Elephant Rumblings: Spring Officially Underway; A’s Add Grossman and Alexander

A’s Coverage:

• Slusser: A’s give one of the Tyler Alexanders a shot after 3-year pot suspension...
• Hall: Oakland A’s sign Tyler Alexander to minor league deal...
• Slusser: A’s add Robbie Grossman to already strong outfield mix...
• Lockard: Kyler Murray is probably done with baseball, so what did the A’s lose and should they continue to pursue him? ($)
• Brisbee: What we can learn from the A’s 2019 season projections... ($)
• Slusser: A’s potential Opening Day starter Mike Fiers already mentor to Jesus Luzardo...
• McWilliams: Mike Fiers brings some color to the A’s rotation, where he’s happy to return after last season’s frustrating finish... ($)
• Oakland A’s 2019 Community Prospect List #13: Luis Barrera takes huge step forward...
• Jaffe: Brett Anderson is Back in Green and Gold (Again)...

MLB News:

• Acee: Padres GM met with Manny Machado...
• ESPN: Aaron Nola, Phillies agree to four-year extension...
• Passan: Bauer, Cole, Wood win arbitration cases...
• Neal III and Miller: Twins agree to long-term deals with Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler...
• ESPN: Royals sign Diekman to $2.25M deal with option for 2020...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Rosenthal: Why Aaron Nola’s extension is drawing criticism from rival agents... ($)
• Gammons: In baseball’s latest arms race, building bullpens to get outs at any time, in every way... ($)
• Sauceda: Introducing ‘ACES’, a new way to find sleepers, busts at pitcher...
• Longenhagen and McDaniel: Picks to Click - Who We Expect to Make the 2020 Top 100...
• McDaniel: 2019 Impact Prospects...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1990 - Major League owners refuse to open spring training camps without a new Basic Agreement with the Players’ Association, beginning a lockout that will last 32 days and postpone the start of the regular season by one week.
• 2000 - The Oakland Athletics obtain OF Jeremy Giambi from the Kansas City Royals for P Brett Laxton. Giambi joins his brother, Jason Giambi, in Oakland, becoming the sixth brother combo to play for the team. The move is widely hailed as a brilliant one by statistically-minded fans.

Best of Twitter:

• Bauer remains a controversial player for his Twitter activity...

• These two are the absolute best...

• Laureano spent his offseason getting tips from one of the game’s best hitters...