The Athletics have a couple of decisions to make this offseason, and both point in the same direction: next year’s roster should look a lot different.
That’s where Jeff McNeil and Jonah Heim come in. Neither player has been a total non-factor, but both have reached the point where the Athletics have to weigh what they bring against what it would cost to keep them around.
McNeil has been one of the club’s best hitters since the break. He’s batting .319 with an .813 OPS, and he’s added six home runs and 33 RBIs, which is second on the team behind only Lawrence Butler. Those are the kind of numbers that usually make the answer simple.
But the financial side complicates things. Bringing McNeil back would cost $15.7 million, and that price tag may be too steep for the Athletics to justify.
There’s also the fact that they already have internal options who have made their own case for more playing time next season. Donovan Walton, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Alika Williams are all mentioned as possible replacements at second base, and each has made a meaningful impression this year while remaining far cheaper to roster.
So McNeil becomes a real debate. He has the veteran presence and the second-half production working in his favor. Against that is the idea that the Athletics may be better off spending elsewhere, especially with the team’s larger problems.
Heim’s situation is a little different, but it lands in the same place. He was a useful backup catcher in the first half, hitting .232 with a .745 OPS, along with 21 RBIs and eight home runs. His switch-hitting gave him added value, and for a while it looked like he could become a real piece for seasons ahead.
Then Shea Langeliers landed on the IL, and Heim never really stepped into the opening the way the Athletics hoped he would. Since July 24, the day Langeliers went down, Heim has hit just .176 with a .539 OPS and 11 RBIs in 170 at-bats.
And just like with McNeil, the Athletics have another option in house. Brian Serven hit .176 with a .610 OPS during that same stretch, while adding five home runs and 14 RBIs. Serven did that in 96 fewer at-bats than Heim, which makes the comparison even harder to ignore.
That’s the heart of the matter for Oakland. McNeil and Heim both had moments this season, but the Athletics appear to have cheaper, younger, or simply more practical answers already on the roster. If they’re serious about reshaping the team, these are the kinds of moves that make sense.
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Athletics Spoiler Win Put One Oakland Roster Debate Back In Focus
The Athletics spoiler win in Game 2 had more than just AL West ripple effects. It also put a familiar Oakland roster question back in view, with Jonah Heim in the middle of it after a two-hit, RBI effort in a game that otherwise felt like a showcase for the pitching side of the conversation.
Heims production has been hard to separate from the larger debate around his role going forward, especially after a rough stretch that has left his standing less certain heading into next season. On the mound, Jacob Lopez helped his case with another solid outing, while Hogan Harris kept the pressure on late in a high-leverage relief spot, giving Oakland a few more reasons to look closely at how this group fits together. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Lopez Just Gave The Athletics A Real 2027 Reason For Hope
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Lopezs season still came with the usual growing pains of a young arm, as his year finished with a 5.47 ERA over 27 games after a strong first stretch back. Even so, both Lopez and Mark Kotsay sounded encouraged by where he stands heading into the winter, and the next step may depend as much on his offseason work as on anything he did on the mound in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Denzel Clarke Gives The As One Big Outfield Dilemma
With the Athletics out of playoff contention, the final stretch has shifted into something closer to an extended audition, with Oakland sorting through position battles and trying to see which players might fit into next seasons plans. Recent performances from Jeff McNeil, Alika Williams, Donovan Walton and Denzel Clarke have all mattered in that evaluation, but Clarke has drawn a different kind of attention because his defense keeps standing out even as the offense remains a work in progress.
That leaves Oakland with a familiar late-season puzzle in the outfield, where talent, handedness and long-term fit all have to line up at once. Clarke still has a case because of what he brings with the glove, but the As also want a mix that gives them both left- and right-handed bats, and that balance could shape how the group is built once the offseason planning really starts to take hold. [Read more 🡒]