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Oakland Athletics Roundup: Josh Donaldson; Stephen Vogt; Plus, the End of the Offseason

By Katrina Hamrick

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Josh Donaldson Deal; Stephen Vogt Recovering Well; Plus, Spring Training Trucks and Report Dates
Oakland Athletics Roundup: Wednesday, February 10

The Oakland Athletics are almost back in business. On February 21, pitchers and catchers will report for Spring Training after a long and uneventful offseason. Along with the Milwaukee Brewers, the A’s have the latest start date in the Cactus League, with most other teams requiring their pitchers and catchers to report on Thursday or Friday next week. A’s position players will also be the last to report among Cactus League teams, as they are scheduled to report on Friday, February 26.

The good news is that in a few days, we’ll finally start getting a constant stream of Athletics’ updates. The holidays are long gone and the NFL season has ended, so unless you partake in March Madness, this is when baseball begins. Here’s a rundown of this week’s news:

  • Former Athletics’ third baseman Josh Donaldson reached a two-year, $29 million deal with the Blue Jays on Monday night, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. Davidi reported that the different between what Donaldson wanted ($11.8 million) and what the Jays had offered was only about $400,000. With so little money at stake, avoiding an arbitration hearing was definitely the best move for Toronto and their MVP slugger. Now, the Blue Jays have their superstar locked up for the next two years, and Donaldson gets paid what he’s earned. This was a terrific outcome for all involved….except perhaps A’s fans, of course.

More from White Cleat Beat

  • The Oakland A’s Twitter account has been tracking the progress of the A’s Spring Training truck, which traveled from the Coliseum to Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. The truck, which carried all of the Athletics’ equipment and supplies about 750 miles, is an annual sign of spring for baseball enthusiasts. For more information about it, be sure to read the full story by MLB.com’s Jane Lee.
  • Finally, CSN’s Joe Stiglich reported that Stephen Vogt says he is absolutely certain that he’ll be ready to go by the start of the season. He said his recovery is progressing well, and stated that the current outlook projects him to play in Spring Training games before mid-March. That’s good news for an A’s squad that has little in the way of catching depth.

In Case You Missed It:

A’s 2016 Preview: Liam Hendriks – Liam Hendriks was an offseason acquisition from the Toronto Blue Jays, and is expected to be one of the arms that helps stabilize the bullpen after a tumultuous 2015 season. What are his chances of living up to the task?

A’s 2016 Preview: Andrew Lambo – In another season preview, Samantha Riley takes a look at former Pirates’ outfielder Andrew Lambo. Lambo was acquired by the A’s, but his future is uncertain. In several seasons, he’s never been able to claim a full-time role with Pittsburgh’s major league team. Can he do it in Oakland?

Are the A’s Concerned About Catching Depth? – Samantha Riley analyzes whether the A’s should be worried about the lack of depth behind Josh Phegley at the backstop position, given that Stephen Vogt is currently recovering from surgery. Are they prepared in the event of a mid-season injury?

#Athletics

Next: The Top 50 Players in Oakland Athletics History

Around the Web

Jason Castro Loses Arbitration Hearing – Climbing Tal’s Hill discussed why Houston Astros’ catcher Jason Castro lost his arbitration case against the ‘Stros. It will be interesting to see how it affects Castro going forward, as the fight was over a $250,000 difference – hardly a number that would have broken the bank if either side conceded before the hearing.