Why the A's could keep things interesting in the AL West and more MLB notes

A National League general manager, granted anonymity for his candor, recently offered this bold prediction:The Athletics will win the AL West.It’s too early for fans to start making travel plans for West Sacramento in October — and for Major League Baseball, ahem, to start panicking about the logistics of playing postseason games in a minor-league park. But the GM reasoned that the Athletics’ offense will be among the game’s best. So, he figured, if the A’s could just manage league-average pitching, they would stand a chance.Advertisement