Athletics: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Yankees Re-Sign Blackburn, But Still Need More Pieces in the Bullpen

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Yankees have re-signed right-handed reliever Paul Blackburn to a one-year deal worth $2 million.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

2025 Athletics Season In Review: Brady Basso

Morning everyone and happy Sunday! What are the A’s long-term plans for Brady Basso? The left-hander was a reliever in college, came up through the system as a starting pitcher and held his own in his first major league action in 2024.

Athletics News / MLB Trade Rumors / December 21

White Sox, Red Sox Among Teams With Interest In Munetaka Murakami

NPB slugger Munetaka Murakami’s posting window closes at 4pm CT time on December 22. With just over a day left for Murakami to sign with an MLB club, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the White Sox are among the teams that are presently engaged in talks with the slugger’s camp.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 21

Los Angeles Dodgers Spending More on Taxes for Payroll Than A's Actual Payroll

With the 2025 season well behind us at this point, and the calendar about to flip to 2026, the final CBT payrolls were released this weekend for each club.

Philadelphia Phillies News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Active MLB home run leaders' quiz

How many of the most prolific power hitters in baseball today can you name in 5 minutes?

The 'Last 40-home-run season by MLB team' quiz

The 'MLB All-Star Game MVPs' quiz

The '50-home-run MLB seasons' quiz

Athletics News / Just Baseball / December 21

Top 10 Under-the-Radar Relievers Left in Free Agency

As this offseason has progressed, teams have been steadily upgrading their rosters every single day. Through all of these moves, the goal has been to refine the on-field product, slowly building towards competing in the near future.

Athletics News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players on the brink of stardom in 2026

The stars were out in full force during the 2025 World Series. From Max Scherzer in Toronto to Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and of course, Shohei Ohtani, in Los Angeles, there was no shortage of the game's best under the brightest lights.

Athletics News / Total Apex Entertainment / December 20

Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt Celebrate Parenthood With First Child

Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt have reached a joyful milestone in their relationship with the arrival of their first child together — a baby girl whose birth has filled the couple and fans with celebration.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 20

Tampa Bay Rays Land Former A's Starter with Upside

Last winter the Tampa Bay Rays brought in some rotation depth via trade with the Athletics, sending away Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez in exchange for a slew of prospects, headlined by the hard-throwing Joe Boyle.

Athletics News / Just Baseball / December 20

Playing GM: 5 Moves To Complete the Baltimore Orioles Roster for 2026

The Baltimore Orioles told us they were going to sign an impact bat this winter, and they meant it. After whiffing on Kyle Schwarber, president of baseball

Athletics News / MLB Trade Rumors / December 20

Details On Ketel Marte’s No-Trade Protection

The seven-year contract extension Ketel Marte signed with the Diamondbacks last April included a five-team no-trade clause, which adds an interesting wrinkle

Athletics News / Last Word On Sports / December 20

Phillies Shopping in December: Additions, Updates and Outlook

Picture the Philadelphia Phillies retaining Kyle Schwarber as a re-load of ammunition while the team waits for backup forces to help finish the job. After re-inserting the National League home-run king into the lineup, the Phillies front office doubled down on their commitment to win a World Series with the current core.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 19

A's Add Right-Hander From Minnesota Twins

The Athletics offseason of adding pitching depth continues rolling right along. After adding Mark Leiter Jr. last week to serve as a late-inning option for the green and gold, they also went out and signed Joel Kuhnel to a minor-league deal after he spent time with the New York Yankees last season.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest pitching seasons from the modern MLB era

America's favorite pastime has more memorable performances than any sport. As such, figuring out which pitchers had the best seasons ever is no easy task.

Athletics News / Athlon Sports / December 19

MLB's Highest-Paid Third Basemen in 2026

Anthony Rendon's contract may be one of the worst in modern baseball history. Coming off a World Series title with the Washington Nationals in 2019, Rendon tested free agency and signed a monster contract with the Los Angeles Angels that December.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 19

Houston Astros 3-Way Deal Hurts the A's in Two Ways

The Athletics are on the hunt to improve their roster in very specific ways in an effort to move up in the AL West and take down their foes. On Friday morning, both of those goals took a hit with the move that the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays made.

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

The '2004-05 NFL passing leaders' quiz

The 'Most multi-rushing-TD NFL games' quiz

The 'NFL's active TD-catch leaders' quiz

The 'Youngest 40-point NBA games' quiz

JoJo Romero News / MLB Trade Rumors / December 19

Orioles Interested In JoJo Romero

The Orioles have shown interest in Cardinals left-hander JoJo Romero, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The O’s join the Yankees and Mariners as club connected to Romero this month.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 19

Two Reasons Why Munetaka Murakami Makes Sense For the A's

With just a few days left for one of the biggest power bats on the free agent market left to sign, there have been practically zero rumors swirling around Munetaka Murakami, which could leave the door open for the A's to make a splash.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 18

The Athletics are a Perfect Fit for this New York Mets Infielder

News broke earlier this week that the A's made an offer to free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim to patrol second base this season. The club offered him a 4-year deal worth $48 million, but he ended up signing a one-year pact back in Atlanta.

Athletics News / Athlon Sports / December 18

MLB's Highest-Paid Outfielders in 2026

Juan Soto is baseball's highest-paid MLB player in 2026. The New York Mets will pay the All-Star a hefty $46.8 million this season, thanks to a 15-year, $765 million contract, the largest deal in professional sports history.

Athletics News / Oakland Athletics on SI / December 18

A's Snag Interesting Relief Pitcher After Time with New York Yankees

The Athletics haven't been making too many moves this winter, but they have added a couple of arms to the bullpen mix in the past week. The first, and bigger move, was the club's signing of free agent Mark Leiter Jr.

Ha-seong Kim News / MLB on ClutchPoints / December 17

The $48 million Athletics offer turned down to stay with Braves

Ha-Seong Kim signed a 1-year contract with the Atlanta Braves on Monday to return to the team after ending the 2025 campaign in Atlanta. Kim began his career with the San Diego Padres, playing four seasons and establishing himself as a fan favorite.

Athletics News / Fastball on SI / December 17

Athletics Viewed As Potential Landing Spot For Mariners 2-Time All-Star

The Seattle Mariners are coming off a tough week in free agency. On Saturday, they lost playoff hero Jorge Polanco, who signed a two-year contract with the New York Mets.

Ha-seong Kim News / Larry Brown Sports / December 16

Report: Athletics got stiffed by ex-Gold Glove winner in free agency

One MLB free agent was apparently willing to turn down longer-term financial security in favor of not having to play for the Athletics. Veteran infielder Ha-Seong Kim signed a new deal with the Atlanta Braves this earlier this week (after already finishing out the last month of the 2025 season with Atlanta).