Athletics
The Athletics front office has made it known over the past 20 seasons and change that they will not pay veterans what they deserve and prefer to penny-pinch by finding young prospects they hope can produce.
Now that the team has moved to Sacramento while they await the construction of their future Las Vegas stadium, the front office's mindset has drastically changed in a way that feels like Owner John Fisher is taunting Oakland fans for some twisted reason.
They signed 30-year-old Luis Severino to a three-year $67 million contract, the largest guarantee in the A's franchise's history. They then traded for 32-year-old Jeffrey Springs from the Tampa Bay Rays and extended superstar Brent Rooker after his breakout season, when he hit .293/.365/.562 with 39 HRs and 82 RBIs. Rooker leads an offense that returns nine players who contributed to the 196 HRs the team hit last season, which ranked eighth in baseball.
BREAKING: Right-hander Luis Severino and the A’s are in agreement on a three-year, $67 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest guarantee in the history of the A’s franchise. And even with the qualifying offer attached, Severino got well over market expectations.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2024
Severino and Springs bring experience to the front-end of a starting rotation filled with youth. Rounding out the rotation is JP Sears, 28, who finished his second MLB season in 2024; Joey Estes, 24, and Mitch Spence, 26, just completed their first full seasons in the major leagues.
All three struggled in 2024, with none having below a 4.30 ERA, although Sears's home and away splits drastically differed. At home, he had a 5.29 ERA over 80 innings; on the road, he had a respectable 3.67 ERA over 100.2 innings. It will be interesting to see how he performs away from Oakland Coliseum all season.
In the bullpen, the team added José Leclerc in free agency, bringing eight years of experience to a relief staff ranked 13th last season in ERA (3.83). Noah Murdock was also added after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft from the Kansas City Royals. Because of his selection, he must be on the 40-man roster for the upcoming season, which will be his first MLB experience. Last season, he had a combined 3.16 ERA between AA and AAA.
These additions hope to solidify a bullpen that looks to hold leads for young phenom Mason Miller, the team's closer who had a 2.49 ERA, 28 saves, and 103 strikeouts over 65 innings in 2024. If the pitching staff, comprised mostly of youngsters, can succeed in the upcoming season and Severino and Springs stay healthy, the Athletics could be a force in what should be a competitive AL West.