With the feeding frenzy of the MLB trade deadline now in the rearview, Athletics general manager David Forst feels pretty good about Oakland’s approach.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday before the Bay Bridge Series, Forst explained why the A’s decided not to be sellers at the deadline like in years past.
“I feel really good about the players we have coming back,” Forst said. “Obviously you always would rather be on the other side of this day in bringing major league players in, but we’re not quite there yet. This team has played really well, we’ve played .500 over our last 30 games, first winning month in a while so there are a lot of positives out there right now.
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“Frankly, there was a lot of interest in every player on this team. But, we felt like we were in a different place this year than the last two years in terms of being able to say ‘no’ on players that were asked about because we want guys to be here and be part of what we’re doing.”
David Forst says he feels "really good" about the A's trade deadline moves pic.twitter.com/2xok0xTnH1
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 31, 2024
In previous seasons, Oakland became known for shipping out its young talent, but except for trading away pitchers Paul Blackburn and Lucas Erceg, the franchise kept the rest of the team intact.
With budding stars such as Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker, the A’s have a young core who hopefully will help turn the team into playoff contenders in the future, something that was not lost on manager Mark Kotsay.
Oakland Athletics
“I think from a team standpoint … the last two seasons where we’ve been and where we are now, there’s a bit of a difference in terms of this group and the vision of this group,” Kotsay told reporters Tuesday. “We believe there are a lot of pieces here that we can go forward with and build with.”
The likes of Rooker, Butler and Daz Cameron have powered Oakland to a winning month in July for the first time since 2022. By holding on to the core group, the A’s are primed to climb out of the cellar in the coming seasons. The team has not made the playoffs since the abbreviated 2020 season and have not won a postseason round since 2006.