Our American League Rival Preview series concludes in a new location for the Athletics: Sacramento, California. The triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants will be sharing Sutter Health Park for the next three seasons as plans to relocate to Las Vegas are starting to take shape for the A&#8217;s. Don&#8217;t let the &#8220;cheap&#8221; label or minor league ballpark sully your image of this year&#8217;s A&#8217;s.
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While they&#8217;re a year or two away from competing, these aren&#8217;t the same A&#8217;s of the past couple of years.
<h2>2024 Season Recap</h2>
The Athletics finished with a record of 69-93 last season, staying out of the AL West basement for the first time since 2021 due to the Angels putting up a pitiful 63-99 record. The two seasons before 2024 were painful ones for the A&#8217;s; with a combined record of 110-214 and divisional finishes of 40 and 46 games out of first place repsectively, fans watched several of their best players get traded to contenders around the league, and they also watched the team fire up plans to move from Oakland to Las Vegas.
While I&#8217;m not trying to glorify a 69-93 record, last season felt like a step forward for the Athletics.
One of those reasons was the breakout season from DH Brent Rooker, who posted a career season all across the board. In 145 games, Rooker hit .293/.365/.562 with a .927 OPS, 39 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 26 doubles. His home run total tied for fifth in all of baseball with Marcell Ozuna and José Ramírez, and his RBI total tied for fourth with Willy Adames.
Rooker was most prominent in July when he posted a 1.288 OPS with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs. Outside of some month-to-month fluctuation, Rooker&#8217;s splits stayed consistent. Home or road, 1st half or 2nd half, and even facing lefties or righties, he excelled through it all. Claiming him off waivers from the Royals in 2022 has paid major dividends for Kansas City.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Brent Rooker ties a career high with home run No. 30! <a href="https://t.co/wOMJnnGAeu">pic.twitter.com/wOMJnnGAeu</a>
&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1827462957321581035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
RF Lawrence Butler turned heads this season as well after slashing .262/.317/.490 with 22 homers, 57 RBIs, 24 doubles, and 18 stolen bases. A sixth-round draft pick in 2018, Butler had a pair of outstanding select performances last season, including a three-homer day on July 14th against the Phillies, a five-homer series against the Cincinnati Reds in late-August.
Liking what they saw, the A&#8217;s handed contract extensions to both Rooker (5 years, $60 million) and Butler (7 years, $65.5 million) this offseason &#8211; tidy business for the organization.
A career-high 29 homers from C Shea Langeliers and a solid full-season workload from OF JJ Bleday were also key contributors to their offense last season, and the A&#8217;s were able to debut their top prospect SS Jacob Wilson last year as well.
Breaking out on the pitching side was their closer, Mason Miller, who had a lot of teams wondering if the Athletics would entertain trading him at last year&#8217;s deadline. Although making his debut in 2023, Miller exceeded his rookie limits last season and wound up finishing in fourth place in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He pitched in 55 games, posting a 2.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 14.4 K/9 while also recording 28 saves.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Mason Miller, 102mph Fastball &amp; Wicked Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay. 😲
Why you&#39;d swing at that Slider way off the plate. <a href="https://t.co/1VAjdoRYH7">pic.twitter.com/1VAjdoRYH7</a>
&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1901392231132708963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A funky delivery coupled with a pitch mix that featured a fastball that averaged at 100 mph contributed to his elite whiff rates, chase rates, and opponent exit velocities, and it looks like the A&#8217;s have found their closer for the immediate future.
Their starting rotation had a lot of hands in the cookie jar, but the A&#8217;s saw enough out of JP Sears, Joey Estes, and Osvaldo Bido to pencil them into the starting rotation for 2025, although Mitch Spence may also work his way into that discussion.
<h2>Offseason Moves</h2>
The Athletics addressed their starting rotation with a pair of veteran starters, with one being on a franchise-record contract in terms of guaranteed money. That deal belongs to Luis Severino, who is coming off a nice season with the New York Mets. In 31 starts last season, Severino held a 3.91 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 8.0 K/9, as well as a complete-game shutout against the Miami Marlins.
Severino&#8217;s contract is set at three years and $67 million with an opt-out clause after the 2026 season. He rebounded nicely after an injury-riddled 2023 season with the Yankees, in which he posted a 6.65 ERA and an astonishing 11.4 H/9.
The A&#8217;s also acquired pitching via trade, sending SP Joe Boyle, two prospects, and a Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for SP Jeffrey Springs and SP/RP Jacob Lopez. Springs spent the majority of the 2024 season on the IL recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he returned in late July. Unfortunately, after making seven starts, he was thrown back on the IL with elbow fatigue and wouldn&#8217;t pitch for the remainder of the season.
In those seven starts, Springs posted a 3.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 10.1 K/9, with four of those outings last five innings even. The A&#8217;s are hoping injuries are behind Springs, who is only two-plus years removed from a 2.46 ERA season in 2022 when he pitched 135 innings. His four-seamer sits close to 90 mph, but his most effective pitch has been his changeup, which registered a 44% whiff rate last season.
Lopez, who was optioned to the minors a couple of weeks ago, has made only eight career appearances at the major league level. Over the previous two seasons at triple-A, he&#8217;d posted solid strikeout numbers with higher walk rates to go with a 3.54 ERA in 39 games at that level.
Turning to the bullpen, the A&#8217;s handed a pair of one-year deals to veteran relievers T.J. McFarland and Jose Leclerc. The former spent last season with the A&#8217;s, blowing his previous career-high in appearances out of the water with a league-wide 79 outings, posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
Leclerc spent the previous eight seasons with the Rangers, and this will be his first season wearing a different uniform. After a pair of really nice seasons in &#8217;22 and &#8217;23, Leclerc took a step back last season with a 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 12.0 K/9. His pitches still proved to be effective, though, and he ranked in the 96th percentile in whiff rate and 92nd percentile in strikeout rate.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
José Leclerc, 98mph ⛽️ <a href="https://t.co/wxK7QtQtCH">pic.twitter.com/wxK7QtQtCH</a>
&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1713753640740028520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Finally, the A&#8217;s singed third basemen Gio Urshela and Luis Urias to a pair of one-year deals as well, adding to the overall depth of the Athletics&#8217; infield, which will come in handy since it was announced that 2B Zach Gelof would <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/zack-gelof-to-start-2025-regular-season-on-injured-list">start the season on the IL</a> with a hamate bone fracture.
Notable minor league contract: RP Dylan Floro
<h2>My take on the Athletics&#8217; 2025 outlook</h2>
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the A&#8217;s are still a couple of years away from competing for the playoffs. But seeing them pay their young players and open the checkbook in free agency is encouraging compared to their tendencies of the past.
I&#8217;m most intrigued to see how their starting rotation plays out, specifically Bido, who put together some promising performances last season. He stayed away from hard contact, which can come in handy when pitching in a minor league ballpark for home games.
The AL West is a strong division, so it&#8217;ll be tough for the A&#8217;s to improve too much upon their 69 wins last season. They&#8217;re trending in the right direction, though, and they won&#8217;t be a surefire win on opponents&#8217; schedules.
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Our American League Rival Preview series concludes in a new location for the Athletics: Sacramento, California. The triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants will be sharing Sutter Health Park for the next three seasons as plans to relocate to Las Vegas are starting to take shape for the A's. Don't let the "cheap" label or minor league ballpark sully your image of this year's A's.
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While they're a year or two away from competing, these aren't the same A's of the past couple of years.
<h2>2024 Season Recap</h2>
The Athletics finished with a record of 69-93 last season, staying out of the AL West basement for the first time since 2021 due to the Angels putting up a pitiful 63-99 record. The two seasons before 2024 were painful ones for the A's; with a combined record of 110-214 and divisional finishes of 40 and 46 games out of first place repsectively, fans watched several of their best players get traded to contenders around the league, and they also watched the team fire up plans to move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

While I'm not trying to glorify a 69-93 record, last season felt like a step forward for the Athletics.

One of those reasons was the breakout season from DH Brent Rooker, who posted a career season all across the board. In 145 games, Rooker hit .293/.365/.562 with a .927 OPS, 39 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 26 doubles. His home run total tied for fifth in all of baseball with Marcell Ozuna and José Ramírez, and his RBI total tied for fourth with Willy Adames.

Rooker was most prominent in July when he posted a 1.288 OPS with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs. Outside of some month-to-month fluctuation, Rooker's splits stayed consistent. Home or road, 1st half or 2nd half, and even facing lefties or righties, he excelled through it all. Claiming him off waivers from the Royals in 2022 has paid major dividends for Kansas City.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1827462957321581035

RF Lawrence Butler turned heads this season as well after slashing .262/.317/.490 with 22 homers, 57 RBIs, 24 doubles, and 18 stolen bases. A sixth-round draft pick in 2018, Butler had a pair of outstanding select performances last season, including a three-homer day on July 14th against the Phillies, a five-homer series against the Cincinnati Reds in late-August.

Liking what they saw, the A's handed contract extensions to both Rooker (5 years, $60 million) and Butler (7 years, $65.5 million) this offseason - tidy business for the organization.

A career-high 29 homers from C Shea Langeliers and a solid full-season workload from OF JJ Bleday were also key contributors to their offense last season, and the A's were able to debut their top prospect SS Jacob Wilson last year as well.

Breaking out on the pitching side was their closer, Mason Miller, who had a lot of teams wondering if the Athletics would entertain trading him at last year's deadline. Although making his debut in 2023, Miller exceeded his rookie limits last season and wound up finishing in fourth place in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He pitched in 55 games, posting a 2.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 14.4 K/9 while also recording 28 saves.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1901392231132708963

A funky delivery coupled with a pitch mix that featured a fastball that averaged at 100 mph contributed to his elite whiff rates, chase rates, and opponent exit velocities, and it looks like the A's have found their closer for the immediate future.

Their starting rotation had a lot of hands in the cookie jar, but the A's saw enough out of JP Sears, Joey Estes, and Osvaldo Bido to pencil them into the starting rotation for 2025, although Mitch Spence may also work his way into that discussion.
<h2>Offseason Moves</h2>
The Athletics addressed their starting rotation with a pair of veteran starters, with one being on a franchise-record contract in terms of guaranteed money. That deal belongs to Luis Severino, who is coming off a nice season with the New York Mets. In 31 starts last season, Severino held a 3.91 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 8.0 K/9, as well as a complete-game shutout against the Miami Marlins.

Severino's contract is set at three years and $67 million with an opt-out clause after the 2026 season. He rebounded nicely after an injury-riddled 2023 season with the Yankees, in which he posted a 6.65 ERA and an astonishing 11.4 H/9.

The A's also acquired pitching via trade, sending SP Joe Boyle, two prospects, and a Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for SP Jeffrey Springs and SP/RP Jacob Lopez. Springs spent the majority of the 2024 season on the IL recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he returned in late July. Unfortunately, after making seven starts, he was thrown back on the IL with elbow fatigue and wouldn't pitch for the remainder of the season.

In those seven starts, Springs posted a 3.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 10.1 K/9, with four of those outings last five innings even. The A's are hoping injuries are behind Springs, who is only two-plus years removed from a 2.46 ERA season in 2022 when he pitched 135 innings. His four-seamer sits close to 90 mph, but his most effective pitch has been his changeup, which registered a 44% whiff rate last season.

Lopez, who was optioned to the minors a couple of weeks ago, has made only eight career appearances at the major league level. Over the previous two seasons at triple-A, he'd posted solid strikeout numbers with higher walk rates to go with a 3.54 ERA in 39 games at that level.

Turning to the bullpen, the A's handed a pair of one-year deals to veteran relievers T.J. McFarland and Jose Leclerc. The former spent last season with the A's, blowing his previous career-high in appearances out of the water with a league-wide 79 outings, posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

Leclerc spent the previous eight seasons with the Rangers, and this will be his first season wearing a different uniform. After a pair of really nice seasons in '22 and '23, Leclerc took a step back last season with a 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 12.0 K/9. His pitches still proved to be effective, though, and he ranked in the 96th percentile in whiff rate and 92nd percentile in strikeout rate.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1713753640740028520

Finally, the A's singed third basemen Gio Urshela and Luis Urias to a pair of one-year deals as well, adding to the overall depth of the Athletics' infield, which will come in handy since it was announced that 2B Zach Gelof would <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/zack-gelof-to-start-2025-regular-season-on-injured-list">start the season on the IL</a> with a hamate bone fracture.

Notable minor league contract: RP Dylan Floro
<h2>My take on the Athletics' 2025 outlook</h2>
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the A's are still a couple of years away from competing for the playoffs. But seeing them pay their young players and open the checkbook in free agency is encouraging compared to their tendencies of the past.

I'm most intrigued to see how their starting rotation plays out, specifically Bido, who put together some promising performances last season. He stayed away from hard contact, which can come in handy when pitching in a minor league ballpark for home games.

The AL West is a strong division, so it'll be tough for the A's to improve too much upon their 69 wins last season. They're trending in the right direction, though, and they won't be a surefire win on opponents' schedules.

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