MESA, Ariz. — Now one of the longest-tenured players left on the A’s roster, Chad Pinder has seen the team break apart its core around him this week.
Speaking to reporters at the spring training just after Matt Chapman had been traded — the third trade this week — Pinder recalled a conversation with then-hitting coach Darren Bush right after he was called up in 2016.
“He asked me in the cage, ‘What do you think will keep you here?’” Pinder recalled Wednesday. “I said, ‘I don’t know, playing well, hitting, being a good player.’ He said, ‘No, winning.