripling are bad, but I think we probably see Harrison in a few months if he continues to rip up AAA.
Bring Harrison up, there are also some other arms worth looking at, also some hitters that might deserve a look, Zaidi needs to hold on while some of these blue chip guys are up with the main team AND he needs to get permission to break the bank trying to sign Ohtani…..as in twice the highest salary ever paid. Do what ever it takes.
SLAB
Hall of Famer
Is Harrison still walking a bunch of dudes? I know he had a bit of struggles early on in AAA … but if he’s right again, it’s gotta be time.
—
28 walks in 30 innings.
walks, smhalks.
16.43 K/9 in 30 AAA IP lol. That's absurd. I think we'll always just have to live with him being somewhat wild, at least early on in his career. Not saying bring him up yet or anything, but I'd love to see him up around the all-star break.
Eh, I wouldn't. He's a damn good defensive C and he's basically free for the next few years. I think the real benefit now is you can still continue to develop, but he's just a part-time player for the time being. And as awesome as Bailey has been so far, especially defensively, still not guaranteed he can hold onto the job. But it is super encouraging that he's been able to hit in limited PA so far. Bart was basically unplayable in his first go in the big leagues.
I would start things off with Bailey 400-450 PA's and Bart 200-250 PA as the back-up (over the course of a full-season). That might actually loosen Bart up a bit where he can just focus on his development rather than having to step in Buster's shoes. Blake Sabol is real real intriguing, but the dude has a 37.4% K rate still and he's uhh... not great defensively as a C. He's probably not the best plan for back-up C on the roster.
Webb has been incredible too. He's been ripping everyone apart the last month after a pretty bleh April.
PurpleHaze
All-Star
A's setting all kinds of records! Worst start modern MLB history at 10-45. Just got swept again by Houston at home (swept a week ago at Minute Maid Park) and setting records for being swept by host of teams so far this disastrous season. Houston hit 7 homers today in 10-1 win - the most HR's ever hit by a team, any team in a game at Oakland. As the records for futility keep pilling up hard to keep track. Feel sorry for the handful of loyal A's fans in the stands having to put up with train wreck that long ago ran off the tracks and now where it all ends who knows.
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