Elephant Rumblings: Trade Talk & 2025 in Sacramento

First look at life in Sacramento

To be honest, these days freak me out a bit. But fortunately there is still plenty to think, speculate, and dream about.

With less than two weeks before the trade deadline and with the Oakland Athletics labeled as clear sellers in the market, one might think that today would have been a day to get that ball rolling. There were no trades but one disheartening rumor. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported today that the resource rich Baltimore Orioles have been in touch with the A’s regarding the availability of closer Mason Miller. He reported this Thursday in the New York Post. According to Heyman, “The Orioles’ farm system — led by top overall prospect Jackson Holliday — was ranked No. 1 in MLB by MLB Pipeline prior to the 2024 season. Baltimore also boasts MLB’s No. 12 and No. 15 prospects, catcher Samuel Basallo and infielder Coby Mayo, and O’s outfielders Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad recently graduated from prospect lists. It will likely take a package of multiple Top 100 Prospects to acquire Miller, who will not be a free agent until after the 2029 season.”

As we know, Miller has been one of MLB’s most dominant relievers, and one of the true bright spots in the A’s 2024 season thus far.

2025 Schedule Release

The MLB also released the 2025 schedule. For the first time, we got to look at what life will be like playing in Sacramento. This seems like the earliest I’ve seen the new schedule released in some time. Maybe it’s my imagination, or maybe it’s so that teams can prepare for a different set of travel needs. The reasons don’t matter, I guess, but what does matter is on March 31, the Athletics will play their first official game in Sacramento against the Chicago Cubs. Here’s the full MLB schedule for the 2025 A’s: https://www.mlb.com/athletics/schedule/2025-03