Bay Area Buzz 10/3: Game 1 NLDS, Rich Gannon, Jeff Samardzija, Josh Donaldson
Bay Area Topics
Game 1 NLDS
"Once again the San Francisco Giants are heavy underdogs, this time to the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series, beginning Friday in Washington DC. Stephen Strasburg squares off against Jake Peavy in the opener of the best-of-five games, with the series set to return to AT&T Park on Monday for at least one game.Because the Nationals ended the season with more victories (96) than any other National League team, they not only have home field advantage, but it is assumed they are the better team. I would beg to differ with those who believe that the Nats are the better team, but not on the basis of win/loss records.I actually think the Giants stack up pretty well against the club which won the NL East. Stephen Strasburg, he of the minuscule September ERA and 4-1 record during the final month of the season, is starting for Washington and he’ll be facing Jake Peavy, the Giants’ key acquisition just before the trade deadline."
–Mark O’Neill, Around the Foghorn
Rich Gannon
"Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon tore into his former club on Wednesday following an 0-4 start and the firing of head coach Dennis Allen.Below is a transcript of his comments, courtesy of SiriusXM NFL Radio:“You got to find me some of those guys out in Oakland. Who are they? Who are they? Who are the leaders of the football team? I talk to players all the time — we just talked to Marcel Reece — who are the leaders of the football team? ‘We’ll we’ve got ’em.’ Let me see ’em……They got this sign in front of the building that says: ‘Commitment to excellence.’ They ought to take it down. It’s false advertising right now. There’s no commitment to excellence. There’s a commitment to mediocrity right now. And that’s the problem. You need to change the culture and the environment.…You’re not winning because you have players and coaches and people in the building that have become comfortable with the process of losing. It’s okay to lose out there, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal. In other places, it’s simply not tolerated. And when it gets to the point where they don’t tolerate it anymore, it’s unacceptable, and we run people out of the building who haven’t figured that out…and then bring in players who care, and players who work and players who aren’t going to tolerate that, then you’ll get the results you so long desire.But they don’t know how to do it and it drives me crazy.”"
Jeff Samardzija
"Following Tuesday’s shocking loss to the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland Athletics and general manager Billy Beane likely won’t sit pat – and could be exceptionally active this offseason – potentially even looking to deal former Chicago Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija, as well as third baseman Josh Donaldson, according to Ken Rosenthal.…The 29-year-old right-hander was traded to Oakland by Chicago along with fellow pitcher Jason Hammel in early July in exchange for top prospect Addison Russell, right-handed pitcher Dan Straily and outfield prospect Billy McKinney as the A’s looked to shore up for a deep postseason run that ultimately never came to fruition. While the trade worked out well for Chicago, which was in a rebuilding mode in 2014, Beane and Oakland are now taking a long look at the team, and with good reason, the former Cubs’ ace keeps coming up.Prior to the trade, Samardzija was just 2-7, largely because of a lack of run support, as he sported a 2.83 ERA in his 17 starts. Although he was criticized from time-to-time as a member of the Athletics, he pitched well, posting a 3.14 earned run average and an unthinkable 8.25 SO/BB ratio in 111 2/3 innings of work. Between his time with Oakland and Chicago, the right-hander surpassed the 200-strikeout mark for the second straight year, while also pitching a career-high 219 2/3 innings – only increasing his value as a trade chip this winter."
–Jacob R Misener, Cubbies Crib
Josh Donaldson
"Last night, rumors were swirling that the Oakland Athletics should trade Josh Donaldson following another season that ended in postseason heartbreak. While there are players that both could be, or even should be on the move, Josh Donaldson is not one of them.For starters, Donaldson is statistically one of the best players in baseball. According to ESPN’s rankings, JD ranked third in baseball in WAR with a 7.42 mark. The two players above him are both being mentioned heavily in MVP races in their respective leagues, Mike Trout (7.87) and Clayton Kershaw (7.54).Unlike Trout, however, Donaldson has accumulated his high WAR from both offensive and defensive showings, with a 5.04 oWAR, and 2.69 on defense. The 5.04 ranks him 14th in baseball in the category, while his defensive prowess moves him up to 7th. It’s the combination of these two that moves him up to third overall. Mike Trout did all of his damage on offense, with an 8.7 oWAR, and his defense, according to ESPN, is what brought his total down.We have one of the most well-rounded players in baseball, at a key position, why not trade him and rebuild for next season? Well, Josh Donaldson isn’t set to hit free agency until 2019. That’s four more years of Rain in Oakland, with each year being an arbitration year, meaning he should be fairly affordable. The key word: affordable.The haul would be tremendous for Donaldson, but what team out there would give up the bounty that would be asked for in return? Josh Donaldson is the exact player the Athletics and their fans have been waiting for: a superstar. He has late-game magic, smashing three game-winning home runs in 2014. He’s gritty, playing with injuries for the better part of the last month. Donaldson puts it all on the line, every game."