As the Athletics prepare to play the 2025 campaign in their temporary home in West Sacramento while awaiting a permanent move to Las Vegas, they have made an effort to put a more competitive product on the field after showing signs of progress with a 32-32 record after the All-Star break in their final season in -Oakland. Those efforts to strengthen the system started when they put ink on the right hand Luis Severino a three-year contract and it continues today when they arrive on the left Jeffrey Springs in a five-player trade with the Rays earlier today.
The addition of Severino and Springs to the top of the A’s rotation adds confidence to the team heading into 2025 after the club’s starters struggled to a 4.76 ERA that was the fifth-lowest in the majors last year. Severino and Springs will lead the current rotation with JP Sears, Mitch Spencer, again Joey Estes On Opening Day, however, GM David Forst indicated to reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) that he “wouldn’t rule out” adding another starter to the mix. In addition to continuing to weigh the potential addition of a third rotation, Forst suggested (as relayed by Gallegos) that he intends to explore both the trade and free agent markets to add a potential third baseman.
The A’s’ key additions and newfound willingness to commit to a higher payroll come with off-the-field concerns attached in addition to a desire to improve the program on the field. Reporting earlier this week indicated that the A’s could be at risk of an appeal from the MLB Players Association if they do not use 150% of their revenue sharing money to pay MLB. Since the A’s are reportedly expected to receive $70MM or more in revenue sharing, that means they’ll need a payout of $105MM or more for luxury tax purposes to avoid risking a players’ union appeal. After today’s Land Springs trade, RosterResource projects the club to receive $88.5MM in taxable income for 2025. That still leaves about $15MM in budget space for luxury tax purposes before they reach that $105MM benchmark, which should leave the door open. club for another addition or two.
In exchange, even a back-of-the-rotation veteran like Andrew Heaney or Kyle Gibson (the A’s were previously linked to before the Springs deal). it may have cost most if not all of that $15MM. At least it’s still possible the club could look to spend more than that, though. Previous indications suggested the club was looking at a $100MM payout by 2025. Given that RosterResource’s projection of the club’s actual payroll in 2025 in terms of cap space is just over $64MM, that would leave a lot of cap space. rather than the A’s targeting a salary in the $100MM range for luxury tax purposes. That would make both the addition of a starting backfielder and significant salary at third base possible.
Turning to the hot corner, this position has been the focus of a number of different clubs this winter. The Cubs tackled the third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Astros just yesterday, and the third longest-tenured coach in Houston Alex Bregman remains one of the most coveted players on the free agent market. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have made clear their intentions to deal with this problem Nolan Arenado this winter. The Angels, Tigers, Yankees, and Astros are among the other teams known to be in the market for third basemen, while the Red Sox and Padres remain on the fringes of the market as teams with established third basemen attached to the majors. Third base options like Bregman and Arenado as solutions at other positions.
It’s almost impossible to imagine a top-tier free agent like Bregman or a veteran without trade protection like Arenado opting to play out a long-term deal in West Sacramento, but that doesn’t mean the A’s are completely out of luck. if they hope to add a third baseman to their roster this winter. Alec Bohm of the Phillies is one of the most frequently discussed trade hot corners, and a veteran of the Diamondbacks Eugenio Suarez He has seen his name floated around as a possible trade option. Currently, Jorge Polanco, Paul DeJongagain Yoan Moncada they are among the potential third base options available in the lower reaches of the free agent market, and it’s possible that a club with an infield surplus like the Blue Jays or Orioles would make a move. Davis Schneider or Ramon Urias commercially available.
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