The Oakland Athletics are on pace to set the worst record ever during the course of a 162-game season. Their frustrations have been well-documented in 2023, with the team currently holding an abysmal 10-44 record. This team is on pace to finish the season with a 30-132 record, per Talkin' Baseball. Their losing ways have only added more fuel to the fire around a potential move to Las Vegas, where the team is looking to build a $1.5 billion dollar stadium.
It was just a couple of years ago that Oakland was a competitive ball club. They used their tactics to build a winning roster despite not featuring much all-around star-power in similar fashion to other small-market teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians. Ahead of the 2022 season though, the A's decided to enter a complete rebuild. Oakland proceeded to trade just about every notable name on their roster which has led to their forgettable 2023 performance.
The Athletics' front office has placed manager Mark Kotsay in an impossible situation. Even if he was the best manager in baseball, finding ways to win would be incredibly difficult with Oakland's uninspiring active roster.
Kotsay recently commented on the A's season in 2023, deciding to shoulder the blame.
“For me, personally, it’s hard not to feel this is all of my fault, that the losing is 100% my responsibility,” Kotsay said previously, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I beat myself up over this day in and day out. I don’t know how to hide it. It’s a constant struggle.”
Kotsay's comments are respectable, as managers tend to take blame when their team struggles, but this is simply out of his control. The 2023 A's are a terrible baseball team and there's no way around it.
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