The A’s shocked by the baseball world by signing Luis Severino to a three-year, $67MM contract, as few expected the team to make a franchise-record signing in advance of their planned three-year stop in West Sacramento before moving into their new ballpark in Las Vegas. The next step could be locking up a star player on an extension, as manager Mark Kotsay told reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) that the team was “hopeful to get something done with” Brent Rooker. Such a move would “continue showing a different direction for this organization in terms of making commitments to players,” Kotsay said.
While signing younger or less-established players to extensions is common practice for all teams no matter their payroll size, the tactic naturally has greater import for lower-spending teams. Gaining cost certainty on a player through their arbitration years or gaining control over a free-agent year or two can prove to be a huge bargain for clubs that aren’t comfortable in spending big to retain those players in free agency, or to bring new high-priced talent in as replacements.
Even with this in mind, the Athletics have rarely looked to extend players, as Khris Davis’ two-year, $33.5MM deal from April 2019 is (remarkably) the only extension signed by an A’s player within the last decade. Using MLBTR’s Contract Tracker to go back even further, the A’s have signed only nine extensions since October 2007. Of those nine players, Sean Doolittle, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, and Kurt Suzuki the only players to sign deals longer than two years.
Rooker is already under team control through the 2027 season, and is projected to earn $5.1MM in his first trip through the arbitration process. The 30-year-old has more than earned that healthy salary, as Rooker has been nothing short of outstanding since coming to the then-Oakland A’s on a waiver claim from the Royals in November 2022. While Rooker’s potential was hinted by his status as the 35th overall pick of the 2017 draft, he’d hit only .200/.289/.379 over 270 plate appearances with the Twins, Padres, and Royals over the 2020-22 seasons.
The breakout started in 2023 when Rooker hit .246/.329/.488 with 30 homers in 526 PA, and he kept on climbing with 39 home runs and a .293/.365/.562 slash line over 614 PA this past season. Only six players in baseball had a higher wRC+ than Rooker’s 164 total, as the ex-waiver pickup unexpectedly blossomed into one of the best hitters in the game.
Since the Athletics were thought to be rebuilding, there have been plenty of trade rumors swirling around Rooker, with the logic being that the A’s would look to capitalize on this found-money acquisition by selling high. However, GM David Forst firmly stated last month that the A’s were “going to keep” the slugger, and an extension would further cement Rooker’s place as a building block for the organization.
Though the Athletics lost 93 games in 2024, they seem emboldened by their 33-32 record over their final 65 games, and might be looking to take a step forward towards contention as soon as next year. Even if Severino’s contract was partially inspired by the Athletics’ desire to retain their revenue-sharing status, the uncharacteristically big splash indicates that the A’s are getting more serious in their plans to play competitive baseball.
It isn’t necessarily a given that the A’s are looking for a very long commitment to Rooker, as an extension could potentially just cover his arb years. Locking in three years of salary now might help the Athletics save a bit of money in the future if Rooker keeps upping his price tag with his elite numbers. From Rooker’s perspective, he might prefer to keep betting on himself, or he might welcome the chance to cash in on his breakout with some life-changing financial security.
He’s 30 years old with 3 years of club control remaining.
Go see Mitch Haniger right now and rethink extending this guy.
I wouldn’t, you have to think he has a small window to be a successful MLB player just for probably 4-5 more seasons, and if an injury happens he might as well be screwed. This and with the severino signing shows that the A’s are at least trying and will take care of their players which can entice more players to come on board. I think it’s a win win, rooker might not get life changing money after his arb years are done, and the athletics can get a great player moral boost. Rooker has played very well and deserves any money coming his way.
I’d argue that the A’s are trying to buy out on the cheap his age 34 and 35 free agent years. Rooker hasn’t made anything yet so an extension may he quite enticing. It also gives the A’s some name recognition to open the Vegas ballpark.
He’s also had only one great year. Who knows if it continues. If the A’s offer fair money for those last two years (gives him security but saves the A’s a little on going arb year to year and he continues to produce as a star), he should consider it but it also could then INCREASE his trade value. Right now I’m offering good but not a great return because as I said, his body of work is not there yet.
Brent Rooker is not Mitch Haniger. Mitch Haniger is always injured.
At 30 I definitely would be open to an extension and getting some money.
“continue showing a different direction for this organization in terms of making commitments to players,”
Sorry, Chief. It doesn’t show anything to the public except that you are just signing anyone to raise payroll for your new stadium. No direction with this team just smoke and mirrors. Only committed to being a welfare queen.
Disagree. Rooker isn’t “just anyone” as the stats show and I think if I were a player seeing something like 5/75mm for Rooker would definitely improve my perception of the org.
So they give Severino three years and Rooker five. How does that show a commitment to anything? They aren’t doing anything in those years and those guys are all older. If they were serious they would be identifying younger players to keep long term, not just padding their budget for a few years pretending like they aren’t the same poverty franchise.
Extend butler and miller, then I’ll start coming around.
The a’s always trade pieces for younger talent, whether that talent pans out is a different story. It’s about time the a’s start extending their guys and signing free agents. Stop complaining.
Just adding payroll to appease the MLBPA so they don’t come after their revenue sharing. Currently they’re at the same opening day payroll as last year.
Sign Severino to 3 yr 65 mil deal. Now looking to extend Rooker. Fisher must be on a great bender these days!! Who’s got next round??
I think the next move is trade for a contract a team regrets.
Like:
Yoshida
Bellinger
Montgomery
I’ve been on this site for a couple of years now and all you ever see is when the athletics are mentioned people complain, they never spend blah blah blah, sell the team blah blah blah, but now that they made a signing with severino and are publicly looking to extend rooker all you miserable people do is still complain. They aren’t the dodgers, they aren’t the Yankees, they won’t get this big fish, and yes they might have to over pay a little bit, but at least they are trying, something some of your favorite teams will fail to do this off-season.
Go A’s. I love the Circus that is the A’s. Extend Langeliers too. I gotta see them in Vegas someday against the Mets.
Mets_Giants_Knicks
@Braves_saints_celts
It’s just part of the internet’s social culture. You’ll find a subset of toxic users on any forum with their misguided narratives and agendas.
I’m glad to see that Angels and A’s are finally investing in themselves.
You know, the A’s suddenly admitting they have money to spend the second they’re outside of Oakland even when playing in a minor league stadium kinda seems like a confession that the “we’re broke” charade was just John Fisher being the Indians’ owner in Major League.
4/$60 million. Buyout his arbitration years and a year of free agency ensuring (in theory) he is still with the team when they go to Vegas
That looks fair, but wonder if he would actually sign that. Given the history of players like him in their 30’s though, would set him up nicely and takes a lot of the risk away for him. I think 4/60 or 5/70 would make sense for the A’s though.
5 for 70M, squeeze him a bit.
I wonder what the AL west will look like next October. Seattle and then The As?
Maybe?
If I had to guess, at this point in the offseason, would still be the Astros followed by Mariners or Texas, except current history has the Mariners one game out of the playoffs. Any one of those 3 could take the division, but gotta go with the Astros based on their current rosters. A’s are a dark horse, but probably not dark horse enough to get the division or playoffs even if you can squint and see a wild card berth, could surprise I guess, and the Angels could be better than awful, but either of those two teams is an extreme long shot to catch the Astros, Mariners, or Rangers, at least by my unprofessional opinion.
I’m not poo-pooing the idea of Angels or A’s outperforming and sneaking into the wild card, I just don’t see it as likely, and Astros, Mariners, and Rangers are all fairly close projection-wise, with the Astros being the more likely of the three to take the division.
Thank you for your thoughts, I think Texas is in bad shape, the angels are behind the A’s, the A’s are trying
DAVE PARKER FINALLY MADE THE HOF GOOD FOR HIM. And the Astros just seemed to be getting old and not replacing their departing pieces as effectively, If the Mariners can get just a little bit of offense, they might be favorite simply cause everything else they do is so good.
There’s a lot of offseason to go but as things stand I don’t particularly think either the a’s or the angels have enough to mount serious runs in all likelihood. Let’s see what rosters look like come strong training
If the A’s draw 15,000 fans to West Sacramento, big if, it will be 4,000 more than they drew in Oakland.
I see no problem at all with them spending money on players. Whether the reason is profit sharing or not.
To some there is nothing the A’s can do right.. Nothing.
Absolutely a good approach by the A’s, one bad turn on the bases and Rookers payday comes from Lloyd’s of London.
A’s can give him a nice payday, and at the same time lock in a solid player at what will likely look to be a considerable bargain compared to the contracts that Santander and Hernandez are going to sign.
If I were Rooker’s agent – and even Rooker himself – I would totally ink a deal turning over arb years at team friendly numbers. A free agent year or two? Yeah, that too. An extension for 30 million dollars plus gets me, the player, to the table to sign that deal.