Ken Rosenthal's latest suggests that Bob Geren's days managing the Oakland Athletics could be numbered, but not because of player complaints. Rather, Geren's contract status (and not his best-man-Beane's-wedding relationship status) should be the real tell.
Other notes about the potentially ugly situation:
- Brian Fuentes' comments about zero communication should be extremely concerning, and indicate a larger problem within the clubhouse.
- While wrong to lash out, Fuentes' apparent comfort with doing so suggests something ominous.
- Geren has little room for error in bullpen management, which Rosenthal says is a result of ranking last in runs.
- Payroll, at $66M, has much to do with their current predicament, but Beane doesn't necessarily believe that management is the main factor of success, and like any GM worth his salt, knows that talent is most important.
- That said, the Fuentes situation, the little room for error, the optics, and Geren's contract all indicate that Beane may need to make a decision soon.
Rosenthal thinks change is warranted. What do you think? Can this situation be resolved with just removing Geren, or Fuentes? Is this all a distraction from a larger issue in Oakland (they're not as good as they thought)? Let us know.