Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!
The AL West-leading Houston Astros are in Oakland today to start a three-game series against the division-trailing A’s. We’re barely halfway through the season, but the A’s are already 26½ games behind the Astros, who have emerged as perennial contenders in recent years.
Melissa Lockard at The Athletic spoke with A’s general manager David Forst about this season’s struggles, what lies ahead, and the organization’s approach to player development, among other things.
The conversation wasn’t entirely free of PR-speak, as Forst suggested that the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and subsequent MLB lockout left the team without enough time to “get the current team to the level that we’ve sort of become accustomed to.