FRIDAY: The A’s officially announced the signing.
WEDNESDAY: The Athletics have agreed to sign free-agent slugger Chris Carter, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It’s a minor-league deal for the veteran first baseman/DH.
Oakland knows what it’s getting in the lumbering Carter, who broke into the majors there back in 2010. But he took only 384 trips to the plate with the A’s before he was shipped to the Astros (along with now-flourishing righty Brad Peacock and catcher Max Stassi) in the deal that brought Jed Lowrie and Fernando Rodriguez to the bay.
Carter has continued to produce home runs and strikeouts at prodigious rates ever since. Last year, which he spent with the Brewers, there were enough of the former to make up for the latter; Carter led the National League in both categories. But things weren’t working with the Yankees, who signed Carter after he was non-tendered but received only a .201/.284/.370 batting line over his 208 plate appearances.
Clearly, the veteran is never going to shed the swing and miss. He’ll always hit for a ghastly average (.217 lifetime). But despite those flaws, he has typically been a productive overall hitter, due not just to his power but also his ability to draw walks at a better-than-league-average rate (11.5% for his career).
While the A’s currently employ a productive first baseman in Yonder Alonso, he is expected to be in another uniform by the end of the month. That could open an opportunity for Carter to ascend once more to the majors, giving the organization a near-term fill-in while affording him a chance to set himself up for another foray into free agency at the end of the year.
This is why they’re in last place.
interesting hot-take. Incorrect, but still fun.
A’s are in last place 1.) because every one of their Starting Pitchers has spent extended time on the DL (Sonny Gray, Kendall Graveman (still on DL), Andrew Triggs (out for year), Jharel Cotton (still on DL), Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt (been out all year) along with best bullpen arms extended time on DL: Sean Dolittle (recently traded), Bobby Wahl (still on DL) and Ryan Dull (still on DL). So despite great years from Ryon Healy, Khris Davis, and Yonder Alonso, the pitching hasn’t been healthy (theme past three years) nor very good.
2.) Because they are finally in the midst of their first rebuild since the late 1990’s, so they ran out veteran’s at Catcher/3B/OF (Vogt/Plouffe) until best young prospects passed Super 2 status (Matt Chapman, Franklin Barreto) and before Bruce Maxwell was ready to take over Catcher from Stephen Vogt. Losing Marcus Semien one week into the season didn’t help either.
And 3.) Again, the Oakland A’s are finally doing the right thing, a proper rebuild, post the tragic 2014 WC loss, which ended an amazing three year run of Oakland A’s baseball from 2012-2014.. Despite sad misconceptions, during Billy Beane’s 20 years in Oakland the A’s have made the postseason 8 times, won 6 Division Titles, and won 74 games or more every year from 1999 to 2014. So, as stats, facts, and history show: they’ve never really rebuilt before, and they are currently obtaining great young talent that is all coming through the systems together, some already ML ready, and all which will be ready for the long overdue new ballpark in Oakland! So, be patient…Exciting times, really, happy for Oakland!
Signing a guy to play in AAA is not why they are in last place. They are rebuilding for a long run which takes time instead of signing players to large over paid bad contracts and hoping for the best. They only lack a real strong CF for a complete rebuild.
all they lack is a cfer, huh?
1B Olson 2B Barreto Ss Semien 3B Chapman C Maxwell RF Pinder LF Brugman DH Healy That is their youth movement. Rebuilds take a couple of years not overnight.
Brugman is AAAA and Semien isn’t a SS no matter how hard the A’s brass and fanbase keeps trying to tell us he is – watch any game with him there, he’s legitimately bad and missing tons of routine plays.
Brugman is a 4th outfielder. Which right now is their best outfielder.
when rosters expand in Sept Yairo Munoz will probably become their best outfielder
That’s a good group of kids should try to get Candela from the Cubs he would start 3B and help a lot
Oakland A’s have their 3B of the future, one of the best looking position player prospects they’ve had since Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada and Jason Giambi: and his name is Matt Chapman and he is already showing off his future Gold Glove defense at the hot corner.
Candela looks sick, but A’s are good at 3B. A’s need is young OF players.
Gawwwd, Semien was the worth of a bad lot of middle infielders with the White Sox, despite his athleticism (made Micah Johnson look like Grich) so never understood the A’s fascination with planting him as a foundation piece in the first place. Thankfully that’s over with the new crop of kids in the pipeline. Chapman-Baretto look like a solid left side
well said
Well said indeed
Winning a division that has produced one World Series champion in 28 years isn’t stellar. Trading Josh Donaldson and signing Billy Butler knocks him down to average.
But, but, but, Moneyball. Genius.
First rebuild? Oh, you’re right, you mean the one which started 20 years ago when BB became GM. Absolutely correct.
Well Robert, based on your reading comprehension, it is probably impossible to define what you regard as a “Rebuild.”
But history, facts, and stats disprove your sheepish comment in three easy points:
1.) Billy Beane’s 20 years in Oakland the A’s have made the postseason 8 times, won 6 Division Titles,
2.) That is a postseason appearance more than once every three seasons – meaning, you CAN NOT rebuild IF you are making the PLAYOFFS 1 out of every 3 years; and nearly a Division Title every three years.
3.) Under Beane, the A’s won 74 games or more every year from 1999 to 2014. Only the Cards and the Yanks can say the same. This has also been a curse, as the A’s have only had three picks in the Top 9 in Beane’s tenure: drafting 9th overall in 1999, and finally and more recently, 6th overall in 2016 and 6th overall in 2017. You can’t “rebuild” IF you’ve only had 3 picks near the top of the MLB draft during a 20 year span! (And drafting 9th, 6th, and 6th is hardly near the top, but it is the best they’ve had).
As you can tell, 2016 and 2017 have marked the start of a long overdue rebuild.
So, as stats, facts, and history show: they’ve never really rebuilt before, and they are currently obtaining great young talent that is all coming through the systems together, some already ML ready,all which will be ready for the long overdue new ballpark in Oakland! Exciting times in Oakland!
Study up and be careful NOT to SPIT against the WIND.
You don’t make the playoffs 50% of the time if you’re rebuilding, Robert.
They are in last place because their defense is the worst in MLB. That’s all you needed to type.
nope
That’s a lot of verbiage for a lot of “meh”. At least the OP was pithy.
Mendoza here doesn’t seem to know a lick about baseball management
dsdsdsdsdsd
Good luck with KKK arter.
This can be taken in two ways lol
clayton bigsby joins the A’s!
Now the trolls just get to be blatantly racist? This message board needs mods, and it needs them now
You must be a racist if you even thought that.. Mod yourself, bro.
Carter gets three AB’s a game and strikes out three times. Get your heads out of the gutter
Must be getting ready to jettison Alonso.
I wonder to whom?
Chris “Strikeout” Carter I wish you nothing but success. Don’t worry about all those rallies you killed, defense, because you won us at least one game with that walk off homer and was the epitome of class.
-Yankees fan
What walk off homer?
One thing for not only the Athletics are getting a powerful hitter. I am sure that Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr is right now licking his chop upon hearing that he will be able to throw to the ball to Chris Carter on Sunday during NFL season.
All Carter does is hit touchdowns…..
this made me laugh
Show time!
strange move, considering Matt Olson should get the extended look at 1B IF Yonder Alonso is traded, coupled with the fact that Ryon Healy is better at 1B than 3B (especially since the A’s have their 3B of the future now up and showing off his glove at the hot corner in Matt Chapman, who has basically set Ryon Healy’s future position with the club at 1B/DH).
About the only thing I can figure is another layer of injury depth in case Olson/Nunez/Healy all fall off of a cliff together.
Olson will probably be in RF and 1B, Healy at 1B and DH vs LH, Carter at DH against RHP and Pinder will play RF, 2B, SS. Or Carter doesn’t even play at all maybe, unless injury???
They really need to start moving Semien to LF or CF ASAP too, he looked so awful today at SS. He’s seriously not a MLB quality defensive SS, just stick him in the OF and let him rake already. Stop trying to make “Semien is a SS” happen!
They could recall Franklin Barreto who’s their shortstop of the future along with Joey Vendlle as the second baseman , Nunez will be in left
I agree Healy needs to play the field most days. i think it will help with his development as a player.
I agree he needs to be in the OF sooner than later
wendle
Wendle is absolute garbage who cant walk to save his life and isnt much of a hitter otherwise. He won’t even be in Oakland’s org in 2018.
Wait what Chris Carter is Billy Beane’s version of Satan
He doesn’t get on base, and he K’s all the time.
minor league band-aid?
Probably for when they trade Yonder Alonso.
it was brad peacock with the rope in the libary
awaiting moderation? it’s from CLUE…guess i can’t talk about monopoly either? sheesh
For it’s one, two, three strikes, Carter’s out,
At the old ball game.”
It must be frustrating to be an A’s fan…
Just when your players are peaking and will demand a bigger contract, you trade them and get young again.
Has Billy Beane been told something the rest of the league hasn’t like you can now play with 3 DH’s?
Chris “homerun” Carter I wish you nothing but failure. Worry about all those rallies you saved, offense, because you lost us at least one pancake with that walk off strikeout and was the epitome of trash..
-redsox fan
He was already on the team!
Chris,remember what Reggie Jackson, a hall of fame, told Tony Armas one day “you just worry about the home runs and nothing else”…
I’d love to see this move accompanied by the hiring of Frank Thomas as a special hitting assistant.
Why would u want to see that? Thompson was terrible with Oakland he was all washed up. I’d like them to hire Walt wiess.
Dude, Frank Thomas helped lead the 2006 Oakland A’s to the ALCS (ironic that of all of Billy Beane’s 8 playoff teams he built the 2006 team, arguably the second worst of the eight teams, was the one that broke through from the ALDS to the ALCS– goes to show how big of a crap-shoot a Best of 5 series is, but that is neither here nor there) and had a monster season that year.
Nice if it happened. Alas, the Big Hurt is pretty comfy as a Larry Legend type club ambassador for the ChiSox, and being sandwiched between the trainwreck zaniness of the Fox post game panel with Petey and ARod. Must see TV!
What in the sam hill is Brad Pitt doing? Is he trolling the A”s and their long suffering fans with these godawful moves? Unloading Donaldson was a cry for help. Staking the future on the Marcus Semiens and Chris Carters of the world? Selling off Alonso and Gray, who are still reasonably young and/or controllable?
Yikes, there is so much wrong and incorrect with this comment that I…..yikes.
1.) Carter is AAA filler, and the A’s have a strong young core of talent at 3B/1B right now (Matt Chapman, Ryon Healy, Matt Olson)
2.) Despite your incorrect narrative, which look I don’t blame you it is the sheep narrative of talk show radio. The facts are the Oakland A’s are in midst of their first rebuild since the late 1990’s..
And 3.) Again, the Oakland A’s are finally doing the right thing, a proper rebuild, post the tragic 2014 WC loss, which ended an amazing three year run of Oakland A’s baseball from 2012-2014..
Despite sad misconceptions, during Billy Beane’s 20 years in Oakland, the A’s have made the postseason 8 times, won 6 Division Titles, and won 74 games or more every year from 1999 to 2014.
So, as stats, facts, and history show: they’ve never really rebuilt before (can’t rebuild when you make the playoffs one out of every three seasons, against all odds, which is amazing!) and the A’s are currently obtaining great young talent that is all coming through the systems together (Chapman, Barreto, Manaea, Khrush, Puk, Healy, Beck, Olson, Maxwell, Pinder, Lararizto, Munoz, Nunez, Cotton, Montas, Dull, etc. etc. etc), some already ML ready, and all which will be ready for the long overdue new ballpark in Oakland!
So, be patient…Exciting times, really, happy for Oakland!