Elephant Rumblings: Mark Canha details the differences between New York and Oakland

It’s Thursday, Athletics Nation!

Going from a Rockies Rule 5 draftee that was immediately traded to the A’s in 2014, to a reliable face in the Athletics lineup for seven years, to signing a two-year deal with the Mets this offseason, Mark Canha has had a success story of an MLB career so far. But moving from the tightly budgeted A’s to the exorbitantly flush New York Mets has shown Canha the disparity for players between teams.

In a profile by Gary Phillips in the New York Times, Canha goes into detail into the how the difference in spending can have an effect. Some contrasts include obvious plusses like better meals and more options within the clubhouse for food and drink. But Canha even gets into the difference in communication with players from the front office, describing better transparency regarding team direction and intent from the courting process onward. This is compared to the A’s where Canha states that many public statements made by the club don’t necessarily get echoed back in the halls of the Coliseum, with the team being much more guarded with players.

This closed-off nature for the team has become scuttlebutt across players in the league. Canha talks about how the dual reputations of not wanting to spend and not being overly communicative with players has led to many players not even considering Oakland as a destination, or leaving it as an absolute last resort. As the article reminds us this is all coming from a Bay Area native, as Canha grew up in San Jose. He’s as familiar with the A’s tendencies as a fan as he is as a former player with the team.

While it is a disappointing exit interview to read as a fan, none of it comes as huge surprise. Jokes about the A’s cheapness abound as far as that being charged for soda in the clubhouse is a minor plot driver in Moneyball film adaptation. The A’s reputation with some players is known too — while the A’s ended up with Stephen Piscotty, in 2018 they almost acquired Marcell Ozuna who was later openly thankful to have been traded to the Cardinals over the A’s.

We can hope for things to turn around with a new stadium deal as promised time and time again by the A’s brass, but for now we get another disappointing reminder of the reputation the team should be working away from.

A’s Coverage

• Ashford: Game #40: A’s throttled by Twins in series finale 14-4
• Hall: A’s roster moves: Zach Logue optioned, Nick Allen called up
• Phillips: A Mets Outfielder Gets an Up-Close Look at Payroll Disparity
• Martin: How Vogt has used IL stint as chance to learn from bench
• Kawahara: A’s routed 14-4 by Twins; Chad Pinder makes pitching debut ($)
• Rymer: The Best MLB Pitcher You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
• Pratt: Oakland A’s Howard Terminal Timeline (video)
• Gallegos: Pinder brings new meaning to ‘super-utility’ with pitching appearance
• Margaronis: PMSA: Port of Oakland Turning Basin expansion could be at risk from Oakland A’s ballpark complex
• Brazil: A’s visit Oakland Elementary School (video)

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