Motivated by their temporary move to Sacramento and the fear of an MLBPA grievance that could have cut into their revenue sharing money, the A's were busy. The result: three of the four largest contracts in franchise history, and a realistic (if long shot) hope of competing for a playoff spot.
Free Agent Signings
- RHP Luis Severino: Three years, $67MM (including opt-out after '26)
- RHP José Leclerc: One year, $10MM
- 3B Gio Urshela: One year, $2.15MM
- LHP T.J. McFarland: One year, $1.8MM
- 2B Luis Urías: One year, $1.1MM
2025 spending: $40.05MM
Total spending: $82.05MM
Option Decisions
- None
Trades and Claims
- Traded LF Daz Cameron to Orioles for cash
- Claimed RHP Justin Sterner off waivers from Rays
- Claimed RHP Anthony Maldonado off waivers from Marlins (later outrighted off 40-man roster)
- Traded SS Nick Allen to Braves for minor league RHP Jared Johnson
- Selected RHP Noah Murdock from Royals in Rule 5 draft
- Acquired LHP Jeffrey Springs and LHP Jacob Lopez from Rays for RHP Joe Boyle, minor league RHP Jacob Watters, minor league 1B Will Simpson, and Competitive Balance Round A pick (#42 overall)
- Traded RHP Will Klein to Mariners for international bonus pool space
- Claimed RHP Elvis Alvarado off waivers from Pirates
- Acquired C Jhonny Pereda from Marlins for cash
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- RF Lawrence Butler: Seven years, $65.5MM (including buyout of 2032 club option)
- DH Brent Rooker: Five years, $60MM (includes vesting/club option for 2030)
Notable Losses
- Joe Boyle, Ross Stripling, Scott Alexander, Kyle McCann (released), Alex Wood (still unsigned), Austin Adams (outrighted), Will Klein, Trevor Gott, Dany Jiménez (non-tendered), Tristan Gray (lost on waivers), Armando Alvarez (outrighted), Ryan Noda (lost on waivers), Kyle Muller (outrighted), Tyler Nevin (outrighted), Royber Salinas (lost on waivers)
The A's played around .500 ball in the second half. While their rotation remained largely uninspiring, things were starting to fall into place in the lineup. As the team officially closed the book on their 57 years in Oakland, fans who are sticking with the club in Sacramento and Las Vegas could start to dream on the team pulling out of a three-year rebuild.
There were a few clear areas to address. They needed multiple starting pitchers and a third baseman, at least. The A's rarely plug holes in free agency. They'd spent less than $55MM over the previous three offseasons combined. Owner John Fisher has suggested he'd raise payroll with expected revenue increases once they get to Las Vegas in 2028. It's hard to argue the A's deserved the benefit of the doubt after years of bottom-tier spending. There were no promises about the next three seasons anyhow, as those will be played at a Triple-A park in Sacramento.
At the beginning of the offseason, general manager David Forst firmly stated that designated hitter Brent Rooker wouldn't be available. It was fair to assume the same of star closer Mason Miller. They were no longer in the "tear it down" section of the rebuild, but it wasn't clear how aggressively they'd supplement their developing lineup.
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Solid B given their constraints.
Core Needs
Starting Pitching Depth: Grade: C+
The 2024 rotation posted a 4.31 ERA (19th in MLB), led by JP Sears (4.25 ERA, 2.2 fWAR projected) and Joey Estes (4.52 ERA, 1.8 fWAR). Offseason addition Luis Severino (3.91 ERA in 2024) bolsters the top end, but depth remains thin with unproven arms like Mitch Spence (4.67 ERA). Projections suggest a mid-tier unit, lacking the innings (891.2 in 2024, 24th) to compete consistently.
Bullpen Stability: Grade: B
Mason Miller (2.49 ERA, 13.9 K/9, 1.8 fWAR) anchors a bullpen that ranked 12th in ERA (3.86) in 2024. Additions like Scott Alexander and holdovers like Dany Jiménez (3.68 ERA projected) provide competence, but no major upgrades were made. Depth is adequate, not elite.
Corner Infield Production: Grade: C-
Brent Rooker (39 HR, 141 wRC+, 4.6 fWAR) is a standout, but 1B/3B beyond him—e.g., Tyler Soderstrom (0.4 fWAR) and Brett Harris (0.2 fWAR)—lagged in 2024. No significant offseason moves addressed this, leaving a gap in power and consistency (1B/3B combined wRC+ of 92).
Center Field Offense/Defense: Grade: D+
JJ Bleday’s 2024 (2.7 fWAR, 104 wRC+) was solid but unspectacular, with average defense (0 DRS). No upgrades were pursued, and the position’s 2024 output (0.6 fWAR) trails playoff-caliber teams. Sacramento’s hitter-friendly park may inflate stats, but it’s still a weak spot.
Overall Offseason Grade: C
The Athletics added Severino to stabilize the rotation but ignored offensive holes at corner infield and center field. Bullpen and pitching depth saw minimal improvement. The 2024 team won 69 games with a -117 run differential; modest roster tweaks don’t signal a leap forward.
Win Prediction: 74-88
Josephf, let’s break this down with actual data, not noise. You claim Springs is a “nice rotation addition”—his 2024 ERA was 3.27 over 162 innings with Tampa, but his FIP was 3.94, hinting at regression, and he’s coming off a 2023 Tommy John surgery. That’s not a game-changer for a rotation that ranked 19th in ERA (4.31) and 24th in innings (891.2). Urshela? A 97 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR in 2024—serviceable, not transformative for a 3B group that posted a 92 wRC+ combined. Rooker’s an outfielder, yes—my slip—but his 141 wRC+ doesn’t fix the infield’s holes; Soderstrom and Harris still dragged it down (0.6 fWAR combined). Kurtz? A prospect with 50 pro PAs, not on the 2025 roster yet. Butler’s second-half surge (.279/.340/.548) is promising, but 66 games don’t erase a .211 full-season BA—small-sample hype, not a star turn. Jiménez? Still on the 40-man as of March 27, 2025, per MLB.com, with a 3.68 ERA projection—your “not with the organization” claim’s flat wrong. Bleday’s 104 wRC+ and 0 DRS in center? League-average at best, not a contender’s CF. The A’s 2024 run differential (-117) and 25th-ranked offense (645 runs) scream mediocrity. These moves tweak, not overhaul. Projections say 73-76 wins, tops. Call it trash if you want—numbers don’t care.
Bleday had a 120 wRC+ and over 3 WAR to say he’s not a viable starter on a contender is asinine. And no one said springs is some game changing ace but surely he’s a nice rotation add.
I just cooked you!
With AI, you tried and still failed. You didn’t type any of the retorts, except this “I just cooked you!” nonsense. They were copy & pasted out of AI and copy and pasted back here. Bruh, you lose many when you try and pass off wholly written AI paragraphs as your own words. Ask it to loosen up the AI lingo next time, obvious bots are obvious.
@AmericanRedneck
What? Wow! I guess you don’t like people doing research. Nothing I write is AI.
Ok, but if you actually wrote this and thought that Jimenez was still on the team, Rooker is an infielder, and and inexplicably neglected to mention middle infield or catcher, that’s even worse than having AI churn out a response IMO
@josephf He’s commenting on another article that Crochet’s usage last season could possibly revolutionize the game. Let’s ignore the fact it was to the worst team in MLB history. But there he is claiming a player’s usage could be indicative of revolutionizing the game, yet he had a 3.58 ERA to Sprigs 3.27. He’s also critical of Sprigs coning off TJS in 2023, Crochet was just coming off TJS in 2022.
Then there’s the 3rd article about a pitchers TJS and there he is commenting wondering if said pitcher had internal brace surgery. Seems a pattern of him making assumptions or speculating when having no clue and not even attempting to educate himself(success as reading an article…).
Old York’s specialty is lots of words = smart baseball fella
However, he consistently makes a fool out of himself. Sad, really
@choof
I’m still waiting for examples. You talk a big talk but have no bite. Typical modern adult- child.
I’m not the one writing essays and arguing with random people in a trade rumors comment section…. I thought mom banned you from the internet already
Art Vandelay gonna be the Quad-A Player Of the Year.
Or Matt wonzalano
I can’t believe that TJ McFarland is still somehow bouncing around out there. Seems like just yesterday that the Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft, but it was actually 12 years ago now. Crazy. And even crazier, he led all MLB pitchers in appearances in 2024 (79).
Good for you, TJ. Hang on as long as you can, brother!
128 mostly stupid comments about the bag of money Vladdy Fatty wants.
10 comments about the A’s offseason.