Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher A.J. Griffin is reportedly likely to undergo Tommy John surgery next week to alleviate the discomfort in his injured right throwing elbow.

A source informed Joe Stiglich of Comcast SportsNet California, and he passed along the news of the ominous development for the A's on Friday:

However, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser has different information:

There has only been one week of baseball—games that count anyway—but so far, so good for many of the Oakland Athletics' top-10 minor league prospects.

The Oakland Athletics announced on Monday that they signed former Angels pitcher Joe Blanton to a minor league deal, assigning him to Triple-A Sacramento. For Blanton, who was originally drafted by the Athletics, the signing results in a homecoming as well as an opportunity to bounce back from a forgettable year with the Angels.

For Oakland A's fans, the term "March Madness" reflects their team's crazy spring training. One major player is out for the season and another isn't hitting. But there is good news: A few guys you might not have expected to hit so well have been pleasant surprises.

Spring training is meant to answer a team's questions.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker is scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews on Monday after experiencing tightness in his forearm.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser was the first to report:

Comcast SportsNet California's Joe Stiglich also reports that Parker could possibly miss the start of the regular season this spring as a result:

Whether it's Josh Reddick returning to form or Michael Taylor desperately trying to prove himself, the Oakland A's are witnessing a variety of breakout performances that are making key decisions more difficult.

The Oakland A's have traveled to Arizona for another year of spring training camp. With returnees, new signings, freshly acquired players, prospects and a slew of non-roster invitees, it's time to break down the A's, position by position.

Most positions are all but locked up already but that doesn't mean others are short on competition.

Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss is literally the big elephant in the room.

In his breakthrough season in 2013, Moss ranked among Major League Baseball's best in every power category there is, forcing us to query as to whether or not he is a one-year wonder. If he does show us a significant decline in statistical production in 2014, it will be one of the greatest year-to-year wanes we have seen for some time.

T-minus four days until Oakland A's pitchers report for spring training. Five days after that, the rest of the squad officially opens camp in Phoenix, Arizona. Baseball is upon us.

The 2014 Oakland A's will look familiar.

Four-fifths of the rotation is the same. There are no new faces in the starting lineup. The bullpen and bench saw the most turnover.

Spring training is always entertaining.

On the one hand, the moves made by Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane this winter seem out of character for a team that had a payroll of $61.9 million in 2013. The team has spent money to bring in an experienced closer in Jim Johnson and also signed free-agent starter Scott Kazmir.