Elephant Rumblings: A’s Front Office Optimistic of Improving Team in August

A’s Coverage:

• Game #109: A’s Run and Swing Way to 6-2 Victory over Jays...
• Chesterton: A very good dog helped the A’s grounds crew by riding on the cart...
• AN: Gossett to undergo Tommy John surgery...
• Shea: A’s make no trades at deadline, could add players in August: ‘we’re still optimistic’...
• Hall: A’s stay quiet at deadline, Mariners go Full Dipoto...
• NBCSBA: A’s move one game back of Wild Card in Bob Melvin’s 600th Oakland win...

MLB News:

• ESPN: Nationals DFA Shawn Kelley after tantrum on mound...
• Matz: Nationals cap 25-4 rout of Mets with six runs off Jose Reyes...
• Cwik: Chris Sale placed on disabled list with shoulder inflammation...
• MLB Trade Deadline Roundup...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Longenhagen: Ranking the Prospects Traded at the Deadline...
• Kirshner: The Pirates’ Chris Archer trade is amazing and infuriating at the same time...

Today in Baseball History:

• 2009 - The Oakland Athletics retire Rickey Henderson’s uniform number 24, to mark his recent induction into the Hall of Fame. Rickey says that he is “very, very humbled”.
• 2016 - The trading deadline is pushed back by one day because the traditional date of July 31st falls on a Sunday this year, and teams take full advantage of the extra 24 hours as they conclude 18 trades today, involving a total of 49 players. Among the most active teams are the Rangers, who acquire C Jonathan Lucroy and P Jeremy Jeffress from Milwaukee and OF Carlos Beltran from the Yankees, giving up five prospects in return. Milwaukee also sends RP Will Smith to the Giants, who acquire P Matt Moore from Tampa Bay in a separate deal. The Dodgers land P Rich Hill and OF Josh Reddick from Oakland and P Jesse Chavez from Toronto, the latter in return for P Mike Bolsinger. Toronto also swaps P Drew Hutchison with Pittsburgh to land P Francisco Liriano, and obtain P Scott Feldman from Houston. The Mets are also active, acquiring OF Jay Bruce from Cincinnati and repatriating P Jon Niese from Pittsburgh, while the Cubs land P Joe Smith from the Angels.

Best of Twitter:

• Another Brandon McCarthy twitter gem...

• High praise from the long-time manager...

• Some variables you just can’t account for...