Elephant Rumblings: Is It Franklin Barreto’s Time?

A’s Coverage:

• Ring: So What Happens if Kyler Murray Plays Football? It’s a lot more complicated than you might think...
• Randhawa: Chapman (shoulder surgery) to swing in 6 weeks...
• Lee: Piscotty honored with MLB’s Conigliaro Award...
• Ross: Why Franklin Barreto should be A’s starting second baseman in 2019...

MLB News:

• ESPN: Wilson Ramos, Mets reportedly agree to two-year contract...
• ESPN: Yonder Alonso headed to White Sox in trade with Indians...
• ESPN: Nationals bring back slugger Matt Adams on 1-year deal...
• Axisa: Only Red Sox, Nationals owe luxury tax in 2018 as MLB teams combine for smallest bill in 15 years...
• Leaking beer and Cracker Jack mice: 5 bizarre things ESPN found in stadium food reports...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Chesterton: The Marlins paid homage to Miami with a new ‘3-o-5’ menu with ballpark favorites...
• Denver Post: Banning the shift in MLB generates growing, heated baseball debate...
• Petriello: How free agent Ottavino ‘attacked the offseason’...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1993 - Rickey Henderson returns to the A’s, signing a two-year $8.6 million dollar contract.
• 2015 - A busy off-season continues with the Rays pulling off a couple of trades involving 11 players. First, they get C Rene Rivera, 1B Jake Bauers and P Burch Smith from San Diego along with P Joe Ross and IF Trea Turner in return for OF Wil Myers, C Ryan Hanigan and Ps Gerardo Reyes and Jose Castillo, then they flip Ross and Turner to the Nationals for OF Steven Souza and P Travis Ott.

Best of Twitter:

• Late breaking...

• The Harper/Machado watch continues...

• More on Familia’s decision...