Elephant Rumblings: First spring games just days away

MLB news roundup

Hello AN! Hope you are all staying dry during this rain, if you live in California of course.

Yesterday was the first full official full squad workout of the spring. Things are going to pick up fast here as the first spring training game is just four days away. Anyone who didn’t come to camp in tip-top shape is going to be at a disadvantage. But there will be plenty of at-bats to go around, especially in the early going. The first games of spring training come this Saturday when the Athletics play the Rockies in a split-squad game. Double the opportunities for players to make an impression. And there will be more following throughout the first week of spring.

But preparing for the season isn’t the only thing hanging over the players this spring. They’ve also been getting the added pressure of giving their opinion on the seemingly impending move to Las Vegas while simultaneously playing in a lame duck ballpark with an angry fan base.

Yesterday was an all-hands meeting, from the players to the coaches to even including Dave Kaval. Kotsay was reportedly the main speaker while Kaval didn’t say a word. No surprise. All Kaval reportedly had to say was how cool the hats were. Apparently they “pop”, according to him. That’s not a good sign. I was hoping the hats would be cool this year.

Afterward Kotsay, who is in an unenviable job right now amidst a rebuild and the relocation saga, told reporters that there were no restrictions on what players could say regarding the relocation process, but we all know that is complete BS. Last year there was almost complete silence from the players regarding the relocation, even during the reverse boycott. Thanks to former closer Trevor May, though, we know that the entire process has been unwelcome from players in the Athletics clubhouse. They just don’t want to lose their jobs in baseball for speaking out against the billionaire owner. No one on the club is in a position to badmouth the man who cuts their paychecks.

But back to baseball. Spring Training is here! That’s something to be happy about. Saturday we kick things off against the Rockies. We already have first confirmation of who we can expect to see in the first game of the season:

Both of these pitchers are more or less fighting an uphill battle to crack the major league roster. With the recent additions of Alex Wood and Ross Stripling, however, it is extremely likely that both of those guys begin the year at Triple-A Las Vegas, at least to begin the year.

Both Wood and Stripling can’t be expected to last all year and make 30+ starts so the A’s will inevitably dip into their starting pitching depth one way or another. Both Estes and Boyle should absolutely be expected to make appearances for the A’s in 2024, with Boyle in particular likely to be among the first call-ups when the inevitable injury in the rotation pops up. And based on his limited cup of coffee at the end of ‘23, his promotion should be something to be excited about. Is it Saturday yet?

MLB News & Interest:

• Liam Hendricks signs 2-year deal with Red Sox
• Brewers bringing back Woodruff
• Blake Snell has offer on the table from Yankees
• Lerner family no longer pursuing Nationals sale
• Cubs waiting on Cody Bellinger for contract talks
• Trout doesn’t want to be traded now, “can’t predict the future”
• Rendon: Baseball has “never been a top priority for me”
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Look at #2 on the list :

Certain we will see him this upcoming season:

A continuation of MLB owners’ strategy: pay to stay:

Love the boys. But still can’t reply to their posts…….: