athletics

Athletics' Clubhouse Feeling Positive Vibes After Trades, Big Win

A's clubhouse feeling positive vibes after trades, big win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

When the Athletics acquired Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday for former top pitching prospect Jesús Luzardo, the clubhouse vibe immediately improved. Even after losing someone who was so close with the rest of the starting rotation. 

“We all love Jesús, and everyone does here too, but it’s a pretty good vibe in our clubhouse right now because, this is, as David [Forst] said, this is about the now,” Melvin said on Wednesday prior to the A’s 10-4 win over the San Diego Padres. “That’s what players are all about.”

With the A’s (57-46) holding on to the second-place position in the AL West and headed towards another wild-card showdown, bringing on a bat like Marte’s was imperative. 

“When you get an opportunity where you get in a position where our team is right now, it is all about now, and Jesús wasn’t here at this point,” Melvin added. “He’s not here right now, so this makes us a much better team.”     

Luzardo had been demoted recently to Triple-A Las Vegas after having a subpar time in the big leagues, posting a 6.87 ERA.

A’s starter Chris Bassitt on Twitter said the A’s tend to get hotter this time of the year. Oakland historically has shown an upward trajectory during the second half of the seasons prior.

A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, who went 2-for-5 with a home run on Wednesday, said the clubhouse vibe was great following the A’s recent acquisitions and the big win at Petco Park.

“Really good, you know?” Chapman said following the game. “I think we’re all excited to have two great players come to our team and help us with this last push. The end of the season is always tough. The teams that are in the hunt, everybody’s pushing as hard as they can, so it’s nice to know that we’re getting some help and we got two really exciting guys coming to the team, and we feel good about it. Went out there today and got a win so, I think we’re excited and we’re ready to keep it rolling.”

RELATED: Forst explains why A's traded Luzardo to Marlins for Marte

The A’s acquired reliever Andrew Chafin from the Chicago Cubs on Monday. While he only threw two-thirds of an inning on Wednesday, Melvin has seen him enough over the years to know what he was getting. 

“It’s tough to tell, but I’ve seen him enough from the other side to know that he’s really good,” Melvin said. 

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