Elephant Rumblings: Pruitt, Logjams, Canesco, plus a Wilson update

MLB news roundup

Good morning A’s fans! Time to rise and shine.

The A’s fell to the Tampa Bay Rays in last night’s contest, though since it’s a four-game series the club still has a chance at splitting the series. It wasn’t all bad in the close 4-2 loss as Rule 5 rookie Mitch Spence set a career-high in strikeouts, JJ Bleday hit his 17th home run, and we also got a successful MLB debut from the last remaining piece of the Chris Bassitt trade. Still, the club is duking it out with the $172MM Los Angeles Angels for fourth place. Heck, a further collapse from the Texas Rangers and we might even be talking about third place come September.

Next, the Athletics quietly brought back a familiar face on a minor league deal last night. Right-handed veteran reliever Austin Pruitt’s name popped up on the transaction tracker that MLB provides so it’s not like either side was really shouting this reunion from the hills. How Pruitt figures to fit in is unknown. As a soon-to-be 35-year old reliever the club isn’t exactly betting on his future value to the club, instead bringing him on as a bit of veteran insurance. Still, a bit of a curious move for a team that clearly is trying to check out their younger arms at the moment.

Then our very own Nico wrote up an interesting and sobering article about the seeming logjams that are starting to appear across the major league roster and the upper minors of the farm system. In short, time will tell with these guys but it’s always a smart bet to not put all your hope in one or two players. We all thought that Tyler Soderstrom, for a recent example, would get the call to the big leagues and find immediate success.

In other news, former Athletic great Jose Canseco spoke openly and honestly about how the organization has been run, specifically in the fan service department. One of the comparisons he makes in the piece is how the ownership has treated the team’s players as stocks, not human beings who fans adore and love. It’s worth a read from someone who has an enigmatic past with the club but still holds a special place in his heart. On a more light hearted note there was a fun question regarding Tuesday night’s game: was it possibly the worst game in baseball history? When only 4,377 people show up, it’s a worthy question to be asking.

Elsewhere others are finally catching on to the hypocrisy a lot of MLB owners have towards the game of baseball and their fans. Many feel as though they own these teams and legally yes, they’re the owners of these historic franchises. But in a deeper way they’re mere stewards of the teams they run. And if the Athletics can be ripped away from their home then any baseball team can, something we wish on no baseball fan. Just take Dave Stewart, who just today spoke about the one thing he would trade to keep the A’s rooted in Oakland. The thing he says he would trade would suck, but every A’s fan would make that trade in a heart beat.

And to wrap things up, a little Jacob Wilson update:

In what is Wilson’s fourth rehab game, the young shortstop went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks on a day where he DH’d. Looking good, how long do we think until he’s activated? A wee? Less? More? Discuss!

A’s Coverage:

• Spence’s strong start not enough as Athletics fall to Rays
• Athletics sign Austin Priutt to minor league deal
• Logjams that aren’t
• Jose Canseco Talks About Oakland A’s Constant Roster Churn Hurting the Fan Experience
• Did the A’s and Rays Play The Worst Game Ever?
• Phillies owner who helped rip A’s from Oakland is MLB’s ultimate hypocrite
• Dave Stewart reveals what he’d trade ‘in a heartbeat’ to keep team in Oakland

MLB News & Interest:

• Cardinals option infielder Nolan Gorman
• Cardinals option former top prospect Jordan Walker
• Joey Votto announces retirement
• Braves sign Gio Urshela to major league deal
• Yankees place starter Luis Gil on IL with lower back strain
• Angels call up Johnny Cueto
• Cardinals release Brandon Crawford
• Cubs release Hector Neris
• World Baseball Classic pools, dates announced
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Former A’s roll of the dice:

Lots of interest in Oakland baseball…

Spoiler: Kurtz is #3:

Love to hear it!