Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter. SAN FRANCISCO – For an idea of how different this season is from the previous three for the Athletics, look no further than their latest roster move. Before opening up a three-game series against the Giants at Oracle Park on Friday night, the A’s made a slew of roster transactions. Chief among them was Osvaldo Bido, who was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas one day after his rough outing against the Dodgers on Thursday. The A’s had big expectations for Bido entering the 2025 campaign on the heels of what was a sneaky good ‘24 with underlying numbers that suggested he might be in line for a breakout. But after going 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA over his first four starts, the right-hander has struggled with an 8.74 ERA in his last five starts. |
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Had Bido’s recent struggles occurred in any of the rebuilding years from 2022-24, the A’s likely would have provided him further opportunities to work those out at the Major League level. This year, however, is different. The A’s have increased expectations as a club with hopes to compete for the playoffs, and with that comes a different philosophy in terms of how they manage the roster. “We’re only a quarter of the way into the season,” A’s general manager David Forst said on Friday. “But I think there are some expectations from [manager Mark Kotsay] and the guys in that clubhouse that we need to go out and compete every night to win. Not to say that wasn’t their desire the last few years, but let’s be realistic, we weren’t in a position to do that every night. This is a better team. It’s a more talented team, and I think there are [higher] expectations.” As opposed to the back-to-back 100-loss A’s teams from 2022-23 and last year’s 69-win club, the 2025 version is firmly in the mix early on. The A’s entered Friday night holding a 22-22 record, sitting just two games back of the first-place Mariners in the American League West. Yes, it is early in the season. There is a ton of baseball to be played. But the A’s are not going to wait around and allow a player to go through scuffles for too long if other options are available. They showed that last month with Joey Estes, who earned the final spot in the rotation out of Spring Training and was optioned after a pair of rough outings. |
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“Last season, we were a lot more patient in making moves like this,” Kotsay said. “This season, our mindset is different. That’s one of the things we talked about coming out of Spring Training.” J.T. Ginn, who is recovering from right elbow inflammation and tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings on 62 pitches in a rehab outing with Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, is the likely candidate to fill Bido’s spot in the rotation. That next turn will come on Monday, when the A’s welcome the Angels to West Sacramento for a four-game series. As for Bido, like Estes, both Forst and Kotsay expect to see him back at some point this season. With Bido, his lack of strikeouts – 29 in 43 1/3 innings – is something the A’s would like to see him work to improve at the Minor League level. “He managed some games where he had some soft contact games and not a ton of strikeouts,” Kotsay said. “His performance in general, as a whole, can be better. …It’s a good time for him to go reset and possibly identify areas where he can get swing-and-miss, one of those being using his fastball at the top of the zone a little bit more with some more ride. He had the ability to strike hitters out last season. We just haven’t seen the same from him this season.” |
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Ty Cobb is famously associated with the Tigers, but he less famously finished his career with the A's. In what year did Cobb debut with Philadelphia? A. 1927 B. 1922 C. 1932 D. 1929 |
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A’s Minor Leaguer CJ Alexander hit for the cycle on May 10, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs against the Reno Aces. Hitting for the cycle is special for any player, regardless of the scenario. For Triple-A Las Vegas, it marked the fourth consecutive year an Aviators player has hit for the cycle. This one, however, carried an even deeper meaning for Alexander. Why? Starting at DH for Reno in that same game was Blaze Alexander, CJ’s brother. |
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