Mark Kotsay fired two of his key players for disregarding.
Bench coach Bob Geren was seen as one of the best options.
Billy Beane, general manager, stated, Not to fault either side, but I felt a disconnect on a lot of levels. Once more, the intention is not to criticize Ken or anything similar. However, that disparity did exist, and we had to fix it right now.
Despite having a 368-280 record in his four seasons as manager, Oakland has disappointed both management and supporters by not making it to the World Series.
Macha stated over the phone that he was happy with what they had accomplished. My only goal every time I went to the ballpark was to help the Oakland A’s win games, and we succeeded in doing so quite a bit. I don’t regret anything.
Since the end of the season, the A’s are the sixth major league team to fire their manager. Joe Girardi (Florida), Felipe Alou (San Francisco), Dusty Baker (Chicago Cubs), Frank Robinson (Washington), and Buck Showalter (Texas) will also not be returning.
It’s accepted that giving Beane a break is necessary to handle the A’s. Beane’s management style and reliance on statistics are extensively examined in the best-selling book “Moneyball,” which portrays the position as basically interchangeable and unworthy of the large salaries that other clubs pay their managers.
Macha, 56, earned $800,000 this year, but $2.025 million was still outstanding.
Oakland finished 93-69 and won the West despite a slew of injuries. The A’s were ousted in four straight games by the Tigers—their first ALCS since 1992—after sweeping Minnesota in three games during the opening round of the playoffs.
Tony La Russa, manager of the Cardinals, managed Oakland from 1986 to 1995. I’m genuinely shocked, he stated. I recently glanced at their season. How did they defeat Minnesota if there was conflict?
Rehiring Macha last year wasn’t a mistake, according to Beane.
No, I believe that a judgment can only be removed from its historical context, Beane remarked. Thus, we believe that this is the appropriate choice at this time, and that was the right choice at that particular moment.
