Athletics' GM Forst Ready to `Throw out the Norms' as 2020 Starts Up Tonight

Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said a schedule reduced from 162 games to 60 injects more randomness into the season. He believes the A's are ready to establish new norms. Also, A.J. Puk resumes playing catch Friday, four days after having a cortisone shot in his left shoulder.

In the last 24 hours, Major League Baseball has gone from planning for a 10-team postseason to a 16-team postseason.

The A’s built their roster to be ready to be one of the 10. The fact that a six-game cushion has been added certainly doesn’t hurt the A’s. But as general manager David Forst said Friday afternoon a few hours before the season’s first pitch in the Coliseum, it’s difficult to judge just what the difference will be.

“I thought the other day about how without 162 games to kind of let everything even out, there’s more randomness injected into every thing we do,” Forst said in a video conference call. “You sort of throw all the norms and traditions out the window when you’re playing a 60-game season. It’s great that we’re going to have more playoff baseball.

“Obviously we built this team generally with the idea that we were going to contend for the division and be part of the old playoff structure. Hopefully it works out and what we projected to happen comes through on the field and we’re part of that group of 16.”

The A’s got a little bit of good news Friday with the word that the only player they have starting the season on the injured list, left-handed starter A.J. Puk, has been cleared to start playing catch. It was just Monday that he had a cortisone shot in his left shoulder after shoulder discomfort cropped up.

“I think A.J. is going to start playing catch today,” Forst said, adding that after the initial six-game homestand against the Angels and Rockies is over, Puk will continue to work with the A’s alternates in San Jose while the team is on the road. Initially Puk had been targeted for the starting rotation, but for the moment, Daniel Mengden is taking his spot.

“That’s a rough injury for him and for us to deal with, but all in all, I think we came out of this summer spring training pretty healthy and pretty ready to go,” Forst said.

He suggested the A’s rotation will continue to be a strength.

“We like our rotation,” Forst said. “Obviously that’s a setback without A.J., but hopefully he gets stretched out. And we’ve got some good options.”

Asked if he would have a problem Friday night if members of the A’s roster or staff took a knee before the game, Forst made it clear he wouldn’t. At least four of the San Francisco Giants took a knee during the national anthem before Monday’s exhibition game, and in Thursday’s open in the nation’s capital, all of the Yankees and Nationals took a knee before the anthem.

“Any way the player wants to express himself (is all right),” Forst said. “WE have always supported that. I think there are a lot of important messages to be sent right now, and our guys have a platform to do it if they feel strongly.

“I’m proud of them for however they handle it.”

Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3

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