The Athletics have been quite active this offseason but aren’t necessarily done adding to the roster. General manager David Forst tells Jessica Kleinschmidt of the A’s Radio Network that he’s still hopeful to make another addition or two, specifically mentioning the rotation as one possible area.
Ahead of their 2025 move to West Sacramento, the A’s have signed Luis Severino and Gio Urshela, acquired Jeffrey Springs, and extended Brent Rooker. The team’s rotation now features Severino, Springs, JP Sears, Joey Estes and Mitch Spence. Other candidates on the 40-man roster include J.T. Ginn, Osvaldo Bido, Gunnar Hoglund, Jacob Lopez and Ryan Cusick. Lefty Ken Waldichuk and righty Luis Medina are on the mend from Tommy John surgery and will open the season on the injured list, but the former could be an option in the second half. (Medina’s surgery was performed in August, likely taking him out through the end of the 2025 season.)
The flurry of offseason dealings has “boosted” the Athletics’ payroll to … $64.5MM in terms of total salary owed. Their luxury ledger is a bit higher, thanks in large part to the fact that Severino and Rooker are on backloaded deals. RosterResource projects the A’s around $97MM in CBT considerations. They’re reportedly aiming to pull north of $105MM in hopes of avoiding a grievance from the MLBPA tied to the appropriation of the funds the team receives through revenue-sharing. The A’s previously lost their revenue-sharing status for similar reasons and were only reinstated as a recipient under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement. They haven’t topped $83MM in luxury obligations since.
Some free agents will balk at the notion of playing their games in a Triple-A park, though as the A’s showed with Severino, that can be bridged with a far more substantial contract than most expected entering the winter. Forst’s club feels like a particularly good fit to take on a somewhat unwanted contract in the rotation as well.
The D-backs would welcome the opportunity to shed Jordan Montgomery’s $22.5MM salary. Ditto the Phillies and Taijuan Walker (two years, $36MM) and, presumably, Tigers and Kenta Maeda ($10MM in 2025). The Yankees are shopping Marcus Stroman ($18MM in 2025, conditional $18MM player option for 2026 if he pitches 140 innings) and are willing to pay down some salary. The Cardinals could move Steven Matz and the final $12MM he’s owed in the last season of a four-year deal. The Twins are open to offers on Chris Paddack and his $7.5MM as they look to scale back spending. Rangers righty Jon Gray ($13MM) has seen his name kicked around the rumor circuit this winter as well. Put more concisely, there’s no shortage of arms who’d fit that bill, but the list of clubs willing to take on such a contract isn’t large. That puts the A’s in a decent position.
Another addition to the rotation would further make the A’s more respectable than many will give them credit for entering 2025. A rotation fronted by Severino, Springs, Sears and a to-be-determined outside acquisition could at least be competitive, health permitting. The lineup features not only the excellent Rooker but emerging outfield contributors JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler. Catcher Shea Langeliers only posted a .288 OBP but swatted 29 homers this past season. Young players like Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof have shown potential. Mason Miller is one of the game’s premier closers.
Based on that foundation, it’s at least within the realm of possibility that the A’s emerge as a surprise club in 2025. That makes any forthcoming additions all the more interesting. The team’s budget for the actual cash payroll isn’t known, but their current $64.5MM projection is about $1.5MM ahead of last year’s paltry $63MM mark.
Get Stroman and make the Yanks pay the bill!
Unless they pull off a miracle deal Stroman is gonna be another pitcher being paid by NY to play for another team just like AJ Burnett.
Burnett was a bonehead deal by Cashman who then tried to clear the decks when he realized how poorly he had chosen. But even in that deal AJ was good in his first year (2009, where they took it all).
The point is the A’s need to spend more so getting Stroman would fit, though I think the yanks would probably still have to toss in 5mil or so as per that last report. But the A’s have some players I’d be interested in like Max Shuemann or Estuary Ruiz.
Probably would not get any of them. Likely a package of prospects. Ruiz could be traded though or Seth Brown. Bleday has CF locked down in my opinion. Shuemann is a great backup for Jacob Wilson and Gio Urshela. Don’t see him leaving.
A Seth Brown if/of player isn’t terrible either tbh.
If he is in usual form, he can hit 30 homers in Yankee Stadium
That doesn’t mean they want to pay for other teams cast offs.
Y’all got Montas, Canning, and a reliever for your rotation…don’t look too far for castoffs.
A lot of former Yankees, Stroman would fit in. How much they pay down. Increase level of talent coming back. A’s have not been at minimum spending salary for years. Have really screwed over their fans.
The As are going for it, trying to climb out of the bunker.
i find it super funny how oakland’s rotation and starting depth is built on former yankees pitchers. Jp sears, severino, medina, spence, waldichuk….. might as well add stroman too
Stroman is a horrible choice for the A’s. That vesting contract means any acquiring team doesn’t even know how much they’re going to have to pay him.
That 2026 player option might be an issue
I mean, I think it’s pretty obvious at this point that they will add a back of the rotation starter in free agency between $8-12 million so they can get over that $105 million tax threshold so they PA doesn’t file a grievance
All these additions to the a’s must be stirring up season ticket holder interest among both of their fans!
Well, I’m one of their fans but season tickets aren’t happening. Traffic between the Bay Area and Sacto. sucks. Haven’t heard back yet from the other guy.
The ballpark in Sacramento only holds up to 14,000 and they’ve almost sold out of season tickets. It actually kind’ve sucks for fans like me because it’s going to actually be expensive/difficult to get tickets
Sadly, that’s probably 7000 more season tickets than they’ve sold in years…
You’re probably right
They did sell out
They averaged about 14,000 fans per home game last year which is max for their temporary home. I bet the team see that as a wash.
Yeah the A’s only averaged 11k fans in 2024, and that’s only because some games had big crowds from a fireworks events or a Yankees/Red Sox opponent. Most games were 5k fans and super depressing. Getting 14k excited loud fans every night will be a lot more fun to watch
You laugh but if they were spending like they are now, more people would have shown up.
With every action it’s clear as day they pulled a Major League, doing whatever it took to get out of Oakland and essentially give them the finger.
And why? Because they didn’t give the billionaire his handout. Meanwhile, if they had, people like you would be on here to pitch a fit about how Oakland gave money to a billionaire when they need to be investing in police and schools. You can’t have it both ways.
I’m glad it must be killing John Fisher to have to spend money (even though he will be making money because of it).
Oh for sure, but this is great for baseball. He is going to make a lot of money in TV revenue with now getting 100% shared revenue. He could also just sell the team to Lacob and make a huge profit as well.
actually he’s only spending revenue sharing money, none of his own…
Yeah he gets no credit here. Spending only to avoid grievance and revenue sharing money they have never spent in past, that he pocketed.
I actually like Bido as the 5th if they can get a veteran guy as their 4th. Having Spence and Estes as long men in the bullpen would be great.
Agreed here
I third this, Bido and to a lesser extent Basso looked very interesting as rotation pieces last year
Yeah Bido showed great potential.
Taijuan Walker …. c’mon down!
-signed all phillies’ fans
I do not think TWalker is a legitimate get for the A’s. The Phillies would need to include serious prospect capital and still pay down a good portion of Walker’s salary, which would defeat the purpose. Walker is effectively untradeable. Three or four weeks into ST the Phillies will know if he has rediscovered his splitter, and some velocity. If not, I think there is a decent chance he is released before OD.
Don’t think “serious draft capital” is warranted? Phillies pay 10mil down (20 total) for a low level lottery tix.
A’s clear that “grievance monetary line” and IF Walker rebounds to a #4 type flip him for another low level type.
The universe will have to align a bit, so I keep my eyes to the sky….
they should aim to get a prospect or even another ML bat as an add-on for taking on a guy like Stroman or Montgomery.
Lots of low cost arms still available in free agency without having to give up anything in trade.
While the A’s are not likely going to be looking at guys like Flaherty or Pivetta (though they should) someone like Jose Urquidy brings tremendous upside if they could get him
Pivetta would be awesome for the A’s, I’d love that
Paddack, J. Gray, Maeda, Matz has some value with some money coming back for players at end of the above list (More money coming back for Stro and T. Walker) – Some money between 5 and 10M and/or lesser prospects
There are other pitchers that are FAs that have value on a 1 year deal.
Also sign Urquidy to a 2 year contract (age 30.2 by ST)(He had TJS in June 2024 and will barely be able to contribute in 2025) with incentive leaden contract
Montgomery would be a good idea to bring in but he probably has a partial No trade clause and wouldn’t agree to go to the Athletics
Looks like they are actually trying a little. Maybe if they had done this a few years ago they would have remained more competitive and had better attendance in Oakland. I don’t know why the league allowed Fisher to use the exact plot from the movie Major League to tank the team and then use poor fan attendance as an excuse to move out of town. Fisher should be forced to sell the team and Manfred should be banished to somewhere deep in outer space.
The Rangers should contact them about Tyler Mahle.
Waldichuk and a minor leaguer to the Twins for Paddack
it would be more like Paddack and a minor leaguer for Waldichuk
Forst must be ecstatic actually being able to improve his team instead of tearing it down per usual
His last rebuild trades was trash. Olson trade. Then Murphy but flipping Contreras to Milwaukee for ruiz. Actually if they kept Contreras that wouldve looked like a good deal. Bleday- puk deal with ended up good. Rooker waiver claim but he was also on 3 other teams prior
I have a feeling, with a normal Spring Training, that Montgomery will have a bounce-back year. If that happens, he can opt out of the last year of his deal and a team can offer him the QO.
I had a feeling that they would spend these 8-10mln on a reliever, but I’d be ok with a starter like Turnbull, Quintana or even Hoffman. I don’t really want a typical innings eater like Gibson or Rea, they already have enough depth and guys that can provide that and would benefit from playing time like Spence, Estes, Ginn or Basso. Hart could be another interesting option, he could be cheap enough that they could spend money on him and then add a quality reliever.
please take Matz or Mikolas from St. Louis
MLBA Players Association should reject and recommend against the A’s playing in a minor league stadium in West Sacramento.
The most obvious solution to the A’s stadium dilemma
would be for the A’s to share the SF Giants home ballpark,
Oracle Field, for their 81 home games for the next few years.
It is only a 20 minute plus drive or trip on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) for A’s fans. The A’s also have many, many fans on the San Francisco side of the Bay.
.
Oracle Park shared stadium Giants-A’s could have been arranged, endorsed, encouraged by a STRONG Baseball Commissioner, something MLB, apparently, does not have.
Why was this not done `10-20 years ago?!
It was very likely not implemented because it would have drawn larger crowds for both the Giants and the A’s teams and fans and it would have exposed the FALSE NARRATIVE of the Giants, A’s , MLB and MLB Ownership that the SF Bay Area could not support 2 MLB teams.
Shared stadiums have been done successfully in many other cities and professional sports. Some teams have eventuall opted to stay in shared stadiums. Other teams have opted to build their own new stadiums in the same 2 team regions.(Clippers built new privately financed Arena in Orange County and ended their stadium sharing with the Lakers and more.
That shipped has sailed. Not only would sharing an 81-game home schedule for two teams be a logistical headache, no MLB potential hosting franchise wants to share their territorial rights and risk cannibalizing their own revenues.
A’s have been pretty active in the offseason. I look forward to seeing them in the World Series in 2025.
That would be hilarious. WS games in minors park.
The A’s have stated that if they host playoff games it will not be in the minor league ballpark. Fortunately we all know that the Giants stadium will be available haha
Well damn, that’s lame.
Stroman seems ideal.
“There are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there’s fifty feet of crap, and then there’s us.”
Looks like the Athletics have emerged from the pile they were buried under!
Ha apparently so
If they MUST spend money to get to the threshold, Stroman would be a good addition. He pitched to a 3.09 ERA away from Yankees stadium and he only has 1-2 years on his deal. Yankees only want a large pie back too.
If I’m the A’s. and I’m spending Revenue Sharing money (the best kind, the free stuff where competing is unnecessary) I don’t want a retread with a bad contract unless I get a bushel of prospects. Might as well be a opportunistic buyer
Give me Pivetta
A smart move would be to send someone like Luis Medina to the DBacks for Montgomery, a #15-20 prospect plus maybe 5-10 million dollars, and then flip Montgomery to another team while eating most of the rest of the contract.
Plenty of clubs would jump at Montgomery at $5million.
Dbacks are looking for a RH slugger and RP with closing experience so Medina may not be a good fit. Also, I’m not familiar with Medina, but a quick glance at his stats show that he’s on the wrong side of MLB average for SO%, BB%, EV, HH% and GB% so he may not get the return you’re hoping for.
This also seem like a Golden Opportunity for a creative GM like AJ Prellar to loop the A’s into any deal that involves reducing payroll. The A’s ought be able to add a number of prospects in return for paying the freight.
The Dodgers would likely be willing to attach a younger starting pitcher to Chris Taylor’s contract, so for a similar dollar amount as the overpaid pitchers who were mentioned, they get a younger option like Gonsolin, May, Miller, or Knack, with some upside that the younger pitcher could provide some long term value, opposed to a one year veteran stopgap.
Dodgers would probably do the same thing in a trade with the Marlins if they need to get their payroll high enough to remain eligible for revenue sharing.
The A’s are kinda my pet team this year, they have a lot of interesting things going for them. Finally have a strong lineup coming together. I just hope, the comparisons are so easy to make, that this isn’t like the Marlins splurge when they moved into their new park then quickly pivoted and sold it all off and went back to being irrelevant.
Sounds like the Yanks are begging to get Stroman off
I could see the Tigers dumping Maeda on them and he goes on to have an amazing season.