Elephant Rumblings: How the A’s last 25 years stack up

MLB news roundup

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

About ten years ago I’d have told you the A’s are by far the coolest MLB franchise, giving fans way more bang for buck than other teams around the league. Being an A’s fan was an act of resistance against the evil empire in the Bronx. And Billy Beane had been hacking the system with Moneyball, ferreting out payroll inefficiencies with precision that Elon Musk can only dream of.

Sure, the A’s had yet to make it to the World Series despite having the best overall regular season record in the 21st century up to that point. But in 2014 the team was surging and looking like the best team in baseball by the All-Star break. Maybe this was to be the year.

Well, I’m sure you remember how that episode ended. The A’s traded Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester ahead of the deadline and proceeded to drop off a cliff so steep that they barely secured the second Wild Card berth, which was squandered in spectacular fashion in Kansas City with a 9-8 loss in extras.

The A’s window of contention slammed shut as the Billy Butler era began, and by the time the A’s were good again, owner John Fisher seemed more interested in leaving Oakland than locking down a solid core of players that might finally win a championship for the remarkable and promising but frustrating Beane-era Oakland Athletics. The Moneyball edge had long vanished by then, with richer teams spending more on analytics and payroll alike.

Another window shut in 2021, and now the A’s are in Sacramento.

Stephen J. Nesbitt at The Athletic ranks the A’s 15th among all MLB franchises over the past 25 years. That is as middle-of-the-pack as it gets, and I think it’s fair. But it belies the roller coaster the team and their fans have ridden through the last quarter century—that is, at any given time, the A’s have either been one of the most promising and interesting teams in baseball, or they have been the sport’s hottest burning dumpster fire, as has been the case the past few years under the Fisher Evacuation Plan.

But today’s actual group of players looks..pretty good. On to Sacramento.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s win again, defeat Rangers 6-3
• These reassigned A’s prospects ‘not far away’ from Majors
• Gelof eager to put ‘24 sophomore slump behind him
• After Setting the AL Rookie Stolen Base Record, A’s Speedster Could Begin in Minors
• A’s Announce Opportunity to Secure Las Vegas Season Tickets

MLB News & Interest:

• Brewers To Sign Jose Quintana
• 2025 MLB Franchise Rankings: Dodgers closing in on No. 1 team of past 25 years ($)
• MLB Draft 2025: Keith Law’s top 30 draft prospects to start the season ($)
• The Pete Rose situation explained: What a Trump pardon, commissioner discussions may mean ($)
• Adolis Garcia Headed For MRI Following Oblique Discomfort
• Orioles, Nationals Announce Resolution Of MASN Dispute
• Luis Gil To Be Shut Down For At Least Six Weeks Due To Lat Strain
• Espada: Astros Plan For Altuve To Spend “Majority” Of Time In Left Field
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Injury updates.

Workin’ out with Mason.

...and here is the on-field result.