Elephant Rumblings: A’s Lose Murray; Sign Anderson, Hundley

A’s Coverage:

• Hall: Kyler Murray announces decision to play football...
• Slusser: A’s have an agreement with lefty Brett Anderson, again...
• ESPN: Nick Hundley agrees to minor league deal with A’s...
• Rosenthal: The A’s are not ready to give up their pursuit of Kyler Murray... ($)
• McWilliams: Football kept pulling Kyler Murray away from the A’s and now he’s made the official choice... ($)
• Lockard: A look at the A’s and Giants’ 2018 draft picks as they — minus Kyler Murray — prepare for their first spring training... ($)
• Slusser: Major focus on Jesus Luzardo doesn’t faze A’s rotation hopeful...
• Slusser: A’s A.J. Puk, Jharel Cotton take big step in Tommy John recovery...
• Lee: Blevins calls A’s reunion ‘the perfect fit’...
• Shea: Giants signing ex-A’s catcher Stephen Vogt: ‘lifelong dream’...
• Oakland A’s 2019 Community Prospect List #12 (again): Jeremy Eierman could be a draft steal...

MLB News:

• Heyman: Bryce Harper not considering short-term deals...
• Morosi: M’s staying patient with potenrial Encarnacion deal...
• Sanchez: Marlins, Sergio Romo in agreement on one-year deal...
• Mish: Jorge Posade to join Marlins front office...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Jaffe: Let’s Find Homes for a Few More Unsigned Free Agents...
• Longenhagen and McDaniel: Updated July 2 Prospect Rankings...
• Sullivan: The Velocity Surge Has Plateaued...
• Petriello: Mets raised their floor more than any contender...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1953 - The Philadelphia Athletics change the name of Shibe Park to “Connie Mack Stadium”, in honor of their longtime owner and manager. Mack was part-owner and manager of the franchise for a record 50 years. The Athletics will depart Philadelphia at the end of the following season, and the Phillies will continue to inhabit Connie Mack Stadium until the end of the 1970 season, when they will move to Veterans Stadium. After being badly damaged in a fire in 1971, Connie Mack Stadium will continue to decay until being torn down in 1976.
• 1996 - The St. Louis Cardinals complete a long-rumored swap, acquiring closer Dennis Eckersley from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league reliever Steve Montgomery. Eckersley replaces Tom Henke, who announced last month he was retiring.
• 2012 - The A’s sign OF Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year contract worth $36 million, a record for a Cuban defector, outbidding at least five other teams. The signing belies some of the A’s other off-season moves in which they traded established young players in return for prospects, but they see Cespedes as a future franchise player, and his outstanding rookie season will be a key contribution in the A’s unexpected AL West division title.

Best of Twitter:

• We’ve yet to receive an update on James Kaprielian’s MRI, and he’s crossing his fingers with us...

• Could this be how the A’s respond to the Murray loss?

• I sure did miss these sights and sounds...