The A's manager reflects on losing the GM who gave him the managerial opportunity, as the organization navigates a tumultuous stretch and leadership changes
Ahead of Friday's road game against the Boston Red Sox, the Athletics announced a "mutual parting of ways" with GM David Forst, though other reporting has said that he was fired.
Forst had been with the A's organization for 27 years, longer than owner John Fisher, and had helped steer the franchise to winning seasons time and again, even with limited resources to work with.
With the A's moving out of the Oakland Coliseum following the 2024 season and into a minor-league park in West Sacramento, the A's typical excellence in finding scrap heap pitchers and turning them into league-average arms has suffered.
With most of the big pieces of the A's offense on the IL for the past six weeks or so, the club has been in free fall. Since June 27, the A's have gone just 5-28. They fired longtime pitching coach Scott Emerson at the All-Star break, and it's now the longtime GM who has been let go.
The A's held a 5.23 ERA (4.94 FIP) entering the break, and have posted a 6.49 ERA (5.27 FIP) since.
"Obviously it's a tough day," A's manager Mark Kotsay said before Friday's game. "On this field [Fenway Park] I threw him batting practice when he was the assistant GM. We made a bet that I still owe him for. He hit a ball off the Monster, and I didn't believe he could at the time.
"For me, he gave me this opportunity to manage this club. We've faced our certain circumstances, challenges, together. That's what's tough about it. Not being able to see it through with him."
He said that for the players, they're all responsible in some way, shape, or form, and Forst has given every guy in the clubhouse an opportunity to be a big-leaguer.
The A's skipper also mentioned that the fabric of what this organization is built on loyalty, continuity, and success. The first two have been tested of late, with the A's moving from Oakland to Las Vegas and losing a number of employees in the process, while the success has yet to be found on the field.
The A's roster has been ravaged by injuries of late, making wins tough to come by without big bats like Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and Zack Gelof at various times.
The goal for these last two months will be to develop the young pitchers that the organization has in-house and to determine which moves need to be made during the offseason.
"My ask of them," Kotsay said when asked about his message to the team, "is that they go out and win as many games as possible from this point forward."
