Friday, November 13

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s Beat newsletter.

LAS VEGAS -- When Cam Castro was introduced as the new general manager of the Athletics last week, he couldn’t help but take some time to reflect on his time spent with the Brewers.

The experience Castro gained while performing several different roles with Milwaukee from 2019-26 has prepared him for this new opportunity with the A’s. Most of that preparation came while working under Brewers GM and president of baseball operations Matt Arnold, the architect of this year’s World Series-winning squad who is widely regarded as one of the top executives in baseball.

“Matt is somebody who was just incredibly good to me and didn’t need to be,” Castro said. “I was a pitching coach in the organization and he was great to me for a really long time. I have a ton of respect for Matt and the whole group we had there.

“What I would take from him personally as the person and leader that he is is listen, collaborate, ask questions, get curious and seeking to understand other perspectives. Ultimately, being comfortable when you have to make a decision, but to gather and collate as much information as you can to get there, and to build really great relationships along the way, which he had, and I would hope that I can bring to this organization as well.”

During this week's GM Meetings at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, MLB.com caught up with Arnold to discuss Castro’s new role.

MLB.com: What are your thoughts on the opportunity Cam is getting here with the A’s?

Arnold: He’s great. He’s one of the best. Very happy for him and his family. He’s a talented guy. His track record, if you ever look at what he’s been through as far as a coach in the Minor Leagues, a coach that coached all the way through the Rust Belt at junior colleges, it’s just a really cool story from where he’s come from to where he is today.

MLB.com: It does seem like kind of a unique path that Cam took to get here. How do you think that experience maybe helps in a GM role?

Arnold: He’s worn a lot of hats. He’s got a lot of empathy and he knows how to connect with players at every level. He’s been part of it as a coach. … He has that level of grind that it takes to be good in this sport.

MLB.com: He obviously comes from a long pitching background. How integral was he to that successful run of Brewers pitching we’ve seen in recent years?

Arnold: Super integral. He oversaw all our player development. We’ll certainly miss him, for sure.

“I think Nate’s an exceptional defender. He’s just awesome out there. I think he’s a very good baserunner. I think there’s a lot of ingredients on the offensive side as well. He’s a player I was very excited to get.” -- president of baseball operations Taylor Smith on trading for outfielder Nate Eaton, whom the A’s acquired in a trade with the Red Sox last month

Among these famous A's homegrown players, who was drafted first?

A. Tim Hudson

B. Mark Mulder

C. Huston Street

D. Barry Zito

• Smith and Castro took part in their first GM Meetings with the A’s this week. More >>

A. Tim Hudson (1997)

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