The Athletics are headed into a winter full of moving parts, and the first one is the biggest: finding a new general manager. Whoever lands the job will be charged with steering the club toward Las Vegas and trying to shape a winner out of a roster that already has the makings of a solid position-player group.
The pitching, though, is a different story. That side of the roster needs work, and it’s not going to be fixed overnight.
The calendar matters here, too. A possible lockout could reshape everything if the owners and players can’t reach a new agreement before December 1st, and that would put the entire offseason on shaky ground. If that happens, plenty of the dates that normally drive the winter could be delayed or wiped out entirely.
Once the World Series ends, the offseason starts to breathe a little. The day after the Fall Classic, teams can begin making trades and negotiating contracts or extensions with their own players.
There usually isn’t a frenzy right away, but the market does open. That’s also when clubs and players sort out their options for the next season, and the A’s already have a few decisions lined up.
Jeffrey Springs and Jeff McNeil are expected to have their options declined and head to free agency. Luis Severino, meanwhile, is almost certain to exercise his $22 million option and return for a third season with the club.
Mid-November brings award season, and while the A’s aren’t expected to collect any major hardware, there are still names worth watching. Shea Langeliers could be in the mix for the Silver Slugger at catcher in the American League even after missing time, and Henry Bolte will be worth tracking in Rookie of the Year voting, even if he doesn’t win it.
That same stretch also turns into a key personnel checkpoint for the front office. This is when teams decide who stays on the payroll and who gets cut loose before reaching free agency.
Shea Langeliers and Zack Gelof are obvious keepers, but not everyone is safe. Darell Hernaiz and Joey Estes are among the players the A’s may have to decide whether to keep giving raises to or move on from.
If the offseason stays on schedule, the Winter Meetings would land between December 7th and 10th. That’s usually one of baseball’s busiest stretches, with deals, trades and plenty of groundwork for what comes later. The A’s have not been especially aggressive at those meetings, and that probably wouldn’t change much with a new GM still settling in.
The Winter Meetings also usually include the Draft Lottery, and the A’s are in the mix for the top pick. They’re tied with the Rockies and Angels for the best odds at 16.5%.
The lottery hasn’t broken their way lately, but the organization has still managed to make it work with Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz and Jamie Arnold. If there’s no agreement in place, the lottery could be pushed back.
The final day of the Winter Meetings usually brings the Rule 5 Draft, though that could be another casualty if a lockout hits. The 2022 lockout didn’t cost games, but it did delay the season and cancel the Rule 5 Draft altogether.
That would be a real blow for a team like the A’s, who finished with one of the worst records and would have one of the top picks. There’s no guarantee of finding a difference-maker there, but every chance to add talent matters.
The international market is another avenue the A’s will look at. They’ve dabbled there before, though not with much success.
A lot of players and teams have already reached handshake agreements, but this is when those deals become official. The A’s are expected to have around $7-8 million to spend on that market.
Around the same time, arbitration figures are due for players and teams, assuming everything proceeds normally. The A’s have a small group in arbitration this year, led by Langeliers, with Zack Gelof, lefty Hogan Harris and righty Luis Medina also in the mix. That set of negotiations should be manageable without going to hearings.
Then comes spring training. Pitchers and catchers usually report about 10 days before the first game, which points to around February 9th or 10th for the first arrivals in camp.
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The most immediate pressure point is on the pitching side, where Springs now looks like the likeliest of the three to be squeezed out when Opening Day decisions come around. Clarkes path has also gotten tougher after the hamstring strain and bone bruise, and with younger outfielders crowding the depth chart, the Athletics suddenly have less reason to wait for roles to sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]
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What still stands out, though, is how much of the discussion comes back to the mound, where the staff needs to be steadier for the rest of the roster to matter. In a crowded American League, Oakland can dream about a real step forward if the lineup and health break right, but everything depends on whether the pitching can stop being the thing that keeps the team from turning a hopeful setup into a true contention window. [Read more 🡒]