*Photo from NBC Sports*
With a goal of keeping the culture established by former manager Bob Melvin in place, the Oakland Athletics made their managerial decision. The A's have promoted 3rd base coach Mark Kotsay to manager, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The move has been made official by the A's on Tuesday afternoon.
Kotsay had been a part of Melvin's coaching staff since the 2016 season, and now he's got the chance to manage his first team. Financial terms of his contract were not revealed, but it is a 3 year deal for Kotsay, with a team option for the 2025 season.
The promotion to manager caps a long climb up the coaching ranks for Kotsay. His first job after retiring from his playing career was a special assistant in the San Diego Padres front office in 2014. He became the Padres hitting coach in 2015, and was hired by Melvin in 2016 to be the A's bench coach. He was then the quality control coach from 2017 to 2020, before transitioning to 3rd base coach last season.
In their search for manager, the A's interviewed plenty of candidates, from the guys who have never managed before to guys with years and years of experience. Kotsay was the logical choice, as he is well regarded in league circles and had previously interviewed for the manager spot for the Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, and Houston Astros.
The first order of business for Kotsay will be to fill out his coaching staff for next season. He'll have to fill the bench coach spot, as Ryan Christenson left with Melvin, as well as 3rd base coach. He does have hitting coach Darren Bush and bullpen coach Marcus Jensen, along with the rest of his coaching staff returning.
Kotsay will inherit an A's team that is set to look pretty different next season, with Starling Marte and Mark Canha already gone in free agency. The A's are also said to be exploring trades for their star players, including Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, and more.
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