A's Will Have to Make a Decision on Former First Rounder This Winter

The Athletics have been nailing the MLB Draft of late, with both Jacob Wilson (2023) and Nick Kurtz (2024) being first-round selections that have taken the league by storm this season. They have also added Max Muncy (2021) to the mix, while Tyler Soderstrom (2020) has been enjoying a breakout campaign of his own.

One name missing among recent first round picks however, is catcher Daniel Susac, who was selected by the Athletics with the 19th overall pick in the 2022 Draft.

The backstop has been stationed in Triple-A Las Vegas all season long, getting into 97 games and batting .275 with a .349 OBP and 18 home runs, good for a 95 wRC+ (100 is league average) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He's also had a little bit of luck in the BABIP department, with a .342, a little above league average.

Susac is also striking out at a 26.8% rate, which isn't too outlandish, but it could also stand to be a little lower, if possible.

What will the A's do at catcher?

The reason that the A's will have to make a decision on his future coming up is that for the first time this offseason, Susac will be Rule 5 eligible, meaning that he'll have to be added to the 40-man roster, or subject to the Rule 5 Draft in December. Given that he's a former first round pick, there is likely a team out there that would give him a shot as a backup in 2026.

There's no chance that A's catcher Shea Langeliers is going anywhere this offseason, so Susac's role with the club would be as a backup, or perhaps even a depth option. While adding him to the roster isn't a huge deal, it would also mean that they'd have to part with one or both of their other backup catcher options in Willie MacIver and Austin Wynns.

It's possible that the A's carry three catchers on the 40-man, but highly unlikely they'd hold four. What complicates things a little more is that there will be a number of players that will need to be added to the 40-man in addition to Susac, including players currently on the 60-day IL. Those roster spots are going to become very valuable in the coming weeks.

One of the players on the 60-day IL happens to also be Wynns, the veteran backstop that has been a great presence in the A's clubhouse. With the A's looking to join the postseason hunt in 2026, someone with his experience could be valuable on the roster. MacIver brings energy behind the dish and has a knack for being in the middle of comeback wins.

With a couple of backup options already in-house that they could be content with, could the A's look to move Susac to a team that has the roster room for him? Or, could they attempt to re-sign MacIver and/or Wynns to minor-league deals, keeping them off the 40-man for the winter, with the intention of adding them back to the main roster to begin next season?

With the A's having the offense to contend already, they'll be looking for improvements from their pitching staff in 2026. Some of that will be in bringing in some new guys, while they'll be hoping for some steps forward from others. Would bringing in a rookie backstop be detrimental to that process at all?

These are all questions that will have to be answered internally as the A's set out to compile their roster for 2026.