The Athletics announced their seven-year, $86MM extension with left fielder Tyler Soderstrom from their future home site in Las Vegas. That franchise-record deal followed last winter’s significant investments in DH Brent Rooker and outfielder Lawrence Butler.
Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic wrote this week that the A’s were interested in exploring extension talks with other players. General manager David Forst confirmed as much at yesterday’s presser, revealing without specifics that the team has opened some discussions.
“The idea of taking this group of young players and locking them up into a new ballpark has been something we’ve talked about for a long time,” Forst said (link via Mark Anderson of The Associated Press). “We were able to get Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler signed last year, Tyler now, and there are ongoing conversations with others. So this is kind of the blueprint for how we want to do this and how we want to open the ballpark in ’28.”
While Forst didn’t identify which players the A’s were trying to extend, there are a few obvious targets. Shea Langeliers has three seasons of arbitration eligibility. Respective Rookie of the Year winner and runner-up Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson have five years of club control. Langeliers is one of the best offensive catchers in MLB. Kurtz and Wilson look like franchise cornerstones at first base and shortstop, respectively.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Langeliers for a $5.1MM salary. His power production should pay well in the arbitration process, and he’d make between $20-25MM over the next three years if he continues at his recent pace. Langeliers is controlled through his age-30 season. Sean Murphy (six years, $73MM) and Cal Raleigh (five years, $99.4MM) have signed recent extensions in the same service bracket.
Langeliers wouldn’t match Raleigh even though that deal was signed before the Seattle backstop’s record-setting 2025 season. His camp could look to beat the Murphy contract, though. The former Athletic was a superior defender but didn’t match Langeliers’ power ceiling. Murphy was accordingly starting from a lower projected base in arbitration than Langeliers will be.
Extending Wilson and certainly making a run at Kurtz would require new franchise records. Wilson is well beyond the $65MM range for which Ezequiel Tovar and Butler signed with one-plus service year. He doesn’t have the same power potential that Jackson Merrill and Roman Anthony showed to command early-career deals of at least $130MM. That said, he’s an up-the-middle defender with elite contact ability who was 21 percentage points better than a league average hitter in his first full season. He’s arguably closer to Merrill/Anthony than he is to Soderstrom, and a nine-figure asking price wouldn’t be outlandish.
Kurtz would be the most difficult of the group to lock up. On a rate basis, only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were better hitters this year. Kurtz has already banked a $7MM signing bonus out of the draft and collected nearly $1.3MM from the pre-arbitration bonus pool. He’s also a client of Excel Sports Management, an agency which has almost no history of signing pre-arbitration extensions. It’d likely require the A’s to offer more than double the Soderstrom contract just to get talks underway if they want to buy out multiple free agent years.
The A’s extension candidates beyond that trio would all be much cheaper but completely speculative fliers. Defensive stalwart center fielder Denzel Clarke and young starter Luis Morales showed promise but have very limited big league résumés. None of their top prospects — infielder Leo De Vries nor lefties Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold — have even reached Triple-A, and there has never been a pre-debut extension for a pitcher.
I would sign an extension for Langeliers. Wait until Kurtz and Wilson are arbitration players to sign. Morales and Clarke need to prove it more.
However, I don’t think Kurtz and Wilson will sign right now anyways because if they wait longer, like 1st or 2nd year in arbitration, then they would likely get more.
Langeliers is represented by the Boras Corp. They won’t extend him.
It’s rare, but it does happen.
Yes. It’s not the likely outcome, but it does happen. Despite what fans think, Boras does what the client wants. They generally buy into his plan, which is why they hire him, but he will shift direction if the client wants.
Correct. Boras is just their attorney and will do as told, if the case.
IMHO, you sign them now. The amount they get in arbitration won’t change much one way or another. I think it’s worth locking in generational wealth in exchange for 1-2 FA years.
The logic of signing them now is they have guaranteed money.
If you wait until arb they will get life changing money that makes it easier to gamble on themselves and therefore less likely to sign an extension.
Both players were early 1st rd picks, Kurtz 4 and Wilson 6. They’ve already gotten life changing money
It’s also a gamble for the A’s to sign a couple solid rookies not knowing what will happen when the league adjusts to them.
True. In general, that’s a gamble for all teams that extend their rookies.
Yeah, wait for Kurtz to have another great season. Then pay him even more.
If the A’s get a solid pitching staff, they could be a major threat in the AL. Lots of good position players.
Just okayish pitching gets them a wild card in 2026, one imagines. They already played that well in all of 2025, on either side of the big May losing streak. Not sure there is a clearly more dangerous lineup in the entire AL. I wish the city of Oakland could have gotten to enjoy the fruits of this new core.
Good for the A’s. They get a lot of hate on here and being a Bay Area guy/giants fan, I’ve never rooted against the A’s. I’m glad to see they’re at least trying. I’m glad they locked up Soderstrom, McNeil definitely has the A’s vibe. I’m curious what else they do this off-season.
The hate is for the owner, who never intended to stay. The A’s have always been good at developing players, either ones they draft or trade for. Even recently they never seem to rank at the top of the minor league orgs based on the rating publications, but they always have a pipeline of talent.
I remember, maybe 10-15 years ago, hearing an Oakland fan say that they will stop being a fan if the team goes to San Jose. Once I heard that I stopped taking Oakland fans seriously. John Fisher wanted to keep the A’s in the bay area. Oakland is only 8 miles from Oracle Park, of course he wants to create some distance from the Giants. It also doesn’t help when Oakland’s leadership is corrupt (mayor Thao is literally on trial facing criminal charges for corruption). Las Vegas was never a thought back in 2005 when Fisher bought the team.
Seriously, the A’s spent millions of dollars on a potential ballpark in Oakland, starting over 10 years ago. You think that was all a front, knowing they were going to Vegas? Once San Jose fell through, if the city of Oakland would have rolled out the red carpet (wanting them as badly as Vegas), then Oakland would have happened. Let’s keep it real. BTW no I am not a John Fisher burner account, I just hate subjective narratives, let’s keep it 100%
Their farm system is one of the best currently but they don’t always have a good system. It was completely barren by 2021 after five consecutive years of failing to acquire talent at the draft (2015-19) and trading off whatever pieces they did have for rental players.
I hope history doesn’t repeat itself and we start emptying out every prospect we have and mortgage the long-term future just lose to it all in the Divisional series. If that happens again I’m probably out. The team is young that they should be at or near the top of the division for the next 5-7 years so long as management don’t F it up.
Hopefully, Henry Bolte OF gets a shot to make the Sacramento squad some time in 2026.
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bol…
There will be a spot for him in CF or RF, imho. Clarke is either going to get injured at some point or the bat will be so bad that his defense can’t cover it and that’s when Bolte could step in OR if Butler continues to regress in RF he could step up there as well. Either way this team needs at least four good OF going forward.
LDV is probably going to end up at 2B. CF depth is probably Clarke followed by either Bolte, Perez, or even Lasko if the AFL breakout is for real.
Personally am not 100% sold on Clarke. He needs to prove with the bat that he’s not another Christian Pache.
I doubt there is any internal discussions about CF for LDV. McNeil is only there for one year and whether LDV winds up at 2B or 3B depends on how Muncy, White, Gelof, Harris, or Hernaiz perform. CF is sewn up between the guys I listed prior. If ALL FOUR of those guys flop then sure you could potentially float LDV to CF but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
I love watching Wilson hit.
They have a nice core together right now. They need to bridge this group to the new city/stadium somehow. The problem is that their new stadium is going to play like Coors and we’ve seen COL struggle to attract pitchers to play in a launching pad. They’re going to have to out slug teams to win.
I think it’ll play more like the Diamondbacks stadium,than the Rockies but will be interesting to see
Eh, just going off geographic location. PCL offensive stats are typically inflated due to the environment which includes Vegas.
I hope it plays like Coors and Sacramento. The more offense the better.
Signing Wilson to an extension would be a mistake simply because of the presence of DeVries. Signing Kurtz would probably be more expensive than the A’s would like. I think Langeliers is probably the way they will go, although I personally think signing a catcher to an extension is a big gamble. Aside from top, top guys like Salvy Perez and JT Realmuto, the shelf life of a top catcher is rather short. Just look at Sean Murphy and going back a little bit Jonathan Lucroy.
I generally agree with what you said, but having too many shortstops has never been a problem in the history of baseball.
DeVries could be a bust. Never count on prospects outshining a proven young player. Besides they can always move him to 2nd or 3rd.
Lots of guys flame out after one or two good seasons. Signing either of them to large guaranteed deals would still be a big gamble
The careers of players with a rookie year similar to Kurtz only have 2 outcomes: elite, and super elite
@ohyea No it wouldn’t. Especially not with Kurtz.
There have been elite players, but there have been others that tailed off after a relatively similar rookie year to Kurtz. Rudy York had a good career with the WWII-era Tigers, but I wouldn’t say he was elite. Bernie Carbo didn’t have as many HRs as Kurtz, but played in the era of the pitcher and had a similar OPS. Again, he had a good career, but not an elite career.
That being said, I do not expect Kurtz to tail off. I think Jacob Wilson has a far better chance of experiencing a sophomore slump and peaking in his rookie year. I have no data to back that prediction up, just a gut feeling and seeing a lot of rookies tail off over the years.
Well no…
Those guys didn’t have as good of rookie years as Kurtz
York was still a 7 time all star and led the league in home runs. I’d say that’s elite
If you have to go back to WWII to find a player that you can even make an argument wasn’t elite, then I think that kind of proves my point.
Kurtz’ floor based on similar rookie years is Pete Alonso, and Pete was 2 years older as a rookie. Ceiling…
York was not elite. He benefited from a league suffering from the loss of a lot of players to the war. He was a good player, but you have to take the whole picture into consideration.
I didn’t have to go back to WWII. I went back to 1970 with Bernie Carbo. And yes his rookie year was similar to Kurtz.
Kurtz could be a superstar, I fully expect him to be. But let’s not pretend that it is inevitable. The game is more different now than it has been played in the past, so stats will not be the same. There are in general more homers, far more strikeouts, far more walks, and lower batting averages just because hitting is taught differently now. But the player compared to his peers pretty much is the same.
Point still stands: if you have to go back over 50 years to find players we can even debate if they’re elite or not, then this is as sure thing as you can find in baseball.
The best comps of this era, which are the most relevant comps because you’re right there are different styles of play, are Yordon Alvarez, Aaron Judge, and Pete Alonso. Those are all elite hitters
Also there are stats that account for the differences in era, that show Kurtz had a better year relative to others of the time. My guess is you don’t put much stock into those stats though so that probably won’t matter much in this conversation
You also have me researching here which is kind of fun… Carbo became an alcoholic which is basically why he wasn’t good after his rookie year.
How about Royce Lewis first 70 games slash line of .307/.364/.549, and since then .235/.288/.416. I know it’s not quite what Kurtz put up this year but all it took was an injury leading to a lot of time off the field.
In now way is anyone hear predicting or expecting Wilson and or Kurtz to fall on their faces but it does happen
lol York was an alcoholic too.
And Carbo was a became a full on drug addict after his rookie year.
If Kurtz can stay away from the bottle I think he’ll be fine
Significantly smaller sample size, wasn’t as good even with that, obviously injuries are on the table. I’m saying it’s as sure thing as you can have in baseball. Injuries and drug addiction can obviously change things
I also think that is missing the point… the question is should the A’s try to sign Kurtz to an extension. You are point out extensions have risk. That is obviously true. No one can 100% predict what players will do in the future. My point is that of all the extension candidates, this is as low risk as it gets. There will always be some level of risk
The odds of him being a bust are extremely low, but you can keep hoping.
Yes he could be a bust. Anyone could. Wilson included. There are just as many “sophomore slumps” in MLB history as there are failed top prospects. That being said, if De Vries was 2-3 years away, I would agree with you. But he is likely to start in AAA this year and possibly even make his big league debut in 2026. With a prospect that highly thought of, you don’t want to hurt his development at the plate by making him change positions as well. And you don’t want to sign Wilson to an extension and THEN move him because you don’t how either of them will acclimate. Players CAN change positions, but you don’t want to force it to happen.
Changing from SS to 3b/2b isn’t a big deal. Xander bogarts did it when he got called up, mookie betts, Ozzie Albies, Alex Bregman. If you’re an athlete, moving down the defensive spectrum takes a week or so of game time to get adjusted and then you’re set. Tyler Soderstrom changed positions mid year and was a gold glove finalist and hit.
I’m not saying it can’t happen. Of course it has happened in the past. And it could be fine here. But why would you want to put even more on your teenage player that is projected to be a superstar. It is hard enough to hit in the majors without having to learn a new defensive position as well. If one had to be moved, I would move Wilson, since he has already learned to hit major league pitching. OR change De Vries’s position NOW in the minor leagues so he doesn’t have to do it at the big league level.
Guys do it all the time. I’m fine with moving Wilson, but if it’s because they think De Vries learning to play an easier position will impact his hitting I don’t think that’s smart. All these guys were shortstops their whole life, at some point they move to a different position, and it’s not a big deal for guys. If anything it’s making his job easier playing 3b compared to SS
Hey better than playing for the rockies lmao
Tren de aragua neighbors, too? This response is laughable. Colorado – like many blue cities – are not attractive to the general population. Put your lipstick away. The pig doesn’t need it.
I didn’t realize Colorado was a city. Thank you for the clarification!
Unlike a box of chocolates, when you open up a box of redhats you always know what you are getting.
Wow. A simple mistake. I was laughing so hard at someone trying to position Denver as the new Hollywood that I misspoke. Easy enough to correct. You libs love to shift the conversation away from the main topic. Trump 2028!!!
Don’t you have a Somali daycare to defend? 😂
Woho’s worried about a made up gang?
Can’t even spell your home team’s field correctly. It’s “Coors Field”.
I’m just here to help, but you really do need to tighten it up if you’re sh¡tposting.
Now who needs to be real? He already told you his IQ, and you now expect him to raise his game? ; )
The A’s have made the playoffs 11 times since 2000. They certainly are not sitting our their laurels, a return to the 71-75 dynasty is near it looks like. A’s have an awesome GM.
It’s been a long time since the A’s last tried to put together a good team. This will be interesting!
The A’s made the playoffs 2018, 2019, and 2020 and then went 86-76 in 2021; been four years under 0.500. Angels and Pirates/Rockies are the current leaders in consecutive sub 0.500 seasons at 10 and 7/7 respectively.
Dang the Angels really are pretty bad.
DodgerOK: Have you ever thought about doing a little research before you put your two cents (err I mean five cents) in? But don’t let facts get in the way of your narrative.
The A’s can sign all the position players they want – it won’t mean a thing without pitching. And the A’s need to fire Pitching Coach Scott Emerson for any positive to come from the pitching staff. A record of injuries and failure to develop pitching since 2018.
That’s more of an organizational pitching development problem than the pitching coach problem. They were terrible at developing pitching up until about 2023, but the last two years their pitching development has improved drastically. You started to see the results of that at the end of last year with guys like Morales and Perkins, but there’s a lot more coming up.
They also haven’t made pitching a draft priority Until last year. Their rebuild trades were terrible acquired a bunch of pitchers and only Jp sears was serviceable
The pitchers they got in trades were bad. That’s what set them back so much. They’ve gone for quantity in the draft rather than drafting pitchers at the top, which is actually the higher percentage play when it comes to pitching. A lot of top pitching prospects were mid round picks.
A 15-year deal for Kurtz starts at what, $500 million?
They need to give a piece of chunky money to Noah Murdock. Even though he had an ERA of 12, he had a juicy strikeout rate and will be snatched up the minute he hits the market.
That idea smells as bad as your last name.
Sign them all to back loaded extensions so you can look like you turned over a new leaf after leaving Oakland. Hopefully save some money on those bloated arbitration figures for a couple of years. Then after one year in Vegas when the guys really start getting expensive, trade them all for prospects and make your money on revenue sharing and hopefully a couple of years of excitement about a new ballpark.
Sounds like what the Padres will be doing soon with the team likely to he sold.
It is coming. You can’t trade your entire farm system every year and sign free agents to back loaded contracts and expect it to last.
Did Billy Bean finally leave as GM? I left when they traded Cespedes for Lester and took that major dive after that, I couldn’t take anymore. This is good news they’re attempting to keep this core together for true A’s fans that have been through baseball hell with Billy Bean.
Billy Beane is the executive VP of baseball ops. He’s still with the organization
They’ve got a good group of hitters, that’s for sure. Not one pitching candidate for an extension.
Lopez, Morales, and Perkins. If any of those 3 stay healthy all year they get a contract.
I’ll be really bummed out if the A’s overcome the Tigers.
Looks possible.
Wilson July forward slashed .257/.307/.389.
I can’t remember breakfast.
I like his skill set, but I’d be careful on any significant long-term deal.
That’s an impressive assortment of six everyday players the A’s have there. Now get some more pitching and you could be a juggernaut.
It’s too bad this isn’t happening in Oakland…
Offer Kurtz 10 years $200M, that may actually do it. If you’re Nick Kurtz, how do you turn down $200M at his age???
The A’s have a solid core in place heading to Vegas. If they can get their pitching figured out they may even go to Vegas a playoff team
When the A’s and Orioles are making more moves than the Red Sox, that tells you something.
I have real concerns about Bolte’s swing and miss. Always been an issue. But he is enough of a possible star to other teams I would deal him for a starting pitcher with club control that has upside. So many OF’s signed, I would take that chance. Or Thomas.
Put Clarke in CF and bat him 9th all year. Probably with that glove alone his WAR would be positive.
Sign Langeliers if it is something around Murphy’s deal. Kurtz won’t sign and isn’t a free agent until 31 or 32 so just ride that out for a few years and enjoy before making any tough decisions. Wilson who I do like, is a below average defender with little pop so play that out as well unless he wants to sign a quite friendly team deal then I am cool with it.
None of the pitchers need extended, just need to prove it.
Extend everyone mentioned. If Wilson needs to move to 3rd, that means it’s a good outcome because DeVries earned SS. The price will be higher than history has shown the A’s will spend but the amount of talent that’ll peak in Las Vegas is obscene. The quicker this gets done, the cheaper those deals will look in a couple years. Then, spot play a couple free agent pitchers into a nice Las Vegas contract with no state income tax and the A’s might pull off a World Series victory before the paint drys in their new stadium.
Vegas A’s World Series champs ‘28 and ‘29. San Jose sharks Stanley cup champs same two years. You heard it here first, folks 💚🍀💚
Man If they could get Langeliers and Kurtz done they would be in great shape.