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Athletics Claim Miguel Andujar From Pirates

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The Athletics announced that they have claimed infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar off waivers from the Pirates and selected outfielder Lazaro Armenteros. The A’s also outrighted left-handers Anthony Kay and Easton Lucas, as well as right-handers Tayler Scott and Chad Smith to Triple-A Las Vegas. The move on Armenteros was reported last week.

Andujar, 29 in March, had a tremendous season with the Yankees in 2018, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting to Shohei Ohtani. But since then, he hasn’t been given an extended stretch of playing time in the big leagues. Shoulder surgery put him out of action for much of 2019 and Gio Urshela stole the third base job in the Bronx while he was gone. Since then, he has generally crushed in the minors but struggled when given brief looks in the majors.

2023 continued that pattern, with Andujar in the Pirates organization. He was up in the majors for a couple of weeks from late April to mid-May but hit just .161/.212/.387. But his Triple-A season was far stronger, as he hit .338/.404/.536 at that level. He got back to the big leagues as a September call-up and was able to post an excellent line .302/.351/.528 in the final month of the season.

Given that encouraging finish, the Bucs could have held onto Andujar but he was projected for an arbitration salary of $2.2MM and is out of options. He was also limited to playing first base and the outfield corners in 2023, both in the majors and in the minors. The Pirates decided to move on but the A’s have come in to claim him.

The latter club has traded away their most established big leaguers in recent years, which perhaps makes Oakland the ideal landing spot for Andujar. He will be competing for playing time in the first base/corner outfield/designated hitter mix with Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday and others. If he is finally able to click in the majors again, he can be retained for another season via arbitration, though the A’s would likely trade him in that scenario.

Kay, 28, was just claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. He has a 5.59 ERA in 85 1/3 career innings at the major league level. He tossed 40 2/3 innings in the minors this year, between the Mets and Cubs, with a 3.76 ERA in that time.

Lucas, 26, just came of the A’s in the deadline deal that sent Shintaro Fujinami to the O’s. He was added to the roster in early September and made his major league debut, allowing six earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He tossed 46 2/3 frames in the minors for the year across different levels and organizations, with a 3.86 ERA across those clubs.

Scott, 31, was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in July. He had a 5.60 ERA in the majors in 2023, splitting time between three different clubs. Between three different Triple-A clubs, he logged 38 1/3 innings with a 1.64 ERA.

Smith, 28, was acquired from the Rockies in the last offseason. He went on to throw 13 2/3 innings for the A’s in 2023 with a 6.59 ERA. His 34 2/3 innings in Triple-A didn’t go any better, with a 7.53 ERA in that time.

Mets No Longer Considering Mark Kotsay For Manager's Job

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  • The Mets’ search might be down to just Craig Counsell and Carlos Mendoza, as reported earlier today by SNY’s Andy Martino.  Earlier this week, Martino reported that Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was also under consideration from New York, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (X link) today wrote that “Kotsay no longer is part of” the Mets’ search.  The A’s did grant Kotsay permission to speak with the Mets, though it doesn’t appear that Kotsay will be departing the Oakland dugout.  The former 17-year MLB veteran has been Oakland’s manager for the last two seasons, with a miserable 110-214 record that is hardly Kotsay’s fault, given that he was tasked with overseeing a team in a massive rebuild.

A’s To Select Lazaro Armenteros

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The Athletics are selecting outfielder Lazaro Armenteros onto the 40-man roster, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com (X link). That’ll bump Oakland’s roster count to 37.

Armenteros was a high-profile amateur signee from Cuba seven years ago. The right-handed hitter was viewed at the time as a potential power-hitting regular, leading to a fair bit of hype preceding the 2016-17 international period. The A’s eventually landed Armenteros with a $3MM signing bonus.

That offensive potential has been undercut by huge strikeout tallies throughout his minor league career. Armenteros has punched out in more than 37% of his professional plate appearances. That’d be alarming for any prospect but is particularly concerning for a player whom most scouts project as a left fielder. His stock has dimmed considerably. Armenteros has twice gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft.

The 24-year-old had a generally solid season with Double-A Midland in 2023. He hit .248/.380/.464. Armenteros connected on 14 home runs while drawing walks at a massive 15.3% clip. Swing-and-miss remained an issue, though, as he punched out nearly a third of the time he stepped to the plate.

Oakland’s front office clearly remains intrigued by Armenteros’ physical tools. He has spent parts of seven seasons in the minors, meaning he would have qualified for minor league free agency on Monday if he weren’t on the 40-man roster. The A’s will keep that from happening. Armenteros has a full slate of options and would likely start next season in Triple-A if he holds the 40-man spot throughout the offseason.

A’s Decline Option On Drew Rucinski

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The Athletics are declining a $5MM option on right-hander Drew Rucinski, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 (X link). That was the expected decision.

Oakland signed Rucinski to a $3MM guarantee last offseason. It was a low-cost flier after the 34-year-old had turned in a 2.97 ERA with the Korea Baseball Organization’s NC Dinos. Injuries derailed his effort to establish himself as an MLB starter. Rucinski made only four starts, allowing 22 runs (18 earned) across 18 innings. He walked 14 while striking out just six.

Rucinski landed on the injured list in mid-May. The team announced the problem as a stomach illness. A bit thereafter, the team announced he was dealing with a degenerative back condition. Rucinski underwent a surgical procedure in July. Alexander notes the rehab is expected to carry into 2024, leaving it unclear when he might be able to take the mound.

Athletics, Sean Newcomb Agree To Deal For 2024

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The Athletics and left-hander Sean Newcomb are in agreement on a deal for 2024, per Robert Murray of Fansided and Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The lefty will make $1MM next year.

Oakland acquired Newcomb in a minor league trade with the Giants in August. He made seven appearances in green and gold, allowing five runs in 15 innings. Newcomb punched out 17 while walking nine, averaging a little over 93 MPH on his fastball. His season was cut short by a meniscus tear that required surgery in mid-September.

With between four and five years of MLB service, Newcomb was eligible for arbitration this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for the $1MM salary to which he has agreed. He’ll likely occupy a spot in the season-opening bullpen and would remain eligible for arbitration for one more season if he pitches well enough to stick on the MLB roster.

Latest On Mets’ Managerial Search

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The Mets are one of several teams looking for a new manager, with Buck Showalter having been fired last month. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Craig Counsell, seen as some as the favorite for the gig, is heading to New York today with an interview to take place in the coming days. Meanwhile, Andy Martino of SNY reports the club is narrowing the field and will make a hire within the week, with Carlos Mendoza and Athletics’ manager Mark Kotsay also in the mix with Counsell. Martino adds that Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada did not interview for the Mets.

The fit with Counsell has been speculated upon for quite some time. David Stearns was general manager and president of baseball operations with the Brewers for many years, overlapping with Counsell’s time as skipper in Milwaukee. Stearns was recently hired by the Mets for the POBO job with that club and one of his first actions was to fire Showalter, immediately causing many to assume that Counsell would follow Stearns to Queens.

Counsell was under contract with the Brewers through the end of October but the Mets received permission to interview him last week. It seems that interview has still not officially taken place, though Martino reports that he did speak to the club on the phone. He has also interviewed with the Guardians and has attracted the interest of the Astros. While a return to Milwaukee could still be possible, it seems Counsell is being thorough in assessing his options.

Mendoza’s involvement in the search has previously been reported but Kotsay is a new entry. He is currently the manager of the A’s, having been hired to be the bench boss of that club prior to the 2022 campaign. The club has been terrible in that time but that could hardly be blamed on the skipper since the A’s have been aggressively rebuilding, trading away just about every established big league player making a notable salary.

If the Mets are seriously interested in Kotsay, they may have to work out an arrangement with the A’s. Oakland let Bob Melvin jump to the Padres prior to hiring Kotsay, not asking the Padres for any compensation in return. It was speculated that the A’s were happy to let Melvin walk to save on his salary, which was reported to be about $4MM per year. It’s unknown how much Kotsay is making but it’s presumably less than that. Whether the A’s would have any reluctance to letting their manager jump ship this time is unknown.

Espada has been the bench coach in Houston since 2018 and has been connected to various managerial openings since then. He has yet to move on from that gig and it’s unclear if the lack of interview with the Mets was a decision of his or of the Mets. The Astros have their own managerial vacancy with Dusty Baker stepping down and Espada has been floated as a possible fit for that job, though it doesn’t seem as though that club is in a hurry to fill that vacancy.

Athletics Outright Kirby Snead

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The A’s have outrighted Kirby Snead off their 40-man roster, as per the left-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  Snead can’t reject the assignment to Triple-A since he doesn’t have enough Major League service time and because this is his first outright, but he is probably likely to become a minor league free agent.

Snead came to the Athletics as part of the Matt Chapman trade package from the Blue Jays in March 2022, and he has a 5.59 ERA over 56 1/3 relief innings for the A’s over his two seasons in the organization.  Only 11 2/3 of those innings came in 2023, as a shoulder sprain suffered during Spring Training kept him on the 60-day injured list until the end of June.  Snead didn’t appear in a game on the big league roster until August 1, and he made 15 appearances before being optioned to Triple-A in early September.

In the small sample size of 64 total MLB innings to his name, Snead has a 17.2% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, and 42.7% grounder rate.  These uninspiring numbers aren’t nearly as solid as Snead’s K% and groundball rates in the minors, and Snead’s 3.39 ERA over 273 1/3 minor league frames is also encouraging, even if the results haven’t been there with Triple-A Las Vegas in the last two seasons.  Snead’s control in particular has become an issue, calling back to some problems he had earlier in his career in issuing free passes.

Assuming Snead hits the open market, the 29-year-old will catch on somewhere with a team looking for left-handed relief depth, or Snead could perhaps be a candidate to explore his options with a team overseas.  A reunion with Oakland seems possible, as the A’s figure to be looking for inexpensive relief options and might pivot back to a familiar face.

Tony Clark Discusses A's Relocation

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MLBPA executive director Tony Clark spoke to reporters (including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times) today prior to Game 1 of the World Series regarding the Athletics and their bid to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas. With a relocation vote scheduled for the owner’s meetings in November, the process is moving forward with few roadblocks, though one major question still remains: where will the A’s play from 2025-27, after their lease at the Colliseum expires but before their ballpark is completed, which is expected in time for Opening Day 2028?

Athletics Sign Vinny Nittoli

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The A’s signed right-hander Vinny Nittoli to a minor league contract, according to reporter Jessica Kleinschmidt (X link).  The deal includes an invitation to Oakland’s big league Spring Training camp.

It was a pretty short stint on the open market for Nittoli, who only elected minor league free agency a few days ago after the Mets outrighted the 32-year-old off their 40-man roster last week.  Nittoli came to New York in a trade from the Cubs last June, and all of his 2023 big league action came in a Mets uniform — 3 2/3 innings pitched over three appearances.

This makes it three MLB seasons for Nittoli, though he has only 6 2/3 career innings and six games under his belt as a big leaguer.  A 25th-round draft pick for the Mariners in 2014, Nittoli has bounced around to nine different organizations in total, including both his new deal with the Athletics.  He has also been with the Mariners and Blue Jays in multiple stints, and pitched in independent ball in 2017-18.

Nittoli has largely worked as a relief pitcher during this well-traveled career, and he has a 5.04 ERA over 153 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level.  Despite some pretty solid strikeout totals, Nittoli has been hampered by the home run ball in recent years, particularly in 2023 when he allowed 11 homers in 42 2/3 total innings with the Cubs’ and Mets’ top affiliates.

The righty’s secondary metrics have been decent enough to keep meriting looks from a variety of different teams now, but Nittoli hasn’t yet been able to establish himself beyond anything more than a few cups of coffee in the majors.  A fresh opportunity awaits in Oakland, and since the rebuilding A’s are on the lookout for low-cost veterans to fill out their bullpen, Nittoli might have a shot at winning himself a job in Spring Training.

Rob Gardner Passes Away

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Former major leaguer Rob Gardner has passed away, per an obituary from the Press & Sun-Bulletin out of Binghamton, New York. He was 78 years old.

Gardner was a left-hander pitcher who played in the majors from 1965 to 1973, bouncing around the league as a frequently-traded journeyman. His career began as a starter with the Mets in 1965. He created a memorable piece of baseball trivia in his final start of that season, taking the ball for the Mets’ game against the Phillies in October 2. Gardner tossed 15 shutout innings, an unfathomable accomplishment in today’s game, as both clubs failed to score. It was eventually declared a 0-0 draw after 18 innings.

The southpaw served a swingman role for the Mets in 1966, tossing 133 2/3 innings with a 5.12 ERA, the largest major league workload of his career. He was traded to the Cubs for the 1967 season and then to Cleveland for the campaign after that, playing a limited role with both clubs. He was stuck in the minors for all of the 1969 campaign but was traded to the Yankees before the following season.

That set the stage for Gardner to create another memorable piece of trivia in the coming years, though not for anything he did on the field. He and Ron Klimkowski were traded to the Athletics for Felipe Alou in April of 1971. Gardner was traded back to the Yankees in May and stayed with them through the 1972 season. Then he was traded to the A’s yet again, this time with Felipe’s brother Matty Alou going to the Yankees, giving Gardner the distinction of having twice been traded from the Yankees to the A’s with one of the Alou brothers going the other way.

Gardner also spent some time with the Brewers in 1973, then spent a couple more years in the minors before hanging up his cleats. He finished his career with a 4.35 ERA in 331 innings, having struck out 193 opponents. After retiring from baseball, he spent time as a firefighter and paramedic in Binghamton. MLBTR sends our condolences to all his family, friends and loved ones.

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