Under The Knife 4/8/24

Eclipse Day

The Athletics are moving. On Thursday, the team and MLB announced they’d be shifting to Sacramento’s Sutter Health Field, home of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, which I’m sure won’t be awkward at all. The three-year (with an option!) arrangement is going to make a lot of things interesting but here, the worry is the medical issues.

First, the field is going to have significantly more wear. I don’t think there’s a lot of difference in field quality or weather. It’s not that far from Oakland to Sacramento, so altitude, rain, and cold shouldn’t be significant differences. It might even be a bit more steady, given the Bay Area’s unique microclimate.

The biggest worry is facilities and specifically the medical facilities. While the Coliseum certainly has issues, it meets MLB standards for training room facilities, modalities, and there have even been upgrades there over the last few years. While many Triple-A facilities are very good, few are up to MLB (and MLBPA) standards. Those are agreed on and have minimums, but players know which facilities are good and this enters in to free agent discussions.

Scott Bush of SABR had a good point, in that the Sacramento Kings’ facility, the Golden 1 Center, is less than a mile (albeit across a river) from the ballpark. While having the medical facilities a mile away wouldn’t be ideal, the ones in stadium would be adequate for quick treatment and prep, while a cart or two would make trips over reasonable. The overlap in schedule could be an issue; while Vivek Ranadive, the Kings owner and one of the engines behind this move, can help, the NBA team isn’t going to want to share space or run afoul of NBA/NBAPA regulations.

While small, Sacramento’s park has all the basics. The field is solid and a standard size. There’s few quirks apparent, it seems well cared for, and who doesn’t want a Ziggurat visible in right-center field. (Someone please explain this to me.) The push for the local TV money, the help of an NBA billionaire, and the desire to save a big entrance for the still-questionable Vegas stadium led to this move. The A’s ownership simply did not want to play in Vegas yet, and Salt Lake was fraught with questions, despite a very credible offer and no stadium share.

The biggest thing is that the A’s leave town without giving Oakland (the city) anything. The city wanted to have an exclusive period to set up ownership for an expansion club, but this surprised some around baseball, who thought Oakland knew who they could turn to, at least in leadership if not a fully-financed group. That doesn’t appear to be the case, though I still think they’ll be a very strong expansion candidate as long as they don’t get litigious.

While the Sacramento stadium deal is done, there’s still a lot to be figured out. Will free agents sign there? Will the A’s front office start making backloaded deals in anticipation of the final move to Vegas? Does Sacramento get more into the discussion for an expansion club, joining Oakland and rumblings from the California Forever project as Bay-adjacent hopefuls?

There’s a lot of questions left to answer, Mr. Manfred, so I’ll just get to the injuries:

TREVOR STORY, SS BOS (dislocated shoulder)

We’re still waiting to see what damage was done to Trevor Story when his shoulder dislocated from the force of a dive on his outstretched arm. It’s simply an unfortunate accident. Who knows how many times this spring Story has done the same kind of dive without incident. Most of the time an infielder will simply dust himself off and go back to his position, not be racked with pain and the need for the shoulder to be popped back in.

With any dislocation, while painful, the injury itself isn’t a problem if it can be put back into joint. The issue is what stretched or got impacted when it moved in a way it wasn’t supposed to. The stability mechanisms all failed in these cases and something usually gave, including issues of things being trapped or pinched when the shoulder goes back into the socket.

Story talked to the media and while he held out hope that he could return this season, he certainly didn’t sound or look certain according to several reports. While the details still aren’t known to us, the worry for labrum, AC joint, and no one that I’ve heard has ruled out surgery. He’s headed for more exams and imaging on Monday, including at least one specialist meeting. I wouldn’t be surprised if he meets or consults with the usual orthopedic suspects on this ahead of a final decision.

The Sox are left in a tough spot. Story looked to be hitting well and playing a solid short, a position that is ticketed for Marcelo Mayer, but not just yet. Remember, Mayer too had some shoulder problems that held him back last year. At just 21, he’s the future, but that future needs to hit at Double-A before we talk about it in Fenway. David Hamilton will probably get looks and has good speed, but his bat probably isn’t going to be enough at the MLB level. He did have a homer in his first game of the season, so that’s nice.

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