The pain is excruciating, bringing the strongest men in the sport to their knees, wondering just how long it will last.
It is cruel. It is heartless. It is insensitive.
It’s “The Rebuild.”
You know, the one the Kansas City Royals and their fan base have endured for six years now, starting two years after their 2015 World Series championship, with still no end in sight.
The one that saw the Baltimore Orioles lose 115, 108 and 110 games in the three full seasons between 2018-2021, only to become a legitimate contender, if not a power, once again.
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The one that has the Detroit Tigers employing their fourth manager since 2017.
And, of course, the one that has the Oakland A’s and their passionate fan base in mourning, with their team publicly humiliated night after night, with ownership already planning to take their baseball act to the Las Vegas strip.
No one should actually blame A’s manager Mark Kotsay for this mess.
There’s not a manager in the world who could win with this sad-sack bunch.
But Kotsay, who played 17 years in the big leagues and is one of the game’s fiercest competitors, tells USA TODAY Sports that the constant losing rips away pieces of his soul night after night.
“For me, personally, it’s hard not to feel this is all of my fault, that the losing is 100% my responsibility,” Kotsay quietly said. “I beat myself up over this day in and day out. I don’t know how to hide it. It’s a constant struggle.
“We’re all so competitive just to (be) in this position, but in this situation, you feel like you’re not just failing your players, but the organization and the fans. That’s the constant challenge, just grinding away at you.
“I wish I could do more. I want to do better. I want to make an impact.”
The A’s, with 14 first-year players on the roster and a major-league low $56.8 million payroll, nearly $300 million less than the New York Mets, are easily the worst team in baseball, perhaps even in the history of the sport. They are 10-37 and have been outscored by a mind-boggling 166 runs. They are on pace for the worst record since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.
“We already set records that no one is proud of,” Kotsay says. “You just try to keep a positive mindset and remind them of the success they had that day. And every victory we have needs to be celebrated.
“We’re in a complete rebuild, but we’re in the big leagues, where winning is important.”
If there’s a recent role model for going from a complete rebuild to being a contender, look no further than the Orioles. Just two years ago they went 52-110, and now are 30-16 with the second-best record in baseball.
Kotsay, 47, spent two hours with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, discussing the challenges of being a first-time manager of a team enduring a massive rebuild.
“The big thing is that you have to take care of yourself,” Kotsay says. “That’s the challenge, to make sure you respect yourself. There’s obviously more lows than highs. You’ve got to make sure it doesn’t identify who you are.
“It can spill over to your family and your relationships. You need to be around people that lift you up.”
Hyde was a rookie manager when he replaced Buck Showalter after the 2018 season. Just like Kotsay, he knew he was inheriting a team undertaking a massive rebuild, but it still doesn’t make the losing any less tolerable, leaving not only others, but also yourself, to question your ability.
“It’s very, very challenging,” Hyde says. “You just try to stay consistent every day, and you rely heavily on your coaching staff, trying to keep the best atmosphere as you can possibly have. I knew we were outmanned a lot of nights, but all you can do is have your players play as hard as they could and try to get your players better.”
Hyde, 49, who was on the Cubs’ coaching staff for five years, says he relied heavily on the advice of Joe Maddon, who managed the Tampa Bay Rays through their rebuild and ultimately a World Series berth.
“I leaned on him quite a bit to get through some tough moments and tough evenings,” Hyde says. “He always gave me great perspective and advice. I really appreciated it.
“He basically told me the importance of keeping a good working atmosphere in the clubhouse when it can become a grind. I needed for the guys to see me in a positive mood, and be the same guy every day, even though it’s really, really hard to do.”
All the painful years of losing makes the victories feel sweeter now for Hyde, but imagine if you’re Washington Nationals manager Davey Martinez. You win the World Series the second year on the job, only now you’re in Year 3 of a rebuild, losing 97 games in 2021 and 107 games last season. Through Saturday, the Nationals are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in the National League.
“You’ve got to forget about the results,” Martinez says, “and don’t be results-driven. Just stick to the process and teach. The results will be there in time.
“I’m talking to these guys constantly, making sure they don’t get down. You know which guys you need to give a hug to, and which guys you need to give tough love to. These guys need a little coddling every now and then.”
It’s painful for everyone in the clubhouse, but particularly the veterans who have already established themselves, and just want to win.
“It’s very tough,” says Arizona Diamondbacks veteran third baseman Evan Longoria, who opened his career in Tampa, “especially if you’re a player who’s under control by the team and wants to win. That’s the goal, to win. It’s hard to sit around and watch constant losing.
“I don’t think teams want to lose, but we know. We’re not stupid in here. When you’re on those (rebuilding) teams, you can see what they’re doing. The interesting dynamic is that if you’re an established big-leaguer, your job isn’t necessarily on the line, but others on the coach staff or front office may be. They’re still trying to win games, but doing it while trying to rebuild is really hard. And it’s really hard to accept as a player.”
Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Bannister, who was with the Pittsburgh Pirates when they endured a 20-year drought without a winning record, remembers the anguish of the constant losing, but also the ecstasy of finally winning in 2013.
“We went through all of these cycles of different five-year plans,” Bannister said. “When you’re constantly losing like that, it becomes very challenging. The term ‘rebuild’ sometimes gives a ticket that it’s OK to lose. I have trouble with that.
“The key is keeping the day-to-day motivation going. You’ve got to have a group of coaches and support people that have the ability to make it where these players want to come to the ballpark, and they’re not just there to put a uniform on.
“The challenge is not allowing these guys to get institutionalized in losing.”
Certainly, few have mastered the art of rebuilding an organization like Mike Rizzo, president of baseball operations and GM of the Nationals. They went from an organization that lost 102 and 103 games in back-to-back years with six consecutive losing seasons, to four division titles, a wild-card berth and a World Series championship in a nine-year span.
Now, they are rebuilding once again, with a 19-27 record.
“The biggest thing is that you have to get the support of the ownership group,” Rizzo says. “They have to get on board with this thing. They have to believe in it. They have to believe in you. They have to trust you. And they have to be ready to see this thing through some really trying times.
“You’ve got to see it through. The worst place to be is between a rebuild and trying to compete. I think that’s when most of these teams get lost. You can’t go halfway.”
The Nats’ reboot started in 2021 when they traded Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trea Turner at the deadline, and then it turned into a massive rebuild a year later when All-Star outfielder Juan Soto rejected their 15-year, $440 million contract extension. They traded him two weeks later to the San Diego Padres for five of their top prospects, believing they had no chance to keep him.
“You better make good trades when you’re trading away these All-Star players,” Rizzo says. “What people don’t realize with Scherzer is that he was a three-month rental with a full no-trade clause. He didn’t want to go anywhere but L.A. and he could block any trade. So we made it sound like we had a lot of options for Scherzer, but we had only one place to put him, and that was L.A.”
The Nationals received prized catching prospect Keibert Ruiz and young starter Josiah Gray in the trade, both whom are now integral pieces when the time comes that the Nats are a contender again. They now have rebuilt their farm system and have the nucleus of a team that could be playing meaningful games again in the next couple of years.
“You’ve got to let your young players play,” Rizzo says, “and not really worry about performance because they’re getting experience. When you get those five, six, seven guys who are controllable in the long-term, that are the core group to the next championship, then you can go into the free agent market to get guys who can help you win.
“And you better get your starting rotation in order. If you have the makings of a good, young, controllable starting rotation, anything is possible. If you don’t have a good, young, controllable rotation, then nothing is possible.”
The hardest part now simply is patience. Once again.
“It’s really tough for the manager and coaching staff,” Rizzo says, “because you’re teaching through a lot of failure. You’re trying to strike the right balance of teaching them how to win while also allowing them to make mistakes. These losses are devastating on the morale of a lot of people.
“You really have to have a manager and coaching staff that is firm, but is ultra-ultra positive and sees the glass half-full and can discipline in a way that teaches and makes the players believe in themselves even when they make a mistake.
“You also need veterans to be part of that mix. You can’t just throw 26 young players out there. You have to have the right mix of characters and character in that clubhouse. That’s why we got Jayson Werth in our first rebuild, a veteran guy that knows how to win, to teach us how to win, and when you start winning those close games, that’s the last piece of the puzzle.”
Hopefully, there’ll be a day when Kotsay gets to enjoy the fruits of managing a legitimate contender. The same with Derek Shelton of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Matt Quatraro of the Royals, and David Ross of the Cubs.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Hyde says. “We had so many guys who had never been part of a winning team until last year, and then playing (games) that mattered in late September, I was pumped. It was really gratifying finally being able to compete with guys in our division.
“Now, it’s so enjoyable, with the coaches and guys seeing all of the hard working paying off.”
The Cubs, who won the 2016 World Series and reached the postseason five times in six years, went into a modest rebuild after the 2020 season. They lost 179 games the prior two seasons, finishing a cumulative 43 games out of first place. Now, after spending $284 million in free agency during the winter, they are knocking on the door of relevancy with a 20-25 record, four games out of first place.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who have been here through the tough times,” Cubs catcher Tucker Barnhart says. “I was in it in Cincinnati where we were not good, and it’s tough. Once you get better and make a push to potentially make the playoffs, you take a lot of pride in that.
“It means a little bit more to the guys who have been through the tough times. It makes it even sweeter once the team starts to win, and you get to a good place, and come to the field expecting to win.”
Yes, as the Nationals have already proven, one day the rebuild mercifully is over.
The next, you’re riding on a World Series parade float.
“We really don’t want to think about this as a rebuild,” Nationals first baseman Dominic Smith said, “but a chance to build a winning culture. Baseball is such a weird sport. You can’t just put on paper who’s going to make the playoffs and who’s going to win the World Series. That’s why we haven’t seen a team win back-to-back World Series for more than 20 years.
“We have a lot of energy, a lot of talent, and give us a year or two, you’re going to see a lot of winning.”
Just like ol’ times, but with a whole lot of new faces.
“Look at the Orioles,” says Gray, the young Nats starter acquired from the Dodgers. “They’re looking great. We hope that’s us in a few years.”
Why not?
Numbers game
0: The number of home runs hit by Astros first baseman Jose Abreu. The Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays have to be thrilled they lost out in the bidding for the free agent, who has an ugly .218/.273/.259 slash line since signing his three-year, $58.5 million contract.
1: The lone game the Padres have scored more than three runs in a single inning was in Mexico City, and they have scored three runs in an inning in just 11 games, tied with the A’s for the fewest.
3: The number of Toronto Blue Jays players placed on the injured list this season, the fewest in the major leagues, compared to 16 for the New York Yankees and 15 for the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
7: Home runs hit by the Cardinals on Thursday against the Dodgers, the most in St. Louis since May 7, 1940 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
11: The number of Rays’ players who have hit six or more home runs this season.
12: Games the Padres have scored one or no runs, tied with the A’s for the fewest.
17: Games the Padres have been hitless with runners in scoring position, batting .191, vying to become the first team in MLB history to hit less than .200 with runners in scoring position.
18: The number of years since the Minnesota Twins had won a game at Dodger Stadium before winning this week.
21: A’s rookie center fielder Esteury Ruiz’s stolen base total, becoming the first A’s player to steal that many in the first 45 games of a season since Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.
24: The number of games the Padres have scored three or fewer runs, losing 22 of them.
35: The percentage of games lasting 2 ½ hours or less this season. It was 4% last season and 2% in 2021.
93: The number of Orioles’ victories in the 162 games since catcher Adley Rutschman joined the team, going 93-69. They were 51-111 in the 162 games before his arrival.
133: The number of at-bats Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds went homerless until Friday after hitting five home runs in his first seven games.
249: The millions spent by Padres owner Peter Seidler for the worst team money can buy, owning a 20-26 record, despite having the highest payroll of any team outside New York.
Around the bases
—While MLB has given its blessing for the A’s to move to Las Vegas, it also is the understanding that the East Bay will be a top expansion candidate in five years, too.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers in Nevada are still waiting for the A’s to formally submit a proposal before the legislative sessions ends June 5. While the A’s are requesting $395 million in public funding, Nevada is expected to offer between $150 million and $195 million, according to The Nevada Independent.
—Center fielder Aaron Hicks, who still has 2 ½ years left on his seven-year, $70 million contract, was designated for assignment by the Yankees.
Considering how well Sonny Gray and Joey Gallo have fared in Minnesota since their departure from New York, maybe the Twins should call and bring Hicks back.
—If the Chicago White Sox shop All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson at the trade deadline, the Dodgers will have them on speed dial.
Certainly, the White Sox will be baseball’s most popular team at the trade deadline barring a sudden turnaround. They could shop Anderson, starters Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and Mike Clevinger, and reliever Joe Kelly.
—The Cardinals are expected to shop outfielder Tyler O’Neill at the trade deadline for a starting pitcher.
—Major League Baseball is considering playing a regular-season game in restored Hinchliffe Stadium, the former Negro Leagues ballpark, in Paterson, N.J., in the next few years.
—The Twins badly need a third baseman, but have no interest in re-acquiring Josh Donaldson from the Yankees.
—The Texas Rangers realize they can’t realistically be a playoff contender if they don’t get bullpen help, yielding a 4.48 ERA with eight blown saves and five losses when leading after seven innings. They have already replaced closer Jose Leclerc and setup man Jonathan Hernandez.
—The Tigers have no plans to release him, but 40-year-old Miguel Cabrera is badly struggling as he reaches the finish line of his Hall of Fame career. He barely plays, and is hitting just .177 with no homers and four RBI in 86 plate appearances. He’s owed $32 million this season.
“I feel for him,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters. “At the same time that he’s getting older and not quite the same hitter as he was in his prime, I’m asking him to play less and create more timing issues for him by playing once a series.”
—The Rays are looking for another starting pitcher before the trade deadline with Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers and the White Sox’s Giolito available. They have already used an opener 11 times.
—What happened to the National League and all of its super powers? If the season ended today, the Phillies, Padres and Cardinals, who were all in the postseason a year ago, would all be sitting home in October this year. Certainly, there is no team more disappointing than the Padres and their massive $249 million payroll. They are six games under .500 and 8 ½ games out of first place. If nothing changes, they’ll have no choice but to trade players this winter, changing the clubhouse dynamics.
“You can feel the angst from the fans, and we feel it,” Padres DH Matt Carpenter told reporters. “It’s just a very unhappy time in the clubhouse and anyone following the team. You know, we haven’t been able to execute like we were hoping we would at this point. So something’s got to get done.”
—Former Guardians infielder Jason Kipnis was ripping the Mets the other day on A.J. Pierzynski’s Foul Territory podcast when perhaps he could have been talking about the Padres:
“All those veterans and no leadership,” Kipnis said. “If everybody is a veteran there, you’re just under the assumption that everyone is taking care of their business and going about things the right way. But you kind of need someone to be those bumper pins on each side when people start getting out of line a little bit. It helps keep people in order and in track and focused on the same thing. Everybody gets a little comfortable because it’s all veterans, and you don’t have to worry about what you’re doing because you can do no wrong.”
—Enough of the hype of a heated rivalry existing between the Dodgers and the Padres. The Dodgers have now beaten the Padres in 28 of their last 34 games. That’s not a rivalry. That’s a beatdown.
—D-backs first base coach Dave McKay, who spent 16 years with the A’s as a player and coach, on returning to the Oakland Coliseum this past week where there were just 9,484 fans in attendance for the three-game series:
“Fans aren’t stupid,” McKay told the Arizona Republic. “They know when you’re trying. And they know when you’re not trying. It just doesn’t seem like right now that they’re trying. That’s the only way to put it. …
“You look around, you see the few fans and you can hear every voice. It just isn’t the same. It seems like all the life’s been sucked out of this team here and it doesn’t seem like a place you’d want to coach or you’d want to play.’’
—Considering the key injuries the Dodgers have sustained this season, and barely spending in the free agent market, just winning the division and playing deep into October may be a greater accomplishment than winning the World Series in the 60-game COVID season of 2020.
—Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, is stunned that Trea Turner has gotten off to such a sluggish start after signing his $300 million contract. He is hitting just .257 with a .692 OPS and only 15 extra-base hits while the Phillies have gone just 21-24.
“I do think he will do much better as the year goes on,” Dombrowski told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ll be absolutely shocked if he doesn’t. And I think the baseball world will be shocked if he doesn’t.”
—If the Pirates are able to lock up pitcher Mitch Keller to a contract extension, he will become the first Pirates starter to receive a contract extension since Charlie Morton in 2013.
—The Guardians, who are loaded with pitching, will be even stronger with starters Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie on the verge of returning. Both began rehab assignments this week.
—The Mets were concerned about Kumar Rocker’s shoulder, and not his elbow, when they decided not to sign him after drafting him with the 10th pick in 2021. Now, he’s headed for Tommy John surgery after being selected with the third pick last year by the Rangers. Rocker, 23, has made only 17 starts and pitched just 62 innings since his junior season at Vanderbilt in 2021:
∙ Five starts for the Tri-City Valley Cats of the independent Frontier League.
∙ Six starts (14 innings) in the Arizona Fall League.
∙ Six starts for the Class A Hickory Crawdads.
—What a difference life has been outside New York for Joey Gallo. He leads the Twins with 11 homers and a .911 OPS. He has been a steal for the Twins, who signed him to a one-year, $11 million contract. He has even batted leadoff, although it’s the last spot in the batting order he desires.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Gallo told reporters, “but I don’t want to.”
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli’s response: “His thoughts are always welcome, but right now, they’re not going to be taken into account.”
—Yes, that was former president George W. Bush who autographed that champagne bottle celebrating Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcel Ozuna’s 10-year milestone in the big leagues.
Atlanta was playing in Arlington, Texas when Busch stopped into the clubhouse.
—Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado, who’s a passionate soccer fan, is now part of San Diego’s new MLS expansion team’s ownership group.
“We made a commitment when we came here,” Machado told reporters. “We made a commitment to grow this community, to set our roots in this community. We’re going to continue to do that. We’re not going to stop. This community has been great to us, it’s been great to the city. I just want to see the city continue to thrive.”
—Julio Rodriguez was supposed to be Seattle’s centerpiece when the city hosts the All-Star Game. Right now it looks like he’ll have to pay for a ticket if he wants to be at the game. Rodriguez is hitting just .209 with a .670 OPS with seven homers, eight stolen bases and a whopping 56 strikeouts.
—The NL manager of the year award would go to Marlins rookie manager Skip Schumaker if the season ended today. It’s amazing this team has a winning record with center fielder Jazz Chisholm sidelined and last year’s Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara’s struggles.
—Is Mets ace Max Scherzer finally beginning to show his age? His fastball has declined to 93.3-mph, his slowest since 2014, and the hard-hit percentage is up to 40%.
—If Aaron Judge wins the AL MVP award again, he can point to last week’s Blue Jays’ series as a turning point. He went 6-for-14 with four homers, a double, five walks and seven RBI.
—The worst trade of the offseason: The Seattle Mariners. The Mariners acquired second baseman Kolten Wong from the Brewers for Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro in January, only for Wong to have a .177/.259/.208 slash line and earn a spot on the bench, replaced by rookie Jose Caballero.
—Taijuan Walker has been a nightmare for the Phillies, who signed him to a four-year, $72 million deal. He has a 6.53 ERA, ranking 87th among the 93 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings. He has lasted less than five innings in five of his last nine starts, and was knocked out after just two-thirds of an inning in his last start. His struggles are magnified with the Phillies now that No. 5 starter Bailey Falter was sent to the minors after going 0-7 with a 5.13 ERA in eight games.
—Mauricio Dubon certainly was a lifesaver for the Astros during the absence of All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve. Dubon hit .309 with a team-leading 46 hits while playing superb defense. He certainly has earned a role as the Astros’ super utility player going forward.
“He stepped up,” Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena told Houston reporters. “Altuve is a void you can’t replace with anybody, but what Dubon has done has put the league on notice. He’s a great ballplayer.”
—Dodgers ace Julio Urias, the top pitcher on next offseason’s free agent market outside Shohei Ohtani, certainly is giving teams a reason to pause. He is just 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA and has already given up 14 home runs this season. He went on the IL on Saturday with a strained hamstring.
—Congrats to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, who became just the third primary third baseman since 1920 to have at least 300 homers and 1,000 RBI in fewer than 1,500 games. The others are Hall of Famers Eddie Matthews and Chipper Jones.
—The Rays, who have fallen back to earth after their 20-3 start, going 14-10, plan to activate ace Tyler Glasnow this week. Yes, they still are the class of the AL East and should be the team to beat in October.
—Can we give the MVP award to Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna before Memorial Day? Acuna is hitting .347 with 11 homers, 27 RBI, 18 stolen bases and an 1.042 OPS. If he stays healthy, he’ll be the first 40/40 player since Alfonso Soriano in 2006. He’s on pace to hit 40 homers with 60 stolen bases.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever seen,” Braves starter Spencer Strider told reporters. “I don’t know what else there is to say.”
—Comeback Player of the Year: Step right up White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who will be activated this week after recovering from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
—Has there been a more pathetic position in baseball this year than the Guardians’ catching core? The duo of Mike Zunino and Cam Gallagher went 0-for-59 to start the month of May. Gallagher ended the skein Thursday with his first hit since April 9. Zunino remains hitless in May (0-for-27 with 21 strikeouts).
—No team in baseball is drawing more celebrities these days than the defending World Series champion Astros. Just this month, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne and Travis Scott stopped by the Astros clubhouse. The Astros have also been popular with Houston rappers Scarface, Paul Wall, Bun B and Slim Thug.
—The Angels have been ecstatic about rookie shortstop Zach Neto’s defensive skills during his first month in the big leagues.
—The A’s have won back-to-back games just once this season. The only other team in baseball history to accomplish that dubious streak, according to STATS Perform: the 1932 Boston Red Sox, who finished 43-111. Only twice this season have the A’s gone an entire game without trailing.
—Has anyone had a more dramatic turnaround in a single week than Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, banished from catching and now a St. Louis folk hero?
—Marlins infielder Luis Arraez made his major-league debut four years ago and is hitting a major-league leading .321. The league average over that span is .246.
—Braves starter Mike Soroka is getting close to finally making his return to the big leagues after undergoing surgeries for a torn Achilles in 2020 and 2021, shut down in 2022 because of elbow soreness and strained his hamstring the day before spring training this year.
—The Dodgers could have a nice fresh arm for the postseason with Walker Buehler targeting a Sept. 1 return from his second Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers certainly aren’t counting on his return this season, but are hopeful.
—It’s hard to believe the Diamondbacks have the third-best record in the National League when two of their three starting outfielders have already been demoted to the minors, with Alek Thomas joining Jake McCarthy.
—The Rockies have never had a catcher selected for the All-Star Game in their 30-year history. That could soon change with 32-year-old Elias Diaz, who’s hitting .326 with an .835 OPS and leading the major leagues by throwing out 10 baserunners.
—It’s hard to believe that the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh became the first catcher to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game in the 112-year history of Fenway Park considering that switch-hitting catcher Jason Varitek played 15 years for the Red Sox while former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada played 107 games at Fenway.
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