After a long, unfortunately dry Bay Area winter, the A’s head down to the actual dessert in just a few days. Pitchers and catchers report on February 13th, as the winter of MLB discontent is almost over. This is a time of year that hope springs eternal, even as the MLB deals with more questions than usual surrounding its competitive and economic structure.
For the Oakland Athletics, this time of year, and this phase in the rebuild cycle, brings both significant optimism, and major question marks.
As the A’s try to claw back to competitive relevancy, and hopefully a future taste of championship success, all while trying to set the stage for the Great Baseball Park Spirits to finally shine their positive light on the quest for a new park, the 2018 season stands as a crossroads in a parallel journey.