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Well they made the big trade to get a big hitter.

They haven't had a 30-HR hitter since Barry Bonds, 21 years ago.

On paper it sounds like a great deal. Don't know much about either prospect they sent. Harrison was suppose to be one of their great pitching prospects but so far in his career, he's about 4.5 ERA, which is about average. Still very young.

But it tells you they can't develop hitters in their system and also the stadium may be the big issue.

For all we know, Devers may not hit 30 in a season at Oracle either. His average may also suffer.

It's great that the team was willing to make a huge financial commitment. But they had a lower payroll than the Padres, which is a smaller market, and almost was matched in payroll by the Diamondbacks, which is again another smaller market.

THey're in contention for a WC spot but I believe they were also in contention last year and then faded away in the second half of the season.

Team needs more hitters though. If not before the trade deadline, they have to look at pursuing another big hitter.

Adames, the big FA signing in the offseason, has hit 8 HRs but is hitting .201 and his numbers are way down compared to his seasons with the Brewers.

That damn stadium they have but also he probably wasn't as good as his numbers last year.

Giants have produced the 3rd fewest runs in baseball. Devers probably won't be enough. They need to bring in probably 2 or 3 professional hitters, which this team still lacks.

Some fans have talked about trying to sign Kyle Tucker, who's going to command another huge 9-figure contract.

Hope the owners are budgeting to try to spend big.

I think
Lee
Ramos
Devers
Chapman
Flores
Yaz
Fitzgerald
Bailey
Is a good enough lineup to make a playoff run. Perhaps another outfield bat since Yaz is oft-injured and streaky af would do the trick.
Depending on the health of our starters and the continued development of roupp and birdsong we might need to add a solid mid rotation arm.
I think the strength of this team, the bullpen took a bit of a hit losing both Harrison and hicks and we might need to add a lefty to compliment Miller.
Possible needs: outfield bat, mid level starter, and dependable lefty out of the pen.

Nvnervous45 wrote:I think
Lee
Ramos
Devers
Chapman
Flores
Yaz
Fitzgerald
Bailey
Is a good enough lineup to make a playoff run. Perhaps another outfield bat since Yaz is oft-injured and streaky af would do the trick.
Depending on the health of our starters and the continued development of roupp and birdsong we might need to add a solid mid rotation arm.
I think the strength of this team, the bullpen took a bit of a hit losing both Harrison and hicks and we might need to add a lefty to compliment Miller.
Possible needs: outfield bat, mid level starter, and dependable lefty out of the pen.

Agree with the needs. Yaz is also 34, so for a legit contender we should have another OF so that we could ideally have Yaz as a 4th OF and save some mileage on his 34-year old body. Miller has a 1.61 WHIP this season, so a consistent lefty is needed.

On a positive note, Devers said all the right things today in his press conference. Asked what position he will play, his (correct) answer was "whatever position they want me to play. I'm happy to be here. They are the men in charge and I'm here to do whatever they want me to do." Obviously his future actions will speak louder than words but these were words he wasn't saying in Boston so it looks like he is wanting to go in with a clean slate.

Are you really going to let them upstage you like that, Lacob?

Bill Simmons said good riddance, get rid of bad attitude, bad contract.

Kevin Hench said he can't wait to see all those fly balls die in left center field.

Excited for giants/sox tonight. My buddy who's a Sox fan is in the bleachers tonight. I Hope Devers gives a souvenir.

Adames has killed my fantasy team this year. Thought Ramos would be better as well.

Never followed the A's but see that they've just broken ground on a $1.75 billion stadium in Vegas.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, state and local government dignitaries, former Athletics greats such as Rollie Fingers and Dave Stewart, Little Leaguers and many others looked on as the team celebrated the groundbreaking of a $1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark that is expected to be finished in time for the 2028 season.

Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the project.

"I have no doubt this is done in 2028," team president Marc Badain said. "You know the workforce here; they're all here and ready to get going.

"It's nice to see the validation a day like today brings and what the next three years will mean for the community and for the construction project and the jobs and everything else that you're going to see as this building comes out of the ground starting as early as tonight."

Badain went through a similar process when serving in the same capacity for the NFL's Raiders. He was a central figure in that team's move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 as well as the approval and construction of $2 billion Allegiant Stadium.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45570507/athletics-celebrate-groundbreaking-175b-vegas-stadium

Vegas is a small market, 40th in size, though at a given time, the city has thousands of visitors.

For comparison, Sacramento, where the A's are playing the next 3 seasons in a minor league stadium, is the 20th largest market.

It looks like the A's payroll is the 29th in MLB, just ahed of Miami, which is the #18 market.


I'm just shocked that a baseball team which has struggled to draw or win much can merit an almost $2 billion stadium. Chase Center cost like $1 billon and it didn't open that long ago, in a much higher priced real estate market.

The state and city are kicking in $380 million but that's not even 25% of the cost. With a lot of these new stadiums, it's a multipurpose facility, with shopping, hotels, restaurants, etc. so that it can generate a lot of revenues apart from the actual sporting events.

But in Vegas, can it compete with all the other entertainment options?

Are people going to hang out at the baseball stadium when there are no games being played? Especially when it's not exactly a glamor team. At least the Raiders have a loyal following, probably many fans from LA and the Bay Area traveling there for home games.

Unless the A's become big winners, are the fans going to come? They should have a honeymoon period. But it's still baseball.

It's not inconceivable that Chase Center will generate more revenues than the new A's stadium, though I guess by 2028, Curry will likely be gone. That's with half the home games and smaller capacity than a baseball stadium.

Giants are 1/2 game out of the 3rd WC spot now, with Cards and Reds right behind them.

Devers alone hasn't lifted the team hitting and that probably wasn't a realistic expectation.

They might be more antsy to do something since they're in the WC race but if they were willing to pursue a big name hitter in free agency, it might be better to wait until the offseason.

However, after taking on Devers' contract, team owners might think they've done enough and clearly, despite being #11 in payroll, just behind the Cubs, the team needs more offense.