Elephant Rumblings: A’s Are Top-5 in Preseason Offenses Ranking

A’s Coverage:

• Gallegos: AL West crown is next step in A’s title hopes
• McCauley: Mike Fiers is eager to move on from his whistleblower role in the Astros’ cheating scandal ($)
• McTaggert: Is there a power shift brewing in the AL West?
• Coffey: How the 2019 wild-card game taught A’s starter Sean Manaea to trust himself (SSS)

MLB News:

• Randhawa: Hinch talks ‘17 Astros in MLB Network interview
• Cantatore: Los Angeles Dodgers Extend Max Muncy
• ESPN: Sources: Astros expected to sign slugging Cuban OF Pedro Leon
• Schulman: Giants, A’s favorites Gregor Blanco, Nick Hundley retire, join league office (S)
• Anderson: Mets’ ownership deal between Steve Cohen and the Wilpons appears unlikely, Rob Manfred says

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Rymer: Ranking MLB’s 10 Best Offenses Ahead of 2020 Spring Training
• Kagan: The Physics of COR and Other Measures of Bounciness
• MLB.com: Every team’s biggest spring storyline
• Posnanski: The Baseball 100 - No. 50, Nolan Ryan... ($$$)

Today in Baseball History:

• 1908 - The St. Louis Browns purchase future Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell from the Philadelphia Athletics. The Browns pay $5,000 for Waddell, who won 19 games with a 2.15 ERA in 1907. Waddell will win 19 games this season, while lowering his ERA to 1.89.
• 1949 - New York Yankees superstar Joe DiMaggio signs a one-year contract worth $100,000, becoming the first player to earn a six-figure deal in major league history.
• 1979 - Minor league pitcher Jesse Orosco becomes the player to be named later, going to the New York Mets in compensation for pitcher Jerry Koosman, who had been sent earlier to the Minnesota Twins. Greg Field was the other pitcher Minnesota sent to New York; he will never appear for the Mets, whereas Orosco had a long stint with them.
• 2016 - The Brisbane Bandits capture their first-ever Australian Baseball League title and hoist the Claxton Shield with a 7 - 1 win over the Adelaide Bite to sweep the best-of-three finals, two games to none. Travis Blackley allows just one run in six innings to pick up the win.

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