Outside The Confines: The Vegas A’s?

I’m going to say the A’s moving to Las Vegas would be a terrible move. It’s a small market with a transient population and no secondary markets that aren’t already claimed by other teams. It would also have to have a retractable roof ballpark as it is ridiculously hot in Vegas all summer long. Yes, I know the Golden Knights have done well there, but while drawing 750,000 fans a year may be solid in the NHL, that’s terrible attendance for MLB.

And yes, the Raiders are there, but the finances of the NFL are such that they could play in Glendive, MT and still turn a profit. But the A’s would be competing with both the Raiders and the Golden Knights for the money that people would spend on sports.

• The Oakland Athletics have been given permission by MLB to start looking for a new location to move the team, if they are unable to find a spot in Oakland for a new stadium. This is generally considered to be an attempt to give the A’s leverage over the city, but of course it is a real possibility if the city continues to stall on the Howard Terminal project.
• Here’s the A’s official statement.
• The A’s have had a standing offer from MLB to receive permission to move for some time now, reports Alex Coffey. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bradford Doolittle lists the pros and cons of the top candidates for relocation. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• ESPN.com has a big piece where they look at the current state of baseball and the many challenges it faces.
• One problem they don’t address is the one that Tom Verducci discusses with Diamondbacks reliever Ryan Buchter: mental health. Buchter says that many ballplayers suffer with mental health and the stigma that comes with it.
• Just to remind you that the pandemic isn’t over, Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers both tested positive for COVID-19. Tatis didn’t play on Tuesday night. Myers was removed mid-game when his test came back positive.
• And both the Yankees first-base and third-base coaches have tested positive as well.
• Ken Rosenthal notes that pitchers are throwing harder and with less control. That’s leading to a lot more hit-by-pitches and injuries that come with them. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Sara Sanchez takes a look at the increase in hit-by-pitches in Fangraphs. Sanchez is a good writer. Someone ought to give her a place to write about the Cubs more.
• Gabe Lacques looks at why there are so many brawls among NL Central teams.
• Lacques also wonders if in an era when offense is down as much as it is right now, is a no-hitter as special as it used to be?
• This isn’t a big story yet, but it might be by the time we next speak. The Mets put Jacob deGrom on the injured list with right side tightness.
• The Twins put outfielder Byron Buxton on the IL last week, but as Jay Jaffe notes, Minnesota’s problems this season go much deeper than an injury to Buxton.
• Angels manager Joe Maddon spoke with Jayson Stark and Stark got more details into what happened when the Angels decided to release Albert Pujols. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Tuesday night, Angels star Shohei Ohtani struck out ten batters in seven innings and then went out to play right field in the same game.
• R.J. Anderson hast three reasons that the Red Sox are legitimate contenders in 2021. Is payroll flexibility one of them?
• The NL East was supposed to be the best division in baseball in 2021. David Schoenfield explains why it hasn’t been so far. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Devan Fink looks at White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal and his incredibly weird slash line this season.
• Former all-star pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has retired.
• Former No. 1 pick Mark Appel has started his comeback with his first start in Double-A over the weekend.
• I’ve beaten this drum too many times, but Jay Jaffe agrees with me that it’s time to get rid of the runner-on-second in extras rule. He notes that it has shortened the average extra-inning game by about five minutes.
• Chelsea Janes has a story on how Satchel Paige’s former home in Kansas City has fallen into a state of disrepair.
• Matt Monagan speaks with Royals broadcaster Rex Hudler to get the story behind his baseball card with a picture of him milking a cow.
• And finally, here’s some good news. I’ve written about the story of Giants outfielder Drew Robinson before, and if you’re not familiar with it, please check out his story here. (WARNING: graphic content) But Robinson has made the Giants Triple-A roster this season and on Tuesday night, Robinson hit his first home run since returning. He even did it in his hometown of Las Vegas.

And let’s all have a better day tomorrow.