Athletics: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Did the A's Just Tip Their Hands on the Favorite For the Third Base Battle?

The battle for who will end up as the A's Opening Day third baseman is going to be the key contest in camp this spring. While we have made our initial roster projections, and have given reasons why one option could be hindered, there is a new quote from Mark Kotsay that could have provided some insight into who has the edge entering game action.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

The Pesky Drawback Of “Closer By Committee” (It Never Really Works)

Second only to the dreaded “vote of confidence” comes the nearly-as-dreaded “closer by committee”. Skippers feign confidence telling reporters “Yeah we’re

Athletics News / Stadium Rant / February 18

Who’s Taking The Crown? The Top 5 Teams In The 2026 World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic begins March 5, bringing 20 nations to San Juan, Houston, Tokyo, and Miami. This may be the deepest field in WBC history. Japan returns as the defending champion, but an unprecedented wave of MLB talent, including 78 All-Stars, has reshaped the tournament.

Athletics News / Sport Relay / February 18

Mark Leiter Jr. on Pressure, Opportunity, and Why He Joined the Athletics

MESA, Ariz. (Feb. 12) — It would be easy to tell the story of Mark Leiter Jr. story through the name on the back of his jersey. His father spent 11 seasons in the majors.

Justin Verlander News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Live-Ball Era strikeout leaders' quiz

How many of the 36 MLB pitchers with 2,500 or more strikeouts in the Live-Ball Era (since 1920) can you name in five minutes?

The 'Home run leaders by MLB team' quiz

The ''MLB: The Show' cover athletes' quiz

The 'Active 200-strikeout MLB seasons' quiz

Athletics News / New Baseball Media / February 18

Looking at Team Dominican Republic for the 2026 World Baseball Classic

Three years ago, the Dominican Republic failed to make it out of the group stage despite one of the deepest lineups in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Athletics News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players that could be traded during the 2026 season

The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and it is never too early to start thinking about how it might unfold. Seemingly, every year, we have a decent handle on who should contend and who is likely to struggle, which makes looking ahead to the trade deadline inevitable.

Athletics News / MLB on ClutchPoints / February 17

50 best MLB players for 2026 season

Spring training games are just days away, and every team in the MLB will be trying to take down the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers this year.

Athletics News / Yardbarker

One player from every MLB team who will take a leap in 2026

Every season, we see players make a significant leap from where they were previously. But not all leaps are created equally. There are players who have struggled to break through in the big leagues who emerge as regular contributors for their teams.

Athletics News / New Baseball Media / February 17

Looking at Team Chinese Taipei for the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The last time Team Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) played in the World Baseball Classic, Yu Chang and Kungkuan Giljegiljaw were among the hitters who helped power them to a 2-2 record in pool play.

Zack Gelof News / Oakland Athletics on SI / February 17

Will Zack Gelof's New Role Earn Him an Opening Day Spot?

After a monstrous breakout in the second half of the 2023 season, it's been a tough go of things the past two years for A's second baseman Zack Gelof.

Athletics News / Athlon Sports / February 17

Top 5 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Busts for 2026: Overvalued Draft Risks to Avoid

The fantasy baseball outfield position dries up quickly when you’re drafting in five outfielder leagues, but don’t fall into the trap of adding overhyped potential busts ahead of the 2026 season.

Athletics News / Just Baseball / February 17

The Top 20 Corner Outfielders in Major League Baseball for 2026

As we here at Just Baseball churn through our positional rankings for 2026, today we turn our focus to one of the most exciting groups of players in the game: corner outfielders.

MLB News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players who have the most to prove in 2026

The new MLB season brings opportunities as players head into their walk years and try to rebound from subpar performances. These 25 players stand out heading into 2026.

Should Red Sox trade for former All-Star infielder?

Mariners getting needed bat in All-Star Brendon Donovan via three-team deal with Cardinals, Rays

Giants CEO calls Dodgers a 'dragon to slay'

Yankees' latest endeavor points to a Jasson Dominguez mistake waiting to happen

Top of Phillies' rotation is elite, but also comes with questions

A.J. Causey News / Oakland Athletics on SI / February 17

A.J. Causey Talks Trade From Kansas City Royals to A's, New Pitch Grips

Last week the A's ended up trading Mitch Spence to the Kansas City Royals after they had designated him for assignment a couple of days prior, and in exchange for the veteran right-hander, the green and gold brought back sidewinder A.J.

Zack Gelof News / MLB Trade Rumors / February 17

A’s Could Get Zack Gelof Outfield Reps In Spring Training

The A’s trade pickup of Jeff McNeil solidified second base, where the veteran is expected to play regularly. That pushed Zack Gelof out of the projected starting lineup.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'NBA All-Star MVPs' quiz

The 'Multiple 20-assist NBA games' quiz

The 'Daytona 500 winners' quiz

The 'Active NBA All-Star leaders' quiz

Athletics News / Last Word On Sports / February 16

Projections Underestimate the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top Prospect

Every Pittsburgh Pirates fan is looking forward to Konnor Griffin’s arrival. He is Major League Baseball’s consensus number one prospect and was outstanding in 2025.

Athletics News / Athlon Sports / February 16

Top 5 Draft-Now Prospects for Fantasy Baseball 2026 Including Konnor Griffin

Drafting (soon-to-be) MLB-ready prospects seems risky, especially earlier in spring. Without assurances on whether they will make the team, how much playing time they will receive, and — let’s face it — how they will fare against major league pitching, many fantasy owners avoid the prospects altogether.

Athletics News / Just Baseball / February 16

How Strong Would a Team of Only Top MLB Prospects Be?

On a recent episode of The Call Up (watch here), our Aram Leighton and Elijah Evans fielded questions from our audience for a fun mailbag episode. One of the more interesting questions they answered was how many games a team made up of only top prospects could win at the MLB level.

A.J. Preller News / MLB Trade Rumors / February 16

Padres Sign A.J. Preller To Multi-Year Extension

The Padres and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, per a team announcement. The exact terms of Preller’s new deal are not yet known.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / February 16

Texas Rangers Continue Collecting Former A's Players to Stash in the Minors

The Texas Rangers have made some interesting additions to their roster this winter, which will make them a formidable foe in the AL West in 2026. Arguably

Athletics News / MLB on ClutchPoints / February 16

Diamondbacks claim former Athletics pitcher

The Arizona Diamondbacks have added right-handed reliever Grant Holman to their roster, claiming him off waivers from the Athletics on Sunday. To accommodate the move on the 40-man roster, Arizona placed left-handed pitcher AJ Puk on the 60-day injured list as he continues rehabbing from UCL revision surgery.

Grant Holman News / MLB Trade Rumors / February 15

Diamondbacks Claim Grant Holman

The Diamondbacks have claimed right-hander Grant Holman off waivers from the Athletics, per a team announcement. Holman was designated for assignment by the A’s last week to make room for Aaron Civale on the club’s 40-man roster.

Athletics News / Last Word On Sports / February 14

Spring Training Lineup Battles Will Define the Royals’ Offensive Identity

Royals Spring Training lineup battles will determine more than the final bench spots. They will shape the Kansas City Royals’ Opening Day lineup and define how this team scores runs in 2026.

Athletics News / Just Baseball / February 14

World Baseball Classic: Team Puerto Rico News, Notes, and Analysis

It has been a long three years, but the World Baseball Classic has finally returned. Thus far in the lead-up to the tournament, Puerto Rico has been the talk of the town.

Athletics News / Field Level Media / February 12

Twins sign veteran reliever Liam Hendriks

The Minnesota Twins signed three-time All-Star reliever Liam Hendriks to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training on Thursday.

Athletics News / Larry Brown Sports / February 12

Dodgers ink veteran slugger to $10 million contract extension

The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to enter the 2026 MLB season as the World Series favorites once again. After another busy free agency period, the Dodgers were able to come to a deal to give veteran Max Muncy a one-year contract extension worth $10 million guaranteed with an option for the 2028 season.

Athletics News / Larry Brown Sports / February 11

Chris Bassitt leaves the Blue Jays to sign with a rival team

Another member of the Toronto Blue Jays’ AL Pennant team is moving on. Veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt is signing with the division rival Baltimore Orioles in free agency, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Wednesday.