Major League Baseball players are definitely not eager to play for one specific team, at least based on the results of The Athletic’s anonymous player survey.
Players were asked which organizations have good and bad reputations among their peers, and unsurprisingly, the Athletics came in first. 39 of 115 respondents said the A’s have a bad reputation, with players citing their reluctance to spend money and the fact that they are currently playing games in a minor league stadium.
“I had a buddy who was traded to the A’s as a minor leaguer. … He went to Oakland and said the way they were fed, the places they stayed were just not good,” one player said.
The Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies also scored poorly, but the A’s led the pack. Considering how they have been perceived in recent years, that is not a huge surprise. The stadium, in particular, is drawing poor reviews among some players, and they will be there for two more seasons beyond this one.
The A’s did make an effort to spend some money during the offseason. That did not convince players that they are making a serious change to their long-term business model. The fact that they entered play Wednesday at 26-43 will not help, either.
