Amador Valley’s Piscotty could have homecoming with A’s.
A’s working on deal with Cardinals to bring in Pleasanton native so he can be with ailing mom
The Cardinals’ Stephen Piscotty has a right-handed bat that the A’s want to add to the outfield. LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. >> Steve Piscotty is on the verge of a poignant Bay Area homecoming.
The A’s agreed to a trade with St. Louis on Wednesday that will send a pair of minor leaguers to the Cardinals in exchange for the Pleasanton native and former Stanford star. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports was the first to report that the teams agreed to terms.
The move would have the added benefit of bringing Piscotty closer to his Pleasanton home, where his mother, Gretchen, was diagnosed with ALS in May. Though the trade remains unofficial, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny seemed to acknowledge the importance of getting Piscotty back to the Bay Area.
“You let him know that you care. You acknowledge. You have compassion,” Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We’re trying to be support for him, and we have to look to do anything we can.”
The San Francisco Chronicle Pleasanton native Stephen Piscotty, center, with his parents, Gretchen and Mike Piscotty, during a ceremony retiring Piscotty’s jersey at Amador Valley High in 2016.
first reported Wednesday afternoon that the A’s and the Cardinals were close to a deal. A’s general manager David Forst declined to confirm the trade during his evening press session, instead offering a playful non-denial.
Asked if he was going to leave the winter meetings with the right-handed hitting outfielder he coveted, Forst said: “I’m leaving with my luggage. That’s about all I know.”
Momentum for a Piscotty deal built throughout the week, then picked up steam early Wednesday when the Cardinals pulled off an apparent blockbuster. St. Louis acquired All-Star left fielder Marcell Ozuna from Miami Marlins, according to multiple reports.
Getting Ozuna, one of the prizes of the offseason, made Piscotty expendable, and the A’s are ready to pounce.
The former Amador Valley High star batted .235 last season but had an onbase percentage 107 points higher (.342). He had a terrific season in 2016, batting .273 with 22 home runs, 85 RBIs and a .800 OPS.
The A’s like his versatility. Piscotty has 260 career games in right field, 55 in left, 11 in center and 12 at first base.
Gretchen Piscotty’s diagnosis became public in early June, after Stephen missed nearly a week of Cardinals games. He’d returned to Pleasanton to be with his family — to “regroup” and “support each other.”
“We actually watched all the games,” Stephen Piscotty told the St. Louis Dispatch at the time. “She thought it’d be a fun, weird idea to have me there watching. So we did that. The whole family was able to come back and spend some time and kind of gather ourselves. My mom is very strong. So we’re going to be behind her.”
The A’s would be happy to welcome him aboard. Their offseason to-do list included adding a right-handed bat to an outfield stable that also includes lefties Matt Joyce, Boog Powell and Dustin Fowler.
Piscotty signed a six-year, $33.5 million extension in 2017 that includes a club option for 2023. He’s scheduled to make $1 million in 2018, $7 million in 2019, $7 million in 2020, $7.25 million in 2021 and $7.25 million in 2022. The club option for 2023 is for $15 million, with a $1 million buyout.
The 2023 option increases by $500,00 with each All-Star selection.