Oakland A's are gone, but legacy lives on during MLB playoffs

The Oakland A’s may be gone, but the franchise’s legacy in the East Bay will live on for years.

In fact, over the next few weeks grieving A’s fans will hear a lot of familiar names and see a lot of familiar faces.

Former Oakland A’s are everywhere for the MLB playoffs: Of the 12 teams playing in the postseason, 11 have direct ties to the Oakland A’s, who are moving to their temporary home in Sacramento next season.

The AL East-champion New York Yankees are the only team without an Oakland connection, but a case can be made that the Bronx Bombers also have a speck of Green and Gold DNA.

Oakland drafted (but failed to sign) soon-to-be two-time MVP Aaron Judge in the 31st round after his high school senior season in Linden, Calif., in 2010.

Depending on how things play out in the American League wild-card round, which begins today, two former A’s catchers-turned-managers could face each other in an ALCS matchup: the Guardian’s Stephen Vogt and the Tigers’ A.J. Hinch. If it’s not Hinch’s Tigers facing Vogt, it’ll be the Astros, who are managed by Joe Espada, who spent most of his minor league playing career in, yep, the Oakland A’s system.

Here’s a look at the Oakland A’s connections (and a couple other local ties) to this season’s playoffs:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Detroit Tigers

— A.J. Hinch — The former Stanford star was Oakland’s third-round pick in 1996 and was in the majors two years later. After the 2000 season he was part of a three-way trade that brought Johnny Damon, Cory Lidle and Mark Ellis to Oakland.

Hinch previously managed the Diamondbacks (he replaced former Bob Melvin) and the Astros, where he won the World Series in 2017, but two years later was suspended for his part in Houston’s sign stealing scandal. The Tigers’ manager since 2021, Hinch’s Tigers ended the season 31-13 to capture the final AL wild-card spot.

— Tarik Skubal — The Tigers’ ace and likely AL Cy Young winner didn’t play for the A’s, but he was born in Hayward and grew up in Fremont, Calif., and went 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA in four career starts at the Coliseum.

Kansas City Royals

— Lucas Erceg — The graduate of Campbell’s Westmont High was a key part of the A’s hard-throwing bullpen after making his debut last season. He took over as the Royals’ closer after a mid-season and converted 11 of 13 save opportunities.

— Robbie Grossman — The veteran outfielder was a key contributor on the final two Oakland playoff seasons (2019-20) and batted .300 in the 2020 ALCS against the Astros, the A’s final playoff series. Also one of the few A’s players to live in downtown Oakland during his time with the team.

— Sam Long — After appearing in 40 games for the A’s last season he was signed as a free agent by the Royals and has been a big arm out of the bullpen, posting a 3.16 ERA in 43 appearances.

Baltimore Orioles

— Danny Coulombe — The veteran reliever appeared in 143 games with the A’s from 2015-18, including 72 appearances in 2017.

— Corbin Burnes — The Orioles ace never played for the A’s, but starred as a collegian a couple miles away in Moraga at Saint Mary’s.

Houston Astros

— Joe Espada — Led the Astros to the AL West title in his first season as manager. The former infielder never played in Oakland, but was a second-round draft pick and spent five seasons in the organization in the late 1990s, getting as close as Triple-A.

Cleveland Guardians

— Stephen Vogt — Played parts of six seasons in Oakland and was one of the most beloved A’s of all-time. The two-time All-Star was involved in plenty of big moments, but there was hardly a dry eye in the Coliseum when, after announcing his retirement, Vogt homered in his final at-bat in 2022. Not a bad debut as a manager this season – 92 wins and the AL Central title.

— Steven Kwan — The Fremont native graduated from Washington High, the same school as A’s Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, and has become one of the top leadoff hitters in the majors.

New York Yankees

— Aaron Judge — The Liden, Calif., native attended games at the Coliseum as a kid. He was Oakland’s 31st pick in the 2010 draft but went to Fresno State instead. Three years later he was the Yankees’ first-round pick. Judge “only” hit seven home runs in 18 career games at the Coliseum, but made himself at home, batting .323 with a 1.195 OPS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

New York Mets

— Sean Manaea — The lefty with the (more often than not) flowing hair spent the first six seasons of his career with the A’s. He had double-digit wins three times and on April 21, 2018 Manea pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox at the Coliseum. After nondescript seasons with the Padres and Giants the past two seasons, he had a big season with the Mets, tying a career high with 12 wins with a career-best 3.47 ERA.

— Starling Marte — The veteran outfielder only played in 56 games in 2021 with the A’s and was everything as advertised, hitting .316, scoring 37 runs with 30 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. But what turned out to be the final big move of the Oakland era failed to pay off in a postseason appearance. The A’s held the final wild-card spot the day they traded for Marte, but went 29-30 to end the COVID-shortened season, four games behind the Yankees and Red Sox for a wild-card spot.

Atlanta Braves

— Jesse Chavez — The veteran reliever turned 40 this season but was a valuable member of the Braves bullpen for the third straight season. Chavez, who played for Oakland for parts of 2012-15) is the only player still active from the A’s magical 2012 team that clinched the AL West on the final day of the season.

— Sean Murphy — The massive three-team deal that sent Murphy to the Braves in 2022 was the final last straw for many A’s fans after seeing Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and others shed for payroll reasons that spring. Murphy was fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote in 2018 and received MVP votes in 2022 with the A’s and last season with the Braves was a first-time All-Star.

— Matt Olson — Broke in with the A’s in 2016 and was on a trajectory to join Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi as one of the franchise’s all-time great slugging first basemen, but his trade before the start of spring training in 2022 ended up a sign of darker times ahead. The sweet-swinging first baseman swatted 29 home runs for the Braves after an MVP-caliber 2023 when he hit .283 with 54 home runs and 139 RBI.

— Ramón Laureano — The outfielder looked like a star in the making after batting .288 with 24 home runs during his first full season in 2019, but most of his six seasons with Oakland were inconsistent and overshadowed by an 80-game suspension that cost him the end of the 2021 season and the start of 2022 for a positive PED test. Laureano was batting .143 when he was released in May by Cleveland, but has found new life with the Braves, batting .296 with 10 home runs in 67 games.

San Diego Padres

— Jurickson Profar — The outfielder had a largely forgettable 2019 season with the A’s, batting .281 with a .301 on-base percentage. But at the age of 31, the former No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America had a breakout 2024, making the All-Star team for the first time.

— Tyler Wade — Veteran utility man played five different position for the A’s last season and expanded his range this season with the Padres, playing every position except pitcher, catcher and first base.

Milwaukee Brewers

— Frankie Montas — Was Oakland’s Opening Day starter in 2020 and won 35 games with a 3.70 ERA in parts of six seasons, including 13 in 2021. But in the heart of the 2019 season, after starting 9–2 with a 2.70 ERA, he was suspended for 80 games for testing positive for a banned substance. Struggled with injuries and inconsistency with the Yankees and Reds after the A’s traded him during the 2022 season but seems to have found a home in the Brewers rotation.

— Joel Payamps — The reliever was a nice reclamation project when he was claimed off waivers in late 2022 and posted a 3.46 ERA in 12 appearances. That winter he went to Milwaukee in part of a three-game trade that sent Sean Murphy to the Braves (and brought Esteury Ruiz, Kyle Muller and others to the A’s) and has been one of the busiest relievers in the majors, appearing in 68 games this season after pitching 69 times in 2023.

— William Contreras — Similar to former Expos catcher Michael Barrett in 2003, the Brewers’ All-Star catcher’s stint with Oakland was on paper only as part of a pre-arranged trade. Contereas also was part of the Murphy three-team deal, going from the Braves to the Brewers.

— Joe Ross — The former Bishop O’Dowd star never pitched for the A’s, but his older brother did. Tyson was drafted by the A’s out of Cal and spent part of his first three seasons playing for Oakland.

Philadelphia Phillies

— Sam Fuld — In four seasons as the Phllies’ vice president and general manager, the team has reached the playoffs three times, including the 2022 World Series. Fuld achieved a rare double stint with Oakland in 2014. He was waived after going 6 for 30 in his first seven games and claimed by the Twins, who at the deadline three months later traded him back to Oakland for Tommy Millone. The following season he appeared in 120 games and retired as an Oakland A.

Los Angeles Dodgers

— Max Muncy — There have been lots of “ones that got away” from Oakland over the years, starting with Chet Lemon and George Hendrick in the early 1970s. But Muncy (not to be confused with a 21-year-old A’s prospect with the same name – but no relation) might be the all-timer. He debuted with the A’s in 2015 at the age of 24, hit .195 with five home runs in 96 games and was released late in spring training in 2017. He’s hit 190 homers the past seven seasons with the Dodgers, which is ninth in franchise history. He’s averaged one homer every 14.6 at-bats with LA, second in franchise history to only Gary Sheffield.

— Blake Treinen — The hard-throwing reliever spent parts of three seasons in the A’s bullpen, racking up 67 of his 80 career saves and representing Oakland at the 2018 All-Star Game. He’s finally healthy again after a series of injuries and, at the age of 36, went 7-3 with a 1.93 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings.

— Tommy Edman — Not a former A’s player, but starred at Stanford before spending parts of five seasons with the Cardinals. He’s played three positions with the Dodgers since a mid-season trade and has playoff experience off the bench, appearing in the playoffs four times with the Cardinals.

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