The Option of A’s Pick-Up Manager, Mark Kotsay

Mark Kotsay is remaining in Oakland after conducting interviews for at least one managerial position.The Oakland A’s have declared that they have selected Mark Kotsay’s 2025 season option. Although they eventually selected Carlos Mendoza, the team had given the skipper permission to interview for the New York Mets position last week.

Kotsay led the A’s squad of inexperienced and youthful players through what was perhaps the most difficult season any team has faced in the last twenty years, and the organization chose to use Kotsay’s option to extend their relationship beyond the 2024 campaign as a show of trust in him.

The 2023 season was not his fault, despite the fact that some may point to the A’s 50-112 record and wonder how in the world Kotsay just had another year added to his contract. Ownership established the budget, while the front office created the roster. These had a far bigger impact on the season’s result than Kotsay’s ability to choose wisely between two relievers with a 6.50 ERA.

Not only was he not positioned for success, but the ownership also placed a notice of a relocation in his lap before vanishing, leaving Kotsay to deal with queries from the media for the entire season. This was a challenging season to deal with because of the weak team and the relocation announcement combined.

Even still, or perhaps as a result of the way he handled those problems, Kotsay was receiving calls from rival clubs. That had to make the front management realize that, given that other teams were requesting interviews with Kots, they should probably do him a favor and exercise his option.

General Manager David Forst stated, “Mark’s leadership, character, and integrity have been a hallmark of his career with the A’s, first as a player and a coach, and, for the last two years, as our manager.” “Choosing to exercise his option was the right move for our team, and I’m excited to watch him guide the A’s on the field through 2025 and perhaps beyond.”

After two seasons of Kotsay leading the way, the major question now is: Where will the A’s play in 2025?