LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Athletics' season could have gone any number of ways last season, most not good, but manager Mark Kotsay kept his players unified and focused.
Fans regularly protested the club's impending move to Las Vegas via Sacramento — at least those who showed up to what often was a nearly empty Oakland Coliseum. There also seemed little to play for as the A's appeared headed toward their third consecutive 100-loss season.
They avoided that, finishing 69-93 after going 32-32 after the All-Star break, providing some hope the A's could be beginning to put together a contender.
“(Kotsay) always taught us to keep the main goal the main goal,” outfielder Lawrence Butler said Saturday morning before the A's played the Arizona Diamondbacks in a spring training game at Las Vegas Ballpark. “Just play baseball and win games regardless of the stuff going on outside of the field and in the stands.”
A's management showed its confidence in Kotsay by rewarding him with a contract extension Feb. 17 that takes him through the 2028 season — the club's first scheduled season in Las Vegas — with an option for 2029.
“He's an incredible manager,” owner John Fisher said. “He stands for the leadership of our organization and everything that we want to stand for both in terms of what we're going to be able to accomplish on the field going forward and just the kind of person he is. We want Mark to be our manager coming into Vegas and for a long period after that.”
Fisher has long been criticized for not investing more in his team, and the A's had the lowest payroll in the major leagues for three consecutive years. But Fisher has made a much greater commitment as the A's prepare to play the first of at least three seasons at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California.
They signed designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker to a $60 million, five-year contract and right-hander Luis Severino to a team-record $67 million, three-year deal during the offseason. And then on Thursday agreed to a $65.5 million, seven-year contract with Butler pending a successful physical.
“I think that ownership has transitioned in their approach to this team,” Kotsay said. “The last long-term contract prior to doing Brent Rooker was Eric Chavez (in 2004) and now we've got one (Butler) on the cusp of doing a longer-term deal, maybe the longest in A's history. So it's an exciting time to invest in this young group.”
Butler's deal means he could be the main player the organization promotes when it moves to Las Vegas.
“I'm excited to be here for a very long time,” Butler said. “Signing the players before me let everybody in the organization know we want to continue to build our core and win and do this for most years, not just one year.”
There also are the players to come, such as shortstop Max Muncy, the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Muncy is getting the chance to learn directly from Kotsay and could receive his first playing time in the majors this season.
“He voices his opinion in the way it should be voiced and lets you know where you stand and where he thinks you can improve," Muncy said. “I think that's important to have an open line of communication with your manager.”
There is optimism the A's can actually compete for a playoff spot.
That was hardly the talk last year, especially early in the season. Then came the A's performance after the All-Star break.
“I've been in the game a long time,” Kotsay said. “I try to lean on experiences that I've gone through, that I know they're going to go through, and keep them focused on what's the most important thing, which is the game itself and going out and competing every day with the mindset that you have to just go out and win one game. I think these guys have bought into that.
"We've done a lot of work of building a foundation of routines and a mindset that you can get 1% better every day here and you're going to do great things.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Mark Anderson, The Associated Press
