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Good morning afternoon, Athletics Nation!
The Oakland A’s stadium saga got its next chapter this holiday weekend.
When we last checked in, the team was in the middle of trying to purchase the Coliseum site, even though their preferred location to build a new ballpark is at Howard Terminal. Their overall plan includes redeveloping the Coliseum complex after they leave, so they want to buy it from its co-owners, the city and county. They already secured the county’s half last year, and after clearing some roadblocks they’re now negotiating with the City of Oakland to acquire the other half.
The team isn’t alone in its interest over the city’s share, though. Dave Stewart has entered a $115 million bid to the City of Oakland for their half of the Coliseum site, report Susan Slusser and Matt Kawahara of the S.F. Chronicle.
Stewart, of course, is a beloved figure both in A’s history and in the Oakland community. He was a star player for his hometown team and helped lead them to a World Series win in 1989, and he’s now a TV analyst and personality on their local NBCS game broadcasts, as well as a member of the inaugural class of the A’s Hall of Fame.
Click the Chronicle link for more details, but here are a couple speculative takeaways from my own personal reading of it.
Stewart and the team seem to have a positive relationship, and the ideas he discusses aren’t out of line with the goals the A’s have talked about for the site. Even if Stewart were to outbid the team for the city’s half, I don’t know if that would necessarily be a problem, or at least not a dealbreaker for the clubs’ larger plans. And considering the two of them aren’t the only ones making offers on it, co-owning with Stew doesn’t sound like the worst possible outcome either.
Stay tuned to see where this all goes next!
Home has ALWAYS been where my heart is. Oakland is every bit of who and why I am... An opportunity to do right by our community, keep our community, to do BETTER by our community is the only driving force for me in this. #wishusluck #Godspeed https://t.co/zwy3ocDgsk
— Dave “Smoke” Stewart (@Dsmoke34) January 17, 2021
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Today is MLK Day!
Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. We are proud to make donations to Allen Temple Health and Social Services, David E. Glover Center, Techbridge, The Hidden Genius Project, and Kapor Center. #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/tvLNV6u7qt
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) January 18, 2021
The entire AL West wants Soria
Source: The Mariners have shown interest in free agent Joakim Soria, meaning every club in the AL West has checked in on the two-time All-Star this offseason. @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLB_Mexico @MexicoBeis
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 18, 2021
Now that Liam Hendriks is off the board, Archie Bradley was one of the top available free agent relievers
Archie Bradley has agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with the Phillies, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 14, 2021
Another notable free agent signing
Confirmed that Perez is signing a one-year, $4.5M deal with a $6M Team option for 2022 and a $500,000 buyout. Deal includes bonuses for innings pitched. Story coming on https://t.co/iwhAglaluJ. https://t.co/hz9oaaAO8a
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) January 16, 2021
Since we were talking about Dave Stewart earlier, here’s an update on the player who will always be associated with Stew’s legacy as a general manager
Shelby Miller has agreed to a non-roster deal with the Cubs, per source. If he makes the club, he'll earn $875,000 with $600,000 in performance bonuses. Deal is pending physical.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 18, 2021
Great memorial for the many players we lost in 2020
"It's So Hard to See My Baseball Cards Move On" @MrChuckD + MLB Network pic.twitter.com/pQionxJBKK
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 18, 2021
