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| Mike Piazza has decided to retire from baseball following a great 19-year career, according to the AP. Piazza said, "After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it is time to start a new chapter in my life. It has been an amazing journey."
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Our View: He finished with a .308 career average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI. He was not with any team when he retired.
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| The Reds have shown mild interest in Mike Piazza, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Piazza, who is currently unsigned, could get at-bats at first base. The team is looking for a right-handed hitter with power for their bench, and his name came up. |
Our View: Piazza's best days are behind him, and his fantasy value remains very limited.
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| Future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza is still looking for a job, and if he doesn't find one by the end of spring training, he could call it quits, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Piazza batted .275 with eight homers in an injury-shortened 2007 campaign. It's unlikely that anyone would want him to catch, so he'd have to latch on as a DH or perhaps just as a bat off the bench. |
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| The Tigers could be interested in trading for Mike Piazza as a short-term replacement at DH for the injured Gary Sheffield. Sammy Sosa and Brad Wilkerson of the Rangers are a couple others who have cleared waivers that the team could have an interest in, according to the Detroit Free Press. |
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| Mike Piazza has cleared waivers, which could allow for him to be traded, but the Twins aren't expected to land the designated hitter. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Piazza has an agreement with Oakland general manager Billy Beane not to trade him against his will, and "Twins insiders keep hearing Piazza doesn't want to play in Minnesota." |
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| ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Mike Piazza has cleared waivers and can now be traded. Piazza, who has hit .292 with three homers and 21 RBI in 161 at-bats this year, is a very likely candidate to get dealt over the next several days. The Twins and Angels are two teams that may have some interest. |
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| The A's activated Mike Piazza from the disabled list on Friday. He had been sidelined since May 3 with a shoulder injury, according to the AP. Piazza went 10-for-26 in his rehab assignment for Triple-A, and he should handle the majority of the DH duties upon his return. |
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| Mike Piazza is showing progress in his Stockton rehab from a shoulder injury, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer Thursday, and was 1-for-3 with a solo home run Tuesday. It's possible he could return to the A's lineup for the weekend home series against Baltimore. |
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| Mike Piazza has gone 8-for-20 with a home run in his first four minor league rehab games. Piazza, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, could be activated Friday, according to the Mercury News. |
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| Mike Piazza went 2-for-5 in his first rehabilitation game with Sacramento on Friday, the AP reports. He is penciled in for 7-to-10 games at Triple-A. |
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| As expected, the A's have abandoned the idea of bringing back Mike Piazza as a backup catcher. Piazza, who has been out since early May with a shoulder injury, was having trouble throwing to second base. A's manager Bob Geren said Piazza would need about 7-10 days to get comfortable swinging and should return shortly after as a DH, according to the AP. "He's looking strong," Geren said. "He looks like he's ready to start playing again." |
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| The A's are still trying to decide whether to send Mike Piazza to Sacramento for a rehab appearance in order to return strictly as a DH, or whether to keep waiting to see if he can rehab as a catcher, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The latter possibility looks remote, especially considering that Piazza's agent, Dan Lozano, has spoken to GM Billy Beane about the fact that it has been nearly a month and Piazza, who is coming off a severe shoulder injury, still cannot throw adequately enough to catch.
Since the A's signed Piazza strictly as a DH over the winter and he has been ready to hit since mid-June, there's some thought that the union might have grounds for a grievance if Piazza's return is delayed much longer. With roster space tight, it's possible the A's will try to move Piazza. |
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| Manager Bob Geren still thinks Mike Piazza will be able to be the A's backup catcher during the second half, despite Piazza's slow recovery from a sprained shoulder. "It all depends on how his arm feels," Geren said in the AP. "I'm very optimistic. He's improving." |
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| Mike Piazza (sprained right shoulder) caught a bullpen session on Monday and has been improving in his attempt to be game ready, the AP reports. He has yet to catch a game this season. "He's having better success getting his arm slot," Bob Geren said. "He's coming along." |
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| Mike Piazza was a little discouraged Tuesday after feeling pain in his sprained right shoulder following a throwing session Monday. "It's a little weak," Piazza said in the Mercury News. "I don't know what the schedule will be. Hopefully it improves." Manager Bob Geren said that he hopes Piazza feels good enough to begin catching in a rehab assignment in three weeks. If it ends up taking longer than that, he said the team may have to change its plans about using Piazza behind the plate. |
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| Mike Piazza, who is on the DL with a sprained right shoulder, is three weeks from returning, according to the AP. The A's want to give Piazza playing time at catcher when he returns and he's on a throwing program to stretch out his arm. |
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| Once Mike Piazza returns from the disabled list, the A's plan to move him back to catcher in order to allow Jack Cust to stay in the lineup. Piazza was surprised when he heard the news. "That was a little strange," Piazza said Monday. "This game is unpredictable at times. I never thought this would be the case, especially at this point in my career, but I learned to go with the flow. Whatever they want me to do. ... I was just as surprised as anybody." The decision means that Piazza is still about three weeks away from returning, as he needs to get his arm back in shape. |
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| The A's have postponed Mike Piazza's rehab assignment in order to give him more time to get his arm in shape for catching. "It's something we had talked about for a while," manager Bob Geren said in the AP. "Part of it is the emergence of Jack (Cust) and the importance of having Mike and have him contributing. Mike's great (with the decision)." Geren said he expects it will take Piazza, who recovering from a sprained shoulder, an additional two to three weeks to be ready to catch in a game. Geren isn't ready to call Piazza the backup to Jason Kendall just yet. "We'll see how it goes and how much he can handle," Geren said. |
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| Mike Piazza is slated to begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Sacramento, the last big step before he rejoins the club, the AP reports. Piazza has been sidelined since May 3 with a sprained right shoulder. |
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| Mike Piazza took batting practice on the field before Wednesday's game, and he didn't report any pain, according to the AP. Piazza has been on the DL since straining his right shoulder in Boston on May 2. |
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| Mike Piazza, on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury, might be cleared to hit soft toss in the next couple of days, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Piazza has been targeting a return in mid June, but no return date has been set as of yet. |
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| Mike Piazza took a few light swings Wednesday and said his shoulder is still "cranky," the AP reprots. Piazza is scheduled to get more treatment during Thursday's off day and hopes to accelerate his rehab process next week. Piazza said he is on target to return in mid-June. |
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| Mike Piazza has been limited to doing physical therapy on his sprained right shoulder, but he's about to begin a strengthening program. Once he's regained strength, he'll start hitting, according to the Contra Costa Times. "If I swing and it feels really good, I'm going to try to expedite it a little bit because I don't have to throw," Piazza said. "I'm pretty much right on schedule, hopefully a little earlier." That schedule could have him back in action by mid June. If all goes really well, Piazza could return in a week or so. |
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| Mike Piazza is expected to be out another 2-4 weeks with his sprained right shoulder, the Athletics official site reports. He's currently receiving treatment in New York while tending to some family business; he'll meet up with the team in Baltimore next week. |
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| The A's officially placed Mike Piazza on the disabled list Friday with a sprained right shoulder, according to the AP. Piazza, who is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks, suffered the injury in a collision with Mike Lowell at third base. |
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| Mike Piazza is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after straining his left shoulder against the Red Sox Wednesday, the AP reports. Piazza suffered the injury on a baserunning collision with Boston third baseman Mike Lowell. Piazza thought the shoulder was separated, but the injury was diagnosed as a strained AC joint. "It's frustrating," Piazza said. "I felt like I was starting to swing the bat a little better and it's a tough setback. It's really frustrating." Given the injuries the Athletics already have on their roster, it's not clear yet how they'll look to fill Piazza's DH at-bats.
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| Mike Piazza appeared to injure his right shoulder Wednesday in a collision with Boston's Mike Lowell at third base. Nick Swisher hit in Piazza's spot when it came up again in the eighth inning. |
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| Mike Piazza is now the No. 2 catcher on the Athletics depth chart with Adam Melhuse optioned to Triple-A, according to the team's official site. Bob Geren had said in spring training that he didn't want to use Piazza as a catcher, and it's likely the team will get someone else for catching depth before too long, perhaps bringing Melhuse back. Geren also said Wednesday that Jason Kendall would "catch every day" in the short-term. Piazza, for what it's worth, isn't looking forward to catching either. "If I'm out there, it's not a good thing," said Piazza, who will ramp up his throwing and start catching in the bullpen to sharpen his skills. "But teams have to make adjustments, and I told Bob that if the team needs it, I'll do it." |
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| Mike Piazza got a routine day off Saturday in the hope that the break in action will help get his bat going, according to the Contra Costa Times. Piazza has just one hit in his past 22 at-bats. |
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| Mike Piazza says he's become comfortable with his new DH role, the Athletics official site reports. Nonetheless he plans to stay in the dugout as much as possible during games, looking to stay in the flow of things. "I have a lot of energy, so I live to stay active and involved." |
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| Mike Piazza had a three-run double and a homer Thursday in Oakland's game against its Triple-A affiliate Thursday, the Contra Costa Times reports. Not counting the stats from the minor-league game, Piazza is at .373 this month with 16 RBI. "I just feel like my mechanics are good," Piazza said. "I'm seeing the ball well, I'm trusting my hands and letting the ball travel. I just have to keep this approach through the season." |
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| Mike Piazza might try to play Friday, the Contra Costa Times reports. He's dealing with a bruised triceps muscle and is considered day-to-day. |
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| Mike Piazza, who remains day-to-day after being hit in the elbow by a pitch on Tuesday, said the pain and swelling have subsided, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. If the elbow feels good today, he'll try to take batting practice. |
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| Mike Piazza remains day-to-day after being hit in the elbow with a pitch Tuesday, the AP reports. "Anytime a guy gets hit, when it's just day to day, that's good news," A's manager Bob Geren said. |
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| Mike Piazza is expected to miss at least a few days after being hit on his left elbow by a pitch yesterday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. X-rays were negative, but the joint was sore and inflamed. |
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| Mike Piazza came out of Tuesday's game after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch, according to the AP. He was diagnosed with a bruised left triceps. "He got it pretty good," said Piazza. "I'm just going to ice it again, see how it feels and go from there. If everything's all right, I'm sure it will calm down in a day or two." |
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| Mike Piazza and the A's have come to terms on a one-year contract worth $8.5 million, according to ESPN. Piazza will take over as Oakland's primary DH. It'll be good for Piazza to get out of PETCO Park - He hit .223 there last year, and .332 on the road. |
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| ESPN.com reports that the A's are closing in on a deal with Mike Piazza. Piazza would replace Frank Thomas as the team's designated hitter. |
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| Mike Piazza has narrowed his choices down to the A's and Rangers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The A's have offered him a one-year deal worth between $8 million and $9 million, while the Rangers also have a one-year deal with a second-year option on the table. |
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| The A's have been involved in talks with Mike Piazza about being their DH in 2007, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. However, the A's are unlikely to sign Piazza, who is a Type-A free agent, until after the Dec. 1 arbitration deadline so they do not lose a draft pick. Piazza is thought to be seeking a two-year deal. |
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| The Padres have declined their 2007 option on Mike Piazza, which was worth $8 million. Piazza played this past season for $2 million, and it's possible that he and the Padres will agree to a new deal. |
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| Mike Piazza, who was not in the starting lineup on Tuesday after being hit by a pitch, was back in action on Wednesday, according to the Padres website. Piazza did get a pinch-hit appearance on Tuesday and was drilled again, this time in the hip. He went 0-for-3 with a walk on Wednesday. |
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| Mike Piazza is considered day-to-day after missing last night's game with a bruised right arm, the result of being hit by a pitch in the previous contest, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It went numb on impact," Piazza said yesterday. "I couldn't throw, not that I could throw anyway. I expect to be ready in another day." |
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| Mike Piazza left Monday night's game after taking a pitch off his right forearm. He was diagnosed with a bruise and is listed as day-to-day. |
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