How will the A's Navigate their Outfield Depth?

The Athletics just locked up their future superstar, Lawrence Butler, signing him to a 7-year, $65.5 million contract extension with a club option for 2032. This comes after they signed superstar Brent Rooker to a 5-year, $60 million extension.

The A's now have their two cornerstone players in Butler and Rooker for the next five seasons, giving them two elite players for when the conceivable move to Las Vegas happens in 2028.

With the move to extend Butler, the A's are showing that their youth movement is in full effect, and they want to build around their young star. However, the A's may have an outfield problem rising fast.

JJ Bleday had a breakout season in 2024, hitting .243 with 20 home runs, the sixth most doubles in the MLB at 43, and posted a .762 OPS. He also displayed 93rd percentile arm value and 82nd percentile arm strength, according to Baseball Savant. Bleday is under team control until 2029, with his arbitration years set to start heading into the 2026 campaign.

With the A's having the tandem of Butler and Bleday manning two of the three outfield spots, it creates a depth problem for rising prospects in their farm system.

A's Outfield Prospects in the Mix

Denzel Clarke, the A's 6th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and currently on the 40-man roster, is coming off his best minor-league season since being drafted, and an outstanding stint in the Arizona Fall League. Clarke has yet to make his Triple-A debut, but that will happen soon as he will almost certainly start the 2025 season there.

MLB Pipeline writes, "The A’s believe Clarke can play Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field right now with his strong arm and impressive range." If this is the case, it would be easy to slide Bleday over to left field and play Clarke in center when he is ready, but Clarke is not the only A's outfield prospect nearing his MLB debut.

Colby Thomas, the A's 3rd-ranked prospect, tore it up in Triple-A Las Vegas when he was promoted there from Double-A Midland last June. He then went on to play with Premier12 USA Baseball after the season, displaying his power by hitting two no-doubt home runs. Thomas is not currently on the 40-man roster, but he will be soon if he continues unlocking different parts of his game in Triple-A.

Henry Bolte, the A's 9th-ranked prospect, might have the most potential out of all the A's outfield prospects. Bolte, like Clarke and Thomas, is coming off his best year. The 21-year-old has moved rather quickly through the A's minor-league system, as he played 54 games for Double-A Midland last season.

That is where he will start the 2025 season, but based on his track record he might move fast. Bolte has true five-tool potential and has displayed growth every year in the minor leagues.

The A's also have outfielders like Esteury Ruiz, who stole and AL rookie record 67 bags in 2023, which led MLB. Ruiz was injured most of 2024, but before the injury he bounced between the A's and Triple-A Las Vegas.

He has struggled at the plate recently, including this spring, and may find himself in Triple-A once again. He still has two MiLB options, which gives the A's flexibility, but if he can figure it out at the plate to even become an average hitter, his speed would be game-changing on the base paths.

Seth Brown and Miguel Andujar are veteran outfielders who are currently on the A's roster. They don't pose huge threats to the "future" of the A's crowded outfield, but they do now, as they will both be getting regular at-bats in the 2025 lineup.

Not to mention, outside of the A's three top outfield prospects, they also have outfield prospects like Nate Nankil, who tore it up in the lower minors last season and could move quickly, and Brayan Buelvas, who had his best season last year in Double-A.

The A's outfield prospects are all having their best years at the same time, propelling themselves to the highest levels of the minor leagues and nearing "MLB ready" status. The amount of depth the A's have in the outfield can be seen as a good and a bad thing.

It's good in the sense that the future of the A's outfield is bright and that gives the fans some excitement, but it's bad in the sense that some of these prospects may not debut with the A's, or some players could become trade bait as the club looks to make improvements elsewhere on the roster.

It's impossible to give all three top outfield prospects regular at-bats in the majors, plus give Butler and Bleday everyday at-bats. Down the road, the A's may have to part ways with a player like Bleday or a couple of outfield prospects in a trade to improve another position and free up the space in the outfield for guys to get the at-bats they deserve.

Hypothetically, if Clarke and Thomas were ready to make their debuts this summer, the A's could create room for them by trading Andujar and/or Brown during the season.

That would be the quick fix, but as the other prospects move up and are ready to debut, the A's will have to make more tough decisions. Those decisions may be made easy depending on how players perform, or it could be very hard if all the players are performing well.

Yes, that may be a ways down the road, but a couple of these top outfield prospects, like Clarke and Thomas, are going to be ready very soon. This leads to the A's having to make those tough decisions, but, in the end, it is better to have a lot of outfield depth than none at all.