The start of free agency was rocky for the Oakland Raiders and general manager Reggie McKenzie. The team’s best two players, defensive end Lamarr Houston and left tackle Jared Veldheer signed elsewhere. The team voided the agreement with offensive lineman Rodger Saffold due to a failed physical, their big free-agent get at the time.Solid signings like pass-rushers Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley started McKenzie’s rebound from a poor start, but the debacle with Saffold continued to hang over his head. The Raiders had more than enough money to make waves early in free agency, but they are scooping up more ...
When it comes to roster building, depth is only good until a team is forced to use it. For the Oakland Athletics, injuries to starting pitchers may dismantle a team that was ticketed for October baseball and championship aspirations.According to John Hickey of Bay Area News Group, the Athletics could start the season with 60 percent of their projected starting rotation—Jarrod Parker, A.J. Griffin and Scott Kazmir—on the disabled list.
When it comes to Parker, he won't be there for the entire 2014 season. According to Jane Lee of MLB.com, the 25-year-old right-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery next Tuesday. This will ...
Having plenty of salary cap space to use, the Raiders have already been quite active in the free-agent process thus far.
With signings of proven veterans on defense, the Raiders are placing a value on experience and rightfully so considering the amount of young players already on the team and soon to be added in the draft.
Having said that, they are most certainly not done yet and should remain among the busiest teams throughout the remainder of the free-agency period.
Ranked in consideration of both the player and the roster need they would fill, here are the five best remaining free-agent options ...
The much-anticipated start to free agency for the Oakland Raiders ended with a thud on the first day, as the team signed former New York Jets right tackle Austin Howard. The Raiders spent the majority of Tuesday focused on offensive linemen.
The second day was a nightmare, but they rebounded on the third day by signing pass-rushers Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley.
As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders gave Howard a five-year, $30 million contract with $15 million guaranteed. As is often the case with the first report, the amounts are inflated—even the guaranteed money.
It’s a big chunk of ...
Updates from Tuesday, Mar. 18
Jarrod Parker spoke about his injury and spirits following the news (via John Hickey of InsideBayArea.com and Jane Lee of MLB.com):
Updates from Monday, Mar. 17
Jane Lee of MLB.com has the latest on Jarrod Parker's injury:
Assistant general manager David Forst spoke about Parker's injury via Lee:
Original Text
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker is scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews on Monday after experiencing tightness in his forearm.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser was the first to report:
Comcast SportsNet California's Joe Stiglich also reports that Parker could possibly miss the start of the regular season this spring ...
Whether it's Josh Reddick returning to form or Michael Taylor desperately trying to prove himself, the Oakland A's are witnessing a variety of breakout performances that are making key decisions more difficult.
After one week of camp, four guys in particular were incredibly impressive. Now with more than two weeks worth of games under their stirrups, three of those four have continued to stay hot in Arizona while a handful of others have stirred things up.
What makes a breakout star? Well, one guy isn't at all familiar to A's fans. Three others are fighting for a job on the 25-man roster. ...
The Oakland Raiders placed an emphasis on upgrading their defensive line on Thursday by inking a pair of veteran pass-rushers to two-year deals. Defensive end Justin Tuck was the first splash for the Raiders during free agency after a nightmarish first two days.
LaMarr Woodley was second to come aboard on a two-year deal worth a maximum of $12 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Woodley will replace the departed Lamarr Houston more so than Tuck because he’ll play Houston's right defensive end position.
Woodley was an outside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, but the line between the two schemes has become ...
It’s been a rough few days for fans of the Oakland Raiders. Blessed with an abundance of salary-cap space and cursed with little talent, the team’s biggest moves were to sign right tackle Austin Howard and running back Darren McFadden. Two days and one debacle later, the Raiders finally made the splash everyone was expecting.
Defensive end Justin Tuck signed with the Raiders for two years and $11 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team announced the deal within minutes, a sign that it was ready to move past an embarrassing situation that led to the voiding of a deal ...
If you're only reading headlines, then the saga of Rodger Saffold gets a bit confusing. As a top free agent, the Oakland Raiders met with Saffold, negotiated a big-dollar deal and even brought in his parents for the announcement. Next thing you know, there's no deal and Saffold is headed back to St. Louis, where he gets a reportedly smaller deal (via ESPN), but nearly equivalent in guaranteed money.
It leaves football fans in Oakland and St. Louis asking one question: What happened?
With the Raiders, it could be almost anything, but this is actually a common problem. Baseball fans will recall that something similar ...
It has been a nightmare start to free agency for the Oakland Raiders, which is nothing new to a team that hasn’t had a winning season in 11 years. The Raider Nation expected a big splash from general manager Reggie McKenzie, but all they received were two bloated contracted to offensive linemen.
Then, it got worse.
The Raiders voided the offer to offensive lineman Rodger Saffold because he failed the team’s physical, as first reported by Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. According to Mike Silver of NFL.com, owner Mark Davis pulled the plug on the deal, and Saffold will return to the St. ...