Mark Kotsay just made his exit known.
the general manager of Oakland Athletics, Mark Kotsay, declared his retirement
The Oakland A’s could lose 131 games, which would be a record not seen in Major League Baseball since the 1800s.
The A’s had the worst batting average, worst ERA, and worst fielding percentage defensively among major league teams as of Saturday. Oh, and it looks like the A’s will soon leave the city and the dilapidated stadium they have played in for the previous 55 years.
In 2023, David Forst, the general manager of the MLB team with the lowest payroll, may have had low hopes for his squad. However, three-quarters of the way through an exceptionally poor season, Forst is still unsure of how it all went wrong in what is expected to be the worst season in the 123-year history of the team.
Before the A’s game against the Houston Astros on Saturday at the Coliseum, Forst remarked, “It’s hard to convey how things have gone.” This is not what anyone had anticipated. It’s really difficult to describe. A lot of young, inexperienced players mixed with a lot of older players who aren’t quite performing up to par make for a bit of a perfect storm.
“You can kind of see where we are right now when you add in a bunch of injuries.”
Forst’s squad was 10-43 going into Saturday after dropping nine straight games to start the season. They could end up with the lowest record of any major league team since the Cleveland Spiders’ 20-134 campaign in 1899.
With a collective ERA of 6.83 going into Saturday, the A’s were far behind the 29th-worst in MLB, 5.29, owned by the Kansas City Royals. Their batting average as a club is.221, and they have some of the lowest offensive numbers of any big-league team.
Prior to Saturday, their run difference was an incredible -187.
As of last November, Billy Beane assumed the position of senior advisor to owner John Fisher, and Forst has led the A’s baseball operations for his first full season. When asked to assess his own work to date, Forst replied, “We’re 10-43.” There is a ton of work ahead of us.
Some conclusions from Saturday’s press conference between Forst and reporters.
Big actions aren’t expected just yet.Forst stated that he isn’t currently thinking about benching certain older players to make way for fresher talent.
The A’s dealt catchers Christian Bethancourt and Austin Allen, pitchers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino, and veterans Stephen Piscotty and Jed Lowrie before the trade deadline last season. Trevor May, Tony Kemp, Shintaro Fujinami, and Jesús Aguilar are among the players who will be free agents in the offseason. It is unlikely that any of those players would be retained until the August 1 trade deadline, even in the event that there is a market for their services.
However, nobody seems to be moving right away.
Forst stated, “We’re kind of focused right now on day-to-day, trying to try to win games.” “We’re not thinking about what will happen when the deadline rolls around yet,” I said.
A’S DEMAND MORE FROM ANIMALS:According to Spotrac, the A’s current payroll is $59.6 million, which is the lowest in MLB by about $6 million. They did make financial investments in Aledmys Díaz (two years, $14.5 million), Fujinami (one year, $3.25 million), Aguilar (one year, $3 million), Jace Peterson (two years, $9.5 million), and May (one year, $7 million).
Although May has taken time off to address anxiety concerns, the A’s other additions haven’t delivered enough value for Oakland. Forst questions whether those players have been expected to take on too much in light of their previous positions in the team.
And they are not to blame for it. We assembled that roster, according to Forst. “Any experienced player would be expected to fill a position that he may not have played on a previous club when he wasn’t an everyday player or wasn’t expected to lead things like that when you have young players.”
“These men have a history. Even though it’s just been two months, I believe it’s reasonable to expect them to do better. They must, for our sake.
FOR NOW, COACHING STAFF APPEARS SAFE:Forst gave A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, credit for his efforts in trying to identify the team’s strengths over the first 53 games. When asked to assess the other coaches during a contentious season, Forst responded, “Those individuals get judged on how much work they put in.” Considering how much contact they have with the players, neither Mark nor I can currently identify anything wrong with any of those guys.
We’ve always maintained that it’s difficult to hold those guys responsible for what occurs behind closed doors as long as I’ve been here. Their capabilities are limited. The athletes must perform on the field.
So for the remainder of the season, the staff is safe?
Forst stated, “Absolutely nothing has been discussed.”
PLAY THE KIDS?: Prospects in the system will eventually have a chance to play in the major leagues, if the history of the A’s is any guide. But not right now.
Center Tyler Soderstrom, infielders Zack Gelof, Lawrence Butler, Brett Harris, and Darell Hernaiz, and outfielder Denzel Clarke are among the A’s best prospects at Double-A or Triple-A.
The A’s might benefit from a young, enthusiastic infusion, but not at the price of those players’ long-term growth.
Forst stated, “I believe you should anticipate seeing them when they’re ready.” Because of what’s going on here, I don’t want to find ourselves in a situation where we’re pushing guys’ development too quickly. When those guys have demonstrated to the extent that it is obvious they are prepared to come here and stay, the plan is to bring them up.
THE VEGAS SITUATION: On Friday, the A’s not only unveiled artist renderings of their planned new ballpark in Las Vegas but also submitted a funding bill to the Nevada Senate.
