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A’s trade former ‘shortstop of the future’ to Atlanta Braves

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A’s trade former ‘shortstop of the future’ to Atlanta Braves


The Athletics have traded shortstop Nick Allen to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for right-hander Jared Johnson. This isn’t a terribly surprising move, given that Allen had seen his playing time in Oakland dwindle, along with being out of options heading into the 2025 campaign. That would mean that the A’s couldn’t just stash him in the minors like they did this past season without subjecting him to waivers.

Allen was the A’s Opening Day shortstop in 2024, and was playing regularly up until the end of April. He was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in early May, and hit well with the Aviators, batting .345 with a .431 OBP in 81 games. Allen is a talented defender at short, but was even tried out a touch in center to see if it would stick, giving him a little more value to the club. That test did not pan out.

He was called back up to Oakland in August and started seven games over the final month of the season. Three of those starts came at third base. Cumulatively for the year, Allen hit .175 with a .216 OBP and a 33 wRC+ in 41 big league games.

Besides underperformance with the bat, the other reason Allen was seen as expendable is that the A’s have last year’s top draft pick, Jacob Wilson, already in the bigs and he is going to be the team’s starting shortstop for the foreseeable future. They also have Darell Hernaiz and Max Muncy in that shortstop mix, though they’re now presumed options long-term at third base with Wilson at short.

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As for the A’s return, they get another pitcher from Atlanta, which has not worked out so well in recent trades with the Braves. Royber Salinas, part of the Sean Murphy trade, was recently claimed off waivers by Atlanta. Kyle Muller, also part of that deal, has elected free agency. Freddy Tarnok is also no longer with the A’s.

That all said, Joey Estes (Matt Olson deal) has shown flashes of being an effective starter, tossing a Maddux on July 3, and Ryan Cusick should be in the mix for his MLB debut at some point in 2025.

Johnson, 23, was ranked as Atlanta’s No. 20 prospect over at FanGraphs. He spent all of the 2024 season in High-A, holding a 2.60 ERA (3.50 FIP) across 52 innings out of the bullpen. As we see quite often with A’s pitcher acquisitions, Johnson’s walk rate is a little inflated at 11.7%, but his strikeout rate of 26.4% is solid.

He’ll presumably begin the year either in Lansing for the A’s in 2025, with the intention to just get a look at him for a few weeks before ultimately promoting him to Double-A, or he’ll just head to Midland right out of the gate.

Johnson is Rule 5 eligible, though he isn’t necessarily likely to end up on the A’s 40-man roster. There are ways to protect him in the Draft by placing him on a higher level’s roster that should keep him safe from other teams in the minor-league portion of the draft. Overall, it’s an interesting pickup for the Athletics, and to get something for Allen is likely a win, given that he had been squeezed from the A’s roster.

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Atlanta, GA

Golden State takes home win streak into matchup with Atlanta

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Golden State takes home win streak into matchup with Atlanta


Atlanta Hawks (19-21, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (21-18, eighth in the Western Conference)

San Francisco; Sunday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Golden State will try to keep its three-game home win streak alive when the Warriors face Atlanta.

The Warriors are 13-5 on their home court. Golden State is 9-12 against opponents over .500.

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The Hawks have gone 12-10 away from home. Atlanta ranks second in the league scoring 17.6 fast break points per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads the Hawks averaging 3.9.

The Warriors average 15.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.8 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Hawks give up. The Hawks average 14.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.4 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Warriors allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jimmy Butler III is averaging 19.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Warriors. Stephen Curry is averaging 25.7 points and 5.1 assists over the past 10 games.

Onyeka Okongwu is averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Hawks. Jalen Johnson is averaging 21.1 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 7-3, averaging 120.1 points, 42.5 rebounds, 30.4 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.0 points per game.

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Hawks: 4-6, averaging 116.9 points, 42.4 rebounds, 31.9 assists, 10.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points.

INJURIES: Warriors: Seth Curry: out (thigh).

Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis: out (achilles), Zaccharie Risacher: out (knee), CJ McCollum: out (quad), N’Faly Dante: out for season (knee), Corey Kispert: out (hamstring).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Atlanta, GA

Flood watch expands into metro Atlanta ahead of severe storm threat

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Flood watch expands into metro Atlanta ahead of severe storm threat


A powerful weather front is moving into metro Atlanta, prompting officials to expand flood watches as “wave-after-wave” of heavy rain threatens to saturate the region through Saturday.

The FOX 5 Storm Team warn that storm totals could reach four inches in some areas, with isolated spots in North Georgia potentially seeing up to six inches.

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Flood Watch in northwest Georgia

What we know:

A Flood Watch is currently in effect through Saturday evening for a large portion of North Georgia. The region is bracing for widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches. Some areas could see locally higher amounts reaching up to 6 inches before a cold front moves through Saturday afternoon to end the threat.

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“The rain train is wide open and here it comes,” said FOX 5 Storm Team chief meteorologist David Chandley. “We got waves of rain tonight and storms. They’re going to be with us tonight and right on through Saturday.”

In the northwest, the watch includes Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield counties.

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KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST BY DOWNLOADING THE FREE FOX 5 STORM TEAM APP AND FOLLOWING @FOX5STORMTEAM ON X

Flooding risk, high winds

Local perspective:

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Thunderstorms expected overnight and into early Saturday morning are a primary concern. 

The primary concern for North Georgia remains damaging winds and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding. While the threat of severe weather is lower Friday night, the FOX 5 Storm Team expects conditions to change as the front arrives Saturday morning.

“Flooding [is] possible in Northwest Georgia with that severe threat,” Chandley said. “I expect we may see some of those [flash flood warnings] across North Georgia late tonight and early tomorrow because that ground is going to be saturated.”

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A Level 1 “marginal risk” for severe storms has been issued for most of the area, though regions near Columbus face a slightly higher “slight risk.” Forecasters noted that while the atmosphere currently lacks the instability for massive thunderstorms, a “brief, spin-up tornado” cannot be ruled out on Saturday.

What’s next:

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Sunday: Windy and much colder, with highs struggling to reach the 40s and 50s.

Monday: Temperatures are expected to plummet into the 20s by Monday morning.

The Source: This article contains an original forecast by the FOX 5 Storm Team.

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Atlanta, GA

Serious crashes block Atlanta’s Downtown Connector, Lawrenceville Highway early Friday

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Serious crashes block Atlanta’s Downtown Connector, Lawrenceville Highway early Friday


A major crash involving eight vehicles shut down all southbound lanes of the Downtown Connector early Friday morning, causing significant traffic delays near University Avenue.

What we know:

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The crash was reported on Interstate 75/Interstate 85 just before University Avenue, with injuries confirmed at the scene. Traffic was being diverted off the connector at Interstate 20, Exit 247, while the entrance ramp from I-20 to the connector southbound was also closed. Drivers were advised to use Exit 56A to McDaniel Street or alternate routes including Metropolitan Parkway or Interstate 285. The scene was cleared and lanes began reopening around 6:30 a.m. FOX 5 Atlanta is waiting for a final report on what happened. 

A separate serious injury crash was also reported in DeKalb County on Lawrenceville Highway westbound between Montreal Road and Interstate 285. All lanes were blocked, and authorities said the incident involved a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Both investigations were ongoing. The scene was cleared and lanes reopened around 6:45 a.m., according to Georgia Department of Transportation. 

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