A's GM Assures Fans the Mason Miller Trade is Not Like Old Times

As soon as the Athletics trade of Mason Miller and JP Sears to the San Diego Padres was announced, there were A's fans and former A's fans on social media saying some version of "I thought things would be different when the A's moved out of Oakland."

Some of those posts were written sarcastically, insinuating that they believe the club will always operate the same way--trading players well before they hit free agency in exchange for more prospects as part of a never-ending cycle.

That perception of the club is well-earned, as the A's have made a habit of trading players when they get too expensive. We've seen it with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Frankie Montas, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea and Sean Murphy--and that was just the last fire sale. They did the same thing with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Josh Donaldson, and a slew of other cherished players over the years.

When the A's make any trade, this is part of the bed that the club has made for themselves, so the expression on social media is certainly understood. With the A's planned move to Las Vegas, the promise from the club has been that things will be different. They'll be able to retain those franchise cornerstones and fan favorites, instead of trading them away during the next roster churn.

We asked David Forst about moving Miller, given the talking points from the club during the relocation process, and he wanted to note that the team still plans to contend in 2026 and 2027.

Athletics on SI: Following the announcement of the trade, there were some fans that were saying, "I thought that things would be different once the team left." From your perspective, how is this trade different? I know that it sets up the team for the future, but is the plan still to compete in 2026 or is this more of a rebuilding move?

David Forst: "I don't want to take anything away from Mason and JP, but, ultimately, this was not a sell off. Like there aren't six, seven big leaguers going out the door. I mean, we actually made an effort this past offseason to keep some guys and brought in some free agents.

I think we've now developed a core of position players that includes [Nick] Kurtz, [Jacob] Wilson, [Max] Muncy, who were not as much part of the picture this off season. And I think there's absolutely the intent to continue to add and to compete in '26-27 and beyond.

This is not just about the future. Outside of Leo [De Vries], who is a special talent, the guys we traded for are close to the big leagues. I'm not here to say we're not going to miss our closer and a guy who takes the ball every fifth day, but we believe we're in a good position to continue to add as we go forward."

We also asked about the pitching prospects that came over in the deals they made, and asked which one may move the quickest to the big leagues. Forst said that Eduarniel Núñez will be in the A's bullpen on Friday night to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. This isn't terribly surprising, given that he's had a brief stint in the big leagues this season.

Nuñez held a 3.86 ERA (8.23 FIP) across 4 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out two.

Forst: "Both Braden Nett and Henry Baez will start for Midland in the next few days. I wouldn't necessarily single anybody out. I think we really liked the entire package. We weren't going to do something for Mason or let alone for two guys, without feeling really good about the entire deal."