Elephant Rumblings: Are the A’s Asking Remaining Free Agents Catchers To Be Their Valentine?

A’s Coverage:

• Gallegos: 2019 in rear-view, Manaea ready to rock in ‘20
• Vazquez: Photos: Oakland Athletics continue spring training work in Arizona
• Slusser: How the A’s are exploring the free-agent market for catchers ($)
• Slusser: Good first day for A’s lefty Jesús Luzardo: ‘Best I’ve felt in over a year’ ($)
• Slusser: A’s Sean Manaea blasts Astros’ comments on stealing signs: ‘They skated by’ ($)
• Lockard: Who’s the next Matt Chapman? A look at the top defenders in the A’s minor-league system ($$$)

MLB News:

• Divish: Mariners’ Mitch Haniger undergoes second surgery in three weeks; timetable to return unknown
• Smith: Kevin Pillar, Boston Red Sox agree to one-year contract in $4M range
• Todd: Astros Hold Press Conference On Sign-Stealing Scandal

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Mehring: Baseball Valentine Cards
• Longenhagen: 2020 Top 100 Prospects
• Longenhagen: Picks to Click: Who I Expect to Make the 2021 Top 100
• Quinton and Long: Pitching Backward: There is No Such Thing as TINSTAAPP
• Stomper Valentine’s Day Deliveries
• Brown: Help! I married my dreaded baseball rival (a love story) ($)

Today in Baseball History:

• 1976 - The Atlanta Braves send Valentine’s Day cards to their season-ticket holders and the media. The Braves finished in fifth place in 1975, 40 1/2 games behind the Cincinnati Reds. Their card reads: “Rose is a Red, Morgan’s one, too. They finished first, Like we wanted to. But last year’s behind us; We’re happy to say. Now we’re tied for first, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Best of YouTube:

Long before Laureano and Céspedes, the best arm belonged to a Valentine...

Best of Twitter:

Small news morsel - a new NRI is added to camp. Via Melissa Lockard: Theroux (C) has a “strong arm, receives the ball well and is also one of the smartest players in the A’s system in terms of his knowledge of the game”...

No love yesterday. Manaea quotes were popular...

Will you be my Opening Day attendee on Valentine’s Day? Click for cuteness and awkwardness....

Keeping with the V-Day theme, this next bit of media is brought to you by KY Jelly...

For the love of the game...