An awful May ensured the A's were headed for another losing season. They made arguably the biggest sell-side trade at the deadline, sending Mason Miller to San Diego for a prospect package headlined by potential franchise shortstop Leo De Vries. The A's have quietly been one of the best teams in the American League for the final two months of the season. They're in for a second straight offseason focused primarily on pitching. It's not an easy task while they're in a Triple-A home ballpark that plays as one of the most hitter-friendly venues in the game.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Lawrence Butler, CF: $62.25MM through 2031 (including $2MM in yet to be paid signing bonuses and buyout of '32 club option)
- Brent Rooker, DH: $48MM through 2029 (deal includes '30 club/vesting option)
- Luis Severino, RHP: $47MM through 2027 (including $5MM signing bonus to be paid in January; can opt out after '26)
- Jeffrey Springs, LHP: $11.25MM through 2026 (including buyout of '27 club option)
2026 financial commitments: $45.75MM
Total future commitments: $168.5MM
Option Decisions
- None
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Austin Wynns (5.107): $1.8MM
- Shea Langeliers (3.051): $5.1MM
- JJ Bleday (3.029): $2.2MM
- Ken Waldichuk (2.150): $900K
- Luis Medina (2.146): $900K
Non-tender candidates: Wynns, Waldichuk
Free Agents
For the second straight year, the A's go into the offseason with positive momentum despite finishing with a losing record. They've been a better second half team in both 2024 and '25. That alone probably doesn't hold a ton of predictive value, but it's fair to have more optimism next spring than it was last offseason.
It appears ownership is satisfied with the direction of the rebuild. The A's extended manager Mark Kotsay last offseason on a deal that runs at least through 2028. General manager David Forst is reportedly on an expiring deal. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this morning that he's in talks with owner John Fisher about his future. Rosenthal suggests he could agree to at least a two-year extension that runs up to the team's expected opening of its Las Vegas ballpark.
They're on track to go into Vegas with a very good offense. Nick Kurtz has shredded major league pitching. Jacob Wilson is coming off the first of what should be multiple All-Star appearances at shortstop. Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom have taken steps forward offensively. Soderstrom also showed he's capable of playing better defense than expected in left field after being forced off first base by Kurtz's arrival. Even as Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler took steps back after fantastic 2024 seasons, this lineup runs six deep. The 18-year-old De Vries is a dynamic talent at the top of the farm system who has a good shot to pair with Wilson as an elite middle infield tandem down the line.
The A's don't have the same kind of young corps anchoring the pitching staff. Neither the Luis Severino signing nor the Jeffrey Springs trade stabilized the rotation as hoped (though Severino has been quite good down the stretch). Both pitchers have managed back-of-the-rotation results overall without missing a ton of bats. Neither has fared well at the A's temporary home park in Sacramento.
Severino blasted the arrangement when speaking with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic in June. Asked about his stark home/road splits, the righty said his road numbers were better "because we play in a big-league stadium on the road." He added that pitching in Sacramento is "not the same atmosphere. We don’t have a lot of fans. Our clubhouse is in left field. So, when we play day games, we have to just be in the sun."
The criticism was bizarre considering the A's went beyond general expectations to sign Severino to a three-year, $67MM contract last offseason. That price presumably baked in a cost for pitching in a minor league facility on a team without a true home city. Unsurprisingly, USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggested that Severino's comments were not well-received by A's brass. The team would've welcomed a chance to trade him at the deadline. Between the contract and Severino's lack of swing-and-miss stuff both at home and away, they were unable to find a taker.
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I forgot this team existed … based on their attendance records, so did their fans (both of them).
Haha great joke. “Both of them” thing is very original
Extend Kurtz and DeVries now!
Maybe also extend Shea and Soder!
Yay, Sacramento A’s!
DeVries may not even be in the bigs at all next year. He has barely played AA (89 at bats). If he is solid in AA in the front half of next year, he may get a cup of coffee next year. That is the point that they offer him a 10 year 100m contract (the Acuna special) and see what happens.
Kurtz as a 1b only guy may not be the right guy to extend.
Matt Olson disagrees.
Thank you guys for doing the offseason outlook series again! I seen you had Ken Waldichuk (2.150) and Luis Medina (2.146) in the arbitration category. Are you guys expecting them to qualify for Super 2, and where do you think the cutoff will land this fall? Thank you!
That sounds like a ? you need to be a vip front office member to get a answer in live chat.
Thanks I will buy the sporting news
Whatever the heck that is
Kinda like Who’s who in baseball or baseball digest.
Looks weird to see those normal-ish sized contracts in the multiple for the A’s…. but like the first guy said- honestly forgot they existed (and I’m *from* Oakland and went to hundreds of A’s games over the years)
No mentions of Max Muncy and Colby Thomas? Both had regular playing time when healthy and could be good fits again next season.
And no mentions of Luis Morales, Jacob Lopez or Jack Perkins either. This team is actually solidly deep in young pitching. With prospects they always talk about LDV but ignore his teammates Gage Jump and Wei Lin. Throw in a Jamie Arnold and there is a lot to be excited about here.
The longer subscriber-only version of the article refers to Morales, Lopez and Perkins. The author isn’t terribly enthused about Morales and Perkins, but seems to like Lopez just fine.
The subscriber-only version doesn’t mention Muncy or Thomas, though.
That’s fair on Morales and Perkins. I’m not as high on Butler as many others are. I think Thomas, Bolte, and Perez all have much higher upside in the OF and would roll with those 3 along with Soderstrom on my squad.
Crazy not to mention Muncy though. He’s probably gonna have 3B locked until Tommy White shows up and then idk what you do because Wilson and LDV are gonna have the middle IF. This team is literally gonna have 4 bench bats that are good enough to be starters on most other teams.
They need to flip some redundancy into more pitching depth.
The article mainly focuses on the pitching, so it’s not surprising that Anthony ignored Muncy and Thomas, who are both at 0.1 WAR despite all of those ABs
Muncy does not feel like an impact player. It feels like if everything clicks he is Spencer Horwitz…. not really something to get too excited about. I think Thomas has more upside and could be an every day player with Butler upside if it clicks.
I like Morales the most of those pitchers, but i like that they have 4-5 big league ready or shortly in the bigs SP with the ability to stick. After that you never know who pans out.
Red Sox fan searching for a RH power bat. Are the A’s keeping Rooker as he becomes expensive? Is he vital to their contention window? Sox have plenty of pitching throughout their system that should ripen at the right time for Oakland. The A’s really impressed me in a Sept. series in Fenway, but they need pitchers.
The athletics are the best of the bad teams. And if they have a careful off-season, they should be a 500+ team next year.
And that gets you in mix for wildcard at least did this year for teams
If the A’s get some pitching they’re a very dangerous team.
Las Vegas A’s 2028 World Series champs and hosts of the 2028 all star game
Sarcasm much?
John Fisher, is that you?
Who’d have thought they’d have a better record than the Angels this year?
Me
The Athletics were much better last year. Doesn’t it make sense that they’d be better this year?
New ball park who’s to say
The A’s are a fun team to watch. Once they get to Vegas and in a better ballpark they’ll be a good competitive team again.
Are you being sarcastic?
Just picked up a PSA 10 Jacob Wilson but the Rookie Kurtz PSA 10 cards are already going for mostly over $200 already. I’ve seen multiple thousands on some rarer cards of his!
“They need to sign a bench outfielder like Austin Slater” didn’t they talk about not doing uninspiring moves like that in that movie with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill? “Sign Austin Slater” why? There is definitely someone in AAA that can replicate at least 80% of what Slater would do at any given time and they are nowhere near competitive enough fto justify spending the extra $3 million to close that 20% gap. Additionally, that AAA warm body has the chance to improve and possibly get better, while Slater is what he is by now.
Just amazing to see an MLB team – one trending up from the bottom even – with ONLY 45 mil committed in 2026.
Yes, ARB takes it up a little and they will have to fill some holes but a long way from $100 mil payroll.
Sign Buehler and Dustin May (or similar type) potentially upside FA on the cheaper side and get lucky with some bounce back and they could compete for WC.
There no longer is an “upside” for the A’s when acquiring pitching. The Coliseum was a notorious pitcher’s park. People think it was the excessive foul ground – but it was the marine layer in the colder months and at night that knocked down fly balls. The A’s need groundball pitchers with can also miss bats. Those are expensive.
Anthony, why do you suggest that Langeliers is not good defensively? Previously he was touted as a glove-first catcher. Now he starts hitting a little and suddenly he’s an offensive catcher? Very strong arm and great leadership skills.
Despite the incompetent,chaotic Ownership of the A’s with Fisher,
the A’s Front Office always seems to always get enough great, young talent in their periodic fire sales to become a very competitive, exciting ballclub.
UNTIL THE NEXT FIRE SALE.
DON’T GET TOO ATTACHED TO THE PLAYERS!
David Forst would be smart to pull the rip cord on his parachute
and land a POB job on another MLB ballclub that is serious about competing for Championships!
Wonder if the A’s will lose that extra edge and chips on their shoulders when they get settled into the stale, corporate, bland LV environment?1