The A’s have extended another member of their young core, announcing a seven-year contract, plus a club option for an eighth year, for shortstop Jacob Wilson. The PSI Sports Management client will reportedly be guaranteed $70MM.
Wilson, 23, was the sixth overall pick in the draft in 2023. He made his big league debut with a late cup of coffee the following season but broke out as an All-Star in 2025. The second-generation star — his father is longtime Pirates infielder Jack Wilson — finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind his own teammate, Nick Kurtz. Wilson slashed .311/.355/.444 with 13 home runs, 26 doubles, five steals and a tiny 7.2% strikeout rate.
Wilson’s pure hit tool is nearly unrivaled. Among the 560 big leaguers who took even 40 plate appearances this past season, his 7.5% strikeout rate was the second-lowest, behind multi-time batting champion Luis Arraez. Like Arraez, the quality of contact when Wilson puts the ball in play is generally not great. He averaged just 84.6 mph off the bat with a paltry 2.2% barrel rate and 24.1% hard-hit rate. That penchant for weak contact hasn’t stopped him from racking up singles. His hitter-friendly home park in West Sacramento probably overstates his modest power, but Wilson did connect on six round-trippers away from Sutter Health Park and could be reasonably projected to hit around 10 homers per season.
Though he doesn’t post off-the-charts chase rates, Wilson does swing more often than the average hitter (both off the plate and within the zone). He’s an aggressive hitter whose preternatural bat-to-ball skills and frequent swings lead to plenty of early contact. That limited Wilson to just a 5.2% walk rate in his first full season, which is pretty well in line with the 5.9% walk rate he’s posted in his limited minor league time thus far. Even if he never posts a high walk rate, though, Wilson figures to continue posting strong on-base percentages simply due to his knack for collecting hits.
Defensive metrics don’t paint him in an especially favorable light at shortstop. He was dinged for minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved and minus-2 Outs Above Average in his first full season of shortstop work at the major league level. Statcast credits him with well above-average arm strength but below-average range.
An eventual move to second or third base might yield better defensive results, but that likely won’t happen until lauded prospect Leo De Vries pushes for a look at shortstop. He’s still only 19 years old with just 21 Double-A games under his belt, so at least for the time being, Wilson will be expected to reprise his role as the Athletics’ shortstop. Questions about his range have persisted since his prospect days, but scouting reports praise his solid hands and he showed a clear knack for flashy, acrobatic plays during his debut campaign.
The A’s already controlled Wilson for another five seasons. Today’s agreement locks in two free-agent years and gives the team an option over what would have been a third. Wilson wouldn’t have been arbitration-eligible until the 2027-28 offseason.
The seven-year, $70MM term aligns closely with but also surpasses recent extensions for Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (seven years, $63.5MM) and Wilson’s own teammate, Lawrence Butler (seven years, $66.5MM) when both were in the same service bucket in which Wilson currently resides (between one and two years). His $70MM guarantee falls a bit shy of Michael Harris II’s $72MM deal over in Atlanta, but that was an eight-year pact compared to Wilson’s seven.
As can be seen in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker (available to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers), Wilson’s extension stands as the eighth-largest guarantee ever made to a player with under two years of big league service. It’s the second-largest deal in Athletics franchise history, trailing only the recent seven-year $86MM extension for teammate Tyler Soderstrom, who scored a larger deal due to the fact that he has an extra year of service time over Wilson.
Wilson’s extension is the latest step in the Athletics’ ongoing effort to lock up their exciting core of position players. Wilson, Soderstrom, Butler and slugger Brent Rooker (five years, $60MM) have all put pen to paper on long-term deals over the past 15 months. The A’s picked up control of multiple free agent years for each of those players.
The A’s have yet to come to terms on a deal with the aforementioned Kurtz, whose price tag will surely be higher. Kurtz played in just 117 games and took 489 plate appearances but still bashed 36 home runs while logging a sensational .290/.383/.619 slash line (170 wRC+). Even if the A’s can’t come to terms on a long-term deal with the 2024 No. 4 overall pick, he’s under control for another five seasons. Plus, this slate of affordable long-term deals for his young teammates will make it easier to stomach what will surely be enormous arbitration paydays if Kurtz continues on his current trajectory.
With several young players now under contract for the long haul, the Athletics shouldn’t have to worry about any potential grievances regarding their use of revenue-sharing funds. The A’s reportedly needed to push their CBT payroll up to $105MM or more last winter or else face potential ramifications, but they’re now at $139MM in that regard, per RosterResource.
Impressive as the Athletics’ collection of young bats is, the team’s pitching still leaves plenty to be desired. They’ll hope to change that this coming season when top prospects like Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold make their climbs through the system. Both rank within the game’s top 50 or so prospects. Jump, a 2024 second-rounder, already reached Double-A this past season. Arnold has yet to throw a professional pitch, but the Florida State standout was one of the top arms in last year’s draft class, coming off the board with the No. 11 pick.
The Athletics still have another two seasons to play in West Sacramento before their targeted 2028 move to their new home on the Las Vegas strip. So long as the group of Wilson, Soderstrom and Butler remain healthy, the A’s should have an exciting young core to market as they look to attract new fans in their new home.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the agreement and the terms of the contract.
Well done!
Easy to do when you’ve got a ton of young controllable talent on the roster and you know a salary floor might come in. Had how long in Oakland to do these kinda moves but never did now they move and all of a sudden the owner has money to spend
All that Sacramento money, with crowds upward of 5-7k per night.
Well done finding a way to put a negative spin on a smart move. I understand if you’re a fan in Oakland, but as a long-distance A’s fan I think this is pretty great.
It’s a joke on the owner, not Sacramento. Pointing out there is no more money currently, much less I’m sure, but now he’s willing to spend some.
Staying in CA lets them have some money to spend, if he moved them to Vegas the TV deal would be gone and surely much less money coming in. Committed to money, not Vegas.
Smart moves unrelated to the owner, for sure. Just shows they could have done this years ago with the previous core they dumped off in 2021/2022. Was a cheap young contending team on hand with control left.
Are you forgetting the part where they played in a run-down dump of a stadium where nobody wanted to go? I understand they’re playing in a minor league park now, but this is obviously done with Vegas in mind. Probably would have happened with the previous core if they had a new stadium to open in Oakland.
but as a long-distance A’s fan I think this is pretty great.
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So nice to hear from an A’s fan that appreciates the A’s.
Are you related to the Fisher family or just enjoy the taste of boot leather?
From Ontario, Canada. Growing up here everyone else loved the Jays and Tigers, but I was hooked on the Bash Brothers. That team in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s was everything a 10-year-old kid could ask for. Didn’t hurt they looked like WWF wrestlers.
Nope, I just appreciate what they’re doing now locking up their young core. Feel free to continue holding a grudge, though.
Even after the first pitch in Vegas, “fans” like this will still say Vegas is never happening. A’s could bump up to $170M payroll or win a WS in Vegas, and “fans” like this will still say JF sucks. Let’s keep it real – In 2018 and 2019, A’s won *97* games, and STILL no one showed up. A’s were winning like crazy from 2012-2014, and no one showed up then either. Literally would only sell out playoff games. Fans let John Fisher know that even with an elite winning club, they would not show up to games (I don’t care if the Coliseum is old). You can imagine my lack of surprise when in 2021 they mention Vegas, which is also not 8 miles away from the Giants who just won 3 WS
Absolutely outstanding.
Soderstrom, Rooker, Wilson and Butler are locked in.
Unlikely for Kurtz because he was so good and unlikely Shea.
Solid player but watching him hit reminded me a lot of when Jeff McNeill won the NL batting title in 2022. Hits just fell in but he never had that luck again.
Yay 😀 Shea and Kurtz shall be next no matter if they have Scott Boras representing them. Pulling the checkbook like Yankees great George “Georgie” Steinbrenner did… C’mon!!!
Kurtz is represented by Excel Sports Management
I agree though – with Boras as his agent, I don’t think Langeliers signs an extension. Once the A’s have a legit catcher, I could see him getting traded
Can someone help me out here? Singles are good if you’re a poor defender at SS or a good defender in LF but not if you’re a decent 1B or a DH? Wilson can get an AAV over $10m when he’s pre arb and everyone loves Kwan but Arraez can’t get anything in FA? These things don’t add up for me
Oh yea
I can help you with this. Luis Arraez cannot play passable defense at second base, let alone shortstop. So Arraez who has a nice bat, great batting average and pretty good on base percentage, is being measured as if he is a first baseman or a DH. Wilson plays shortstop and his defense is vastly superior to Arraez.
In 2015, Wilson was worth 3.0 WAR and Arraez was worth 1.2 WAR. Wilson is five years younger, too.
In 2015 Wilson was in 8th grade
A lot of players at 1B/DH Arraez is compared to have the benefit of being platooned.
Over the last two years. Luke Raley and his 654 PA of .230/.320.416 is 10WRC higher and .4 more WAR than Arraez with his 1347 PA and .303/.337/.392. Arraez has 90 more hits than Freddie Freeman, 10 more than Vlad Jr. who has the 2nd most for a 1B in the last two years. I’m not saying Arraez is a superstar but hits MATTER. I’m supposed to believe Arraez has the same offensive value as Nolan schanuel?????
Being young is very different than being good, nor does it imply improvement. See Campbell, Kristian or Julien, eduord or Lewis, Royce or Robert jr, Luis etc. Lots of players ride high for a season or two.
Giving $70m/7 years when he would’ve made ~$1.5m in the next two years leaves $68.5 for 3 arb +2 FA? And Arraez is hanging dry?
Oh yea
You are comparing apples and oranges. I think a better argument would be that the Twins have DH/1B Josh Bell one year and $10 million, so why wouldn’t some team give that to Arraez. I assume that someone did make that offer to Arraez and that he has unsuccessfully held out for more.
Yeah Wilson seems perfectly average at SS. When De Vries comes up, that could turn Wilson into an above-average 2B or 3B man
ohyeadam
Singles are good if you’re a poor defender at SS or a good defender in LF but not if you’re a decent 1B or a DH?
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Didn’t you just ask and answer your own question? Singles from a SS are better than singles from a DH. I’ll give you two sets of splits, and you tell me which is better:
Player A .292/.327/.392/.719
Player B .311/.355/.444/.800
Q1-Which player do you want in your lineup?
Q2-Which player do you want at SS?
Player B all day! Glad we just locked him up for next 7-8 years 😀
Imagine signing a 8 year extension at 23 for 70 million? This is like when the A’s had Giambi, Tejada, Chávez, and Greive but this seems like there all coming into their own at the same time and all are getting locked up long term at the same time too so it should be even better
Now they just need Zito, Hudson, Mulder, Haren and Harden
Medium rare!
Nice!
The extension apparently buys out what were two potential free agent years and my napkin math says they paid ~40M for those two years. Considering what Bo Bichette just got paid this is a great deal for the A’s and nice one Jacob for not being greedy and getting a deal done. He’s still going to be a free agent when he’s 30 if he does want to cash out one more time.
Then teams will tell him he’s not worth as much, because he’s 30. Clever of owners to keep free agent total contract values down this way.
Even in the event he performs like a Corey Seager or Trea Turner, he’ll never see close to what they did. Surprised the MLBPA doesn’t say “Sure, buy out the arb years, but forget buying out free agent years”
He could also flame out in the next year or two, or he could Rendon it up on the IL for eight years. Would you (or the union) approve if there was a clause in the contract that allowed the team to cut the player if he is injured or underperforms?
The union is geared toward getting the most money for the best players. They’re not going to care about the what-ifs, they want guys like Jacob to get 300 mil if he’s earned it. Not 120 mil over 3 years like Bichette, then fewer dollars when he’s well over 30
I understand and agree, but the 300 million is no guarantee. He may not have even made it to free agency due to injury or underperformance. Risk and reward on both sides.
Spending on their youth, finally.
Good for him. I’m definitely gonna go to a new A’s when they come to Las Vegas.
The A’s are going to be a really good team pretty soon they have quite good players they just need some pitching help.
Hoping Sacramento sees it’s first and probably only World Series.
It would be quite hilarious, and embarassing for MLB, if Sacramento was to host World Series games.
Great for Sacramento though.
A’s vs Rays ALCS is necessary before either team moves back into an MLB Stadium. The owners wouldn’t allow that sadly.
Sad to say but if the A’s make it to a WS in the next 2 years, all the games probably will be played in the NL team ball park. Or the Giants ballpark.
That makes a lot of sense. Loan Depot Park in Miami has hosted many iconic World Baseball Classic games, so the Rays would probably play there in the playoffs if they make it.
Would be better(and funny) if they get that far in Sacramento vs Vegas, probably play the WS games in San Fran, you know there is no way they’d play them in Oakland.
It would be fantastic for BB to have the Athletics go to the WS.
Fingers crossed they embarrass the MLB and play WS games in a minor league park or SF makes the WS so no chance to play all games there…or would they? Anything to make Manfred sweat.
MLB would never allow it
The Giants and Bud Selig were the most relevant factor and the most effed up reason the A’s left the Bay Area. Yeah owner is bad but the A’s we’re looking for an alternative site in Bay Area well before he came along. What metropolis gives one town, SF, 80% of local population AND the 20% MLB and Giants forced to be A’s territory included much low income. I’ve said it before and will say it again …Bud Selig, MLB and The Giants ownership screwed The A’s franchise.
Which is baffling because it was Selig that gave the franchise to his frat bro to begin with
enricopallazzo
Fingers crossed they embarrass the MLB and play WS games in a minor league park
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That’s what I’m rooting for. The idea of Sacramento hosting WS games is awesome. What a great reward for their faithful fans.
Why? They are returning to the Trop in 2026.
Man, the A’s are ON IT. Crap on ownership all you want, but they’re making certain that they have a competitive core ready by the time they land in Vegas. I give them some credit for that.
Had they done this while in Oakland, they’d still have a fan base and a team there.
You’re absolutely correct. I’m certainly not justifying the A’s ownership alienating their fanbase in Oakland; just giving the team credit for their activity in retaining their strong core.
They we’re winning 95-100 games and couldn’t even draw 10k fans to the coliseum. Nobody wants to admit this but, there was no fan base in Oakland.
Yeah, they also didn’t draw all that well when they were winning the 3 World Series in a row back in the day.
@Hank
Would that be the 70’s team? I had no idea it went back that far. I just remember watching the Olson/Chapman team playing in a sea of empty seats game after game, year after year, thinking damn what does this team have to do to get people to show up and support them. It’s crazy to have a team this good not be able to sell tickets.
If I was playing on the team I would not want to resign with them knowing that know matter how good I play and how much we win that people aren’t gonna come to the games.
It wasn’t the team, it was always the stadium.
Thank you for pointing this out – I’m convinced that ownership got really frustrated with their team winning nearly 100 games multiple seasons in a row in 2018 and 2019. Suddenly in 2021 Las Vegas is mentioned for the first time
They weren’t winning 95-100 games and only drawing 10k fans. You have to know this, I assume.
They were doing ok given the outdated stadium the A’s basically neglected until a little movement “rooted in Oakland” around 2018 which was a big lie.
If a losing season or into a multiple season stretch, yea, then most teams have weak attendance. See the Cardinals, White Sox, etc.
NineChampionships
Nobody wants to admit this but, there was no fan base in Oakland.
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Lots of people admit it. They won 97 games in both 2018 & 2019. The drew about 1.6M fans.
They’ll barely draw 2.0 million in Vegas unless it’s a World Series team and after the first couple years in Vegas. Maybe numbers can be pumped up with free tickets “purchased” by casino’s that get given away.
Where did all of those players from the years they were winning 95 games go?this has been the motive of the ownership forever. When the A’s unexpectedly did well those players were traded and the process started over. Winning games is important to retain a fan base. However what is more important to the fans is knowing that your owners will sign these players to multi-year contracts. It’s heartbreaking as an A’s fan to watch young talent go year after year. I am a life long A’s fan. Not a fan of the owners but a fan of these young kids who play hard even if there’s only a thousand people in the stadium.
enricopallazzo
Maybe numbers can be pumped up with free tickets “purchased” by casino’s that get given away.
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They won’t be given away. They will be added into a package for fans like myself. I’ll schedule my Vegas trips for when the RS are in town. Millions will.
They wanted a stadium though. Actually needed a stadium. For a long time. And it didn’t get done. Not the first team to leave Oakland makes me think it’s a Oakland problem.
@ AI GM
Facts!
Yeah like everyone got rid of their cookie cutter 70s stadium 25 30 years ago. That team should have left 20 years ago.
I wouldn’t want to build a stadium in Oakland either and I’ve been an A’s fan for 45 years. Oakland is a craphole.
Anytime a team leaves that is the ownership’s fault. Facts.
Every team has had success on the field and in the stands that has moved, usually those go hand in hand. The reason teams have all moved is a crappy (cheap) owner(ship). Show me otherwise.
They didn’t move because of the fanbase. The ownership has been threatening to move and jettisoning young players for decades. In the early 2000s they drew over 2M fans annually.
This gets overlooked by those not paying attention. Repeatedly trading players early and never committing to a star, Chavez the last and only one in the last 30(!) years, is telling and is a drain to a fanbase.
Last time an owner tried/spent and naturally a winning team on the field they were the top 2-3 in attendance.
The Rays had the same issues, it’s not the fans/cities fault. Winning product but being cheap all over and not keeping any homegrown players helps result in low attendance. An old outdated stadium is a contributing factor, sure.
enricopallazzo
The Rays had the same issues, it’s not the fans/cities fault.
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It’s okay to admit that some cities are better baseball towns and some are worse. If TB wins 110 games, they still won’t draw. The RS, Cubs, Cards, and maybe a few others, can start minor leagues games and still draw more than the Rays.
I’m not so sure about STL, based on last year. They’ve had such a run of winning teams we don’t know how they’ll support a losing team, but will find out soon. I’m sure they’ll be ok but like most cities, attendance won’t be much for a loser.
Wow! West coast Braves
hey at least we win a little bit more.
Draft target for me in March. Hoping I can get him on the cheap.
You should unless you are playing in a average heavy league with a bunch of amateurs.
30 year very deep league of hardened players and obp, slug cats.
#135 for me in last night’s draft. H2H 5×5. I’m normally light on average, so I picked him up for a bump.
Smart move As
That’s a really good core to have moving into a new market. I would imagine they’ll have much better chances of signing some decent free agent pitching to play in Vegas with the benefit of a good position playing core intact. Next few seasons of watching the A’s will be fun for an outside fan looking in.
A’s spending money waaaat
Now get Nick Kurtz locked up. I know it will be a lot harder, but he is the guy they need for his entire career.
I’d say around 5-8 years and 90-160m dollars for him.
I would love for this to happen but Kurtz is represented by Boras, so unlikely. I think there is a good chance Kurtz will be a MVP candidate in 2026 and may even challenge Judge for AL home run leader. I could easily see Kurtz hitting 60 plus homers in a season as long as he stays healthy.
Kurtz is represented by Excel, not Boras. Shea is represented by Boras though.
Kurtz is not represented by Boras, but leys lock him up 10 years 250M (better than paying 600M later!)
Oops sorry, I thought Kurtz was rep’d by Boras but appears to be Excel instead. Still think it might be a challenge to lock him up long term as his ceiling is so high.
It’s going to cost more than what Anthony got from Boston and it all depends on if Kurtz is willing to sign. He may decide he wants to test the market at age 28 which he is totally free to do.
His choice to make. But he has to play for the next 6 years. If it was me, I’d lock in the next 6 years, even if I had to throw in one FA year.
Wow – 7 years! This could turn out to be a bargain contract for the A’s. Wilson’s rookie numbers were impressive, but I think his power will improve as he played injured for part of last season with a left forearm fracture.
Big fan of this kid. Really like the A’s recent moves and drafts.
Should be an exciting team to follow the next few years.
IF he really is the player that he was in 2025, this could be like a Freddy Peralta extension level steal!
They stole him, he’s gonna be a very good player. Good for the A’s and good for Wilson
Seems like a win win. Don’t see either side happy or upset just very meh. Seems spot on to me. He got his $ now and I prefer his side but fair contract.
This guy’s the real deal. I suggest purchasing a PSA graded 10 gem mint card of him. Autographed if you can.
Honestly, a a small market team (for now in the A’s case), this is exactly how you get and remain competitive. Buying out pre-arb and arb years for a minimal back end cost is a win. Even if the young player doesn’t turn out, the annual cost doesn’t kill you.
Agreed and you also need to maintain a strong farm system that’s producing impact talent annually. There’s no reason you can’t find/draft an All Star every year and promoting one from your system every year. The guy in ’24 was Wilson, ’25 was Kurtz, ’26 could be one of LDV/White/Bolte/Jump.
No team in Vegas will become a big market team. Moving to maybe the smallest market, literally.
Smart move now he can afford to live in Vegas
He reminds me so much of a younger Bo Bichette. Great contact hitter who hits the ball hard and good for tons of extra base hits, runs the bases well and below avg defensively at SS.
Very similar players. One thing I would say is Bichette doesn’t have the arm that Wilson does but yeah it’s pretty damn close.
Wilson might move to 2B when Leo De Vries enters the bigs.
Actually does not hit the ball hard at all. And not that many extra base hits. Will become a 2B in the future due to range issues. Good arm.
Sounding more and more like Bichette
Smart. This guy is a stud and one of my favourite players to watch.
I don’t know what Wilson is thinking here. I guess he’s got some cushion if his stats fall off a cliff. Still think he’s selling himself short for an Ownership group that was heavily criticized 2 years ago.
He’s thinking about the $70 million he and his family will be getting. For a guy whose carrying tool is batting average that’s not a bad deal at all.
Including his first year of free agency, Juan Soto made a little over $80 million. Sure, Wilson gave up an extra year of free agency, but he got a haul.
This is the best thing happening in baseball. Dodgers know nothing about building from scratch. They just overpay established stars.
They also happen to have one of the best farm systems in baseball.
Great move A’s.
Probably won’t be able extend Kurtz on the cheap, but maybe go after Langeliers now?
Langeliers had a great 2025 season, obviously overshadowed by Cal Raleigh as far as AL catchers so maybe didn’t get much national attention. Unfortunately he is represented by Boras so an extension might be a long shot.
Good idea in theory, but isn’t Langeliers represented by Boras as well? Would like to see the A’s surprise some people and sign a couple veteran arms; pitchers who don’t have Qualifying Offers attached (Bassitt, Giolito, and/or Vazquez).
Eugenio Suárez for 3B would a spectacular add – the guy might mash 50+ homers, playing in that band box of a ballpark. Great guy to hit lower in the order, and try to cash in all the runners on base that A’s will have in front of, say, their 7th place hitter.
It’s a really good core, so might as well lock em up. I’ll give it to the A’s for recognizing they finally have something worth holding on to.
They got some serious bats in that lineup. In a few years with some pitching the Athletics are gonna be a force to be reckoned with.
Can’t attract free agents to play in Sacramento next 2 years so at least locking up their young hitters. It superficially elevates payroll to avoid grievance
How is the payroll elevated superficially versus just regular ole elevating?
He’s not wrong. If they’d gone year-to-year with Wilson, his luxury tax hit in each of the next two seasons would’ve been under $1MM. It’s now $10MM annually (the AAV of his contract).
When the A’s were reportedly being pressured to up their payroll last offseason, it was the CBT payroll that they needed to push up rather than the actual cash payroll. (Same as the Marlins this year, though they apparently are more comfortable ignoring any threats of a potential grievance).
Wilson isn’t going to make $10MM each season. The contract will be backloaded to mimic what he’d have earned going year to year. But the A’s will have a heavier CBT payroll as a result of it
In essence, they’re getting the same payroll boost they would have by signing Seranthony Dominguez for the same 2/20 the White Sox gave him, but spending nothing extra up front.
I didn’t say he was wrong, I asked what the difference was between superficially versus just regular ole elevating.
You explained the difference between the AAV and the player’s 2026 salary and provide details lacking in the original post, so thank you, I appreciate the time you took to explain the difference between the competitive balance tax (CBT) payroll and a season’s cash payroll.
@Assume
Payroll is payroll the only difference is how the numbers are counted, my guy just likes to complain about everything A’s related. Ownership could discover a cure for dementia and they’d find a way to spin it into a negative.
Well there are those guys huh…
It was good to learn the difference between CBT and cash payroll…
Good luck to your A’s, I sure wish the O’s would extend their younger players too…
O’s definitely waited too long on Henderson but yeah they should be locking up guys like Holliday, Beavers, Mayo, etc. If they can keep the farm stocked, they can be a 90+ win team for a long time.
Keeping the farm stocked though means you gotta be willing to make possibly painful trades every now and then.
.361 avg in college, .393 in the minors, and he was hitting .330 in the majors before an injury affected his swing late last year. played thru it instead of hitting the DL.
he’s a perennial batting champ in the making. plus he plays in a little league park so there’s pop in his bat too
Batting average means nothing…possibly the worst way to gauge a hitter.
Your comment means nothing…possibly the worst comment ever.
Am I doing this right? I’m not feeling any endorphin’s hitting…
Get a life.
So I did it right then? Good to know!!!
Damn, I was really hoping he’d be forced out due to finances and he Yankees would acquire him. Love this guy’s game
That’s an absolute steal! Only 10 million AAV is nuts for how good he is. This contract will look so cheap by the time it’s over.
I wish the Orioles would extend some of their young players!
Something is seriously wrong with Oakland if the A’s are suddenly doing better elsewhere. I blame politics.
The ownerpulled out of deal and had unrealistic 12 billion ballpark village plan. Unlike Vegas where his 2 billion funding is still uncertain
$70M dang, that’s better than Tucker! Wait, what! My bad, carry on 🤣
Langeliers and Kurtz represented by boras. I’m doubtful they anign extensions unless it’s a crazy overpay. Of course they could both tell boras they’ll take an offer regardless. Langeliers had career season but prior to that he was mainly a low obp, low avg power hitter. But he also plays at an in demand position at catcher despite iffy defense. He’s basically pre 2025 version of cal Raleigh but with opposite defense
A’s locking up a nice core. If some pitching develops with the position players this will be a fun, tough team for years to come
The A’s are building a really impressive team. This is starting to look like a playoff team in the final year in Sacramento and first year in Las Vegas.
Keep trying to convince others to help invest in this team….maybe Fisher will get someone to bite. Only been a couple years and has some random Korean investment and a deal with Aramark. No one with legit money or business sense wants a piece of it. Here’s hoping he just sells it completely.
I think there is a massive penalty if he sells the team entirely. Was part of the agreement with MLB to move to Vegas
There is a large fee but they also aren’t in Vegas yet, so I don’t know how that works until the team is actually there. He is certainly trying to find people to buy a large stake in the team and might be necessary to fund the stadium.
LOVE watching Wilson play and definitely like this move.
The next move has GOT to be to get him out of the SS position. It was painful watching so many hits go by him that a typical SS would have gotten to. A lot of the A’s pitching struggles are due to terrible fielders, and SS is too important to have a poor fielder at the position.
I’m old. his dad was a rookie in 2001. that hit home man. 😐
Overpay for a liability at SS. Overpay for a 2B or 3B as well. Wilson is rumored to have been working out to add weight/muscle…he is going to have to add a lot to justify this deal. And, I am an A’s fan.
Think this is a great deal, even with an eventual move to 2B. That bat plays anywhere, and the kid might grow into more power.
No way is Wilson’s deal an overpay. Already, he’s outpaced power projections and the strength training will add muscle for a move to 3B; which he played his freshman season at Grand Canyon. Throw in a high baseball I.Q., great work ethic, excellent clubhouse chemistry with a young core and you have a bargain at that price. Would you rather have a Wander Franco type? Plug Wilson in for the next 7 years at $10Mil per and they won’t be able to afford him otherwise. Kurtz will break the A’s current credit union banking policy, so that deal will never happen.
I’d rather have someone who could play capable defense up the middle and get on base 80+ points above their batting average. Wilson is injury prone and his data at the plate is not something to dream on. Quite the contrary. Low hard hit rates, doesn’t have plate discipline and lives by BABIP.
There were 4 players with an on base percentage higher than .390 in 2026; which would be the 80 points higher than Wilson’s .311 batting average. The barrel rate, contact rate, and strikeout percentage are all near the top of the elite tier. Wilson hunts first pitch and that will skew walk rate because he barrels first pitch or first opportunity offerings. Offensively, he was 20% above league average and an .800 OPS is nothing to sneeze at for a 23 year old shortstop. His bat to ball ability is proven and sustainable. His strength is increasing. Once DeVries is ready for Las Vegas, a physically stronger Wilson will also be ready for the move to 3B, where his range won’t be a factor. As far as 2026, if healthy, put down above .300 average, 30 doubles, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 10 SB, and 80 runs.
After this news, Angels should lock up Zack Neto six years $90 million
Great deal if the Angles could pull that off, but my guess is that looks more like 8 years $160m
Neto is too smart to extend his term in Anaheim. Arte should sell to the Savanah owner and have it rebranded Bananaheim.
This is a steal. But now we have a better look of what an extension will look like.
Las Vegas A’s making moves. I still hate the Lawrence Butler deal
if guys like Trent Grisham can get a QO ,Butler doesn’t look too bad a gamble at less than 10 mil
He’s only 25
the a’s are quickly becoming my second favorite team. have a feeling i’m not the only one
A’s have such a likable, dynamic core of young players they are building around. Eugenio Suárez (3B/DH) and the return of Chris Bassitt to the A’s organization seem like perfect additions to round out their roster.
If not Suarez, hopefully the A’s at least sign a couple of veteran arms (the aforementioned Bassitt, maybe Lucas Giolito, even Justin Verlander – who is kind of like a defacto pitching coach). Heck, even a flyer on Marcus Stroman as a bullpen piece?
Hope they don’t sign Suarez, but think would Bassit would be a wise move
Well, the A’s have put themselves into a position to have a long run of good teams. A bit of money spent when the LV field changes the books and watch out. MLB.
Pretty sure I’ll lose all interest in the A’s once they move to Vegas (at least that’s what happened with the Raiders) and pretty sure they’re not going to spend any real money on beefing up the pitching until next year at the earliest or maybe not even then so it’s nice for the team that may return to contention after they leave the state but as far as I’m concerned as a fan for the last almost 60 years, that just kind of adds insult to injury. At least the Raiders had the good grace to continue to suck after moving.
Hallelujah, now sign Kurtz for 10 years! Sure wish they hadn’t traded Mason Miller, but I hope De Vries turns out to be a stud.
Been reading these comments. Mostly think good deal. A few bad.
Tonights conversation: Logan Cole: How was your day Jacob?
Jacob:I signed a 7 year contract for 70 mil
Logan: Oh no!, What will the MLBPA think?
Congrats to A”s fans and Wilson. Such a young exciting talent
Wait. There’s no deferred money on the contract? I was reliably told by Dodger fans anyone can defer a billion dollars.
I see this as a little premature. Even being optimistic about his future, Wilson has weaknesses. His SS defense is so-so. He doesn’t steal. And he’s unlikely to hit for power. His rookie season was significantly impacted by Sacramento, Home tOPS+ 119, Road tOPS+ 82 and a very high BABIP. Since the As just traded one of the best relievers in baseball for one of the best SS prospects, the As plan (do they have a plan?) likely sees Wilson at a less important defensive position. Other than the pressure to spend their comp balance payments, it’s not clear what the rush was. The As have for years lost their best players to free agency (or trades anticipating free agency), so avoiding that result with some of their young talent is generally a good thing. But they’re not going to be the Oakland/Sacramento As forever and presumbaly the move to Las Vegas is designed to increase revenues and allow them to spend more liberally. By the time Wilson is going into what would have been his free agent years, the As will have been in Las Vegas for a while and WIlson may look a lot like Luis Arraez, who at 29 is apparently having a hard time getting a decent contract. .
His rookie season was significantly impacted by Sacramento, Home tOPS+ 119, Road tOPS+ 82 and a very high BABIP. …it’s not clear what the rush was.
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His BABIP was only .317. Given that he is not a flyball hitter, that doesn’t strike me very high. Sacramento helps his stats, but he had 7 HRs at home and 6 on the road.
The ‘rush’ depends on what you think of his l/t development. On the comments above concerned extending Zeto. If Wilson replicates his 2025 season, his cost will be at least 50% higher than it is today.
They will be a solid team in Vegas
Solid core. In a few years when some pitching prospects emerge the athletics will be solid
They need to also sign Kurtz and langeliers so when they move to Las Vegas in 2028 all they need is some pitching to reach playoffs