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Oakland A's Opening Day Roster Projection v1.0
USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A's are coming off their worst season since the Woodrow Wilson administration, finishing with a 50-112 record (.302 winning percentage). That's not even the worst part. The team also announced last year that they are planning to depart Oakland for Las Vegas, and that the 2024 season could be the last one in the East Bay. 

Times haven't been great for A's fans. Yet, there are still people that are interested in this team, at least while they're still in town, and this projection is going to be for them. So let's go position-by-position and try to assemble the best 26-man roster that we can. 

First up, let's take a look at the infield.

Behind the dish will be Shea Langeliers, entering his second full season in the big leagues. The A's backstop hit .205 with a .268 OBP over the full season, but found his power stroke in the final two months of the season, launching 12 homers in 44 games, giving him 22 on the season. That total ranked fifth among catchers. Langeliers finished with an 87 wRC+ (100 is league average) and 0.7 fWAR, but the team is hoping that he continues to take a step forward in 2024.

At first base we'll see last year's Rule 5 draftee, Ryan Noda, who, in a clubhouse full of nice guys may have been the nicest. In his rookie season he hit .229 with a .364 OBP, thanks to a walk rate (15.6%) that ranked in the 98th percentile in all of baseball. He also knocked 16 homers, collected 2.0 fWAR, and finished with a 123 wRC+, which ranked 11th among all first basemen. He'll have to work on his whiff rate (2nd percentile) and strikeout rate (2nd percentile) in 2024, but he showed that he can be a long-term piece for this club in his debut season. 

At second base we'll see arguably the most exciting player heading into 2024 in Zack Gelof, who made his debut right after the All Star break last season. In 69 games he cranked 14 homers and swiped 14 bags, leaving fans dreaming of a 30/30 season in 2024. He hit .267 with a .337 OBP and finished with a 133 wRC+, best on the team, albeit in a smaller sample size. His 2.9 fWAR also lead the team, which is impressive given the small sample. Over the course of a full season, that's a 6.8 fWAR, which would have ranked fourth in all of baseball in 2023, behind just Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. For context, Marcus Semien put up a 124 wRC+, finished with 6.3 fWAR in 2023, and was third in the AL MVP voting. The expectations for Gelof are sky high. 

Shortstop is the first position with some intrigue heading into camp. Kevin Smith is no longer an option after he was non-tendered earlier this off-season, so the clear frontrunners for the position are Nick Allen and #9 prospect Darell Hernaiz. Allen has played in 206 games and gotten 655 plate appearances with the A's over the past two seasons and has hit a cumulative .214 with a .260 OBP and eight home runs. In terms of wRC+, he's been well below league average in each campaign, finishing 40% below in 2022 and 45% under in 2023. His defense has been his calling card, and that glove has played well in the Majors, but not well enough to offset his bat. 

Hernaiz, acquired last off-season from the Baltimore Orioles in the Cole Irvin trade, is just 22 years old and made it to Triple-A Las Vegas last season where he hit .300 with a .376 OBP and four homers in 60 games. While the A's could decide to give Allen the first crack at locking up the job at the beginning of the season, the fact that Hernaiz's approach at the plate (9.5% walk rate, 10.7% strikeout rate in Vegas) was so good will certainly have the coach's eyes open during spring training. It should also be noted that Allen's approach in Triple-A netted him similar results, they just haven't translated into success in the Majors yet. Allen gets the nod to begin the year, but Hernaiz could get a look in the first month if he starts off hot. Allen has only one option remaining, so if the A's feel like he's part of their long-term plan, then they'll need to get him sorted out in 2024. 

Third base could go a few different ways, but it seems like the odds-on favorite to begin the year at the hot corner is new addition Abraham Toro, whom the A's acquired via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in November. Toro, 27, played in just nine games with the Brewers in 2023 and hit .444 with a .524 OBP, crushing two home runs and driving home nine. He spent the majority of the year in Triple-A where he hit .291 with a .374 OBP, a 112 wRC+, and walked 11.8% of the time compared to a 17.6% strikeout rate. Toro is a switch-hitter that has big-league experience, but he has also hit just .211 with a .282 OBP across 271 games (934 plate appearances). He's out of options, so he figures to be on the A's roster in some form or fashion, and with his two other main positions being locked down by Noda and Gelof, third seems like the best landing spot for regular playing time. 

The outfield has plenty of options, but over the course of the off-season I've laid out how I think things will shake out (barring any trades), so we'll make this fairly quick. In left field we'll see a platoon with Seth Brown and new addition Miguel Andujar, who has been raking in the Dominican Winter League. In center we'll see Esteury Ruiz, and in right it's going to be JJ Bleday. Nobody is necessarily immovable from their position, but the team will want to see how each player comes into the 2024 season. On the outside looking in to start the season will be Lawrence Butler, a piece of the A's core moving forward who struggled in his big league debut, batting .211 with a .240 OBP with just a 3.1% walk rate and a 60 wRC+. He gets squeezed initially, but he'll be back in Oakland as soon as there's regular playing time available. 

At DH we'll see Brent Rooker the majority of the time. No surprises there after a 30 home run season. 

The bench is where we could see some movement happening. The A's still have Aledmys Díaz on the roster, and with $8 million owed to him in 2024, he's currently the most expensive player on the A's roster. While many look at his .229 average and .280 on-base last season and scoff, Díaz was an important resource to a large portion of the clubhouse in 2023. Guys like Ruiz and Jordan Díaz went to Aledmys for advice. During a season like last year's, it's hard to argue against having a native Spanish speaker there for the other Spanish-speaking players, like how Tony Kemp was a veteran leader for guys like Ryan Noda and Zack Gelof. Díaz can play a little bit of everywhere, so he's versatile and will see somewhat regular playing time. He ended the year strong, going 24-for-85, good for a .282 average over the final two months. 

We already spoiled this one a few paragraphs ago, but Miguel Andujar will also be one of the bench bats (or Seth Brown depending on how you view the platoon). 

Backup catcher could be interesting. Right now, it looks like the A's former top prospect, 22-year-old Tyler Soderstrom is set to take on a spot behind Langeliers. Yet, after he struggled to a .160 average with a .232 OBP and a 35 wRC+ in 45 big league games, Oakland could bring in a veteran on a cheap deal to give Soderstrom some extra time to develop and get regular at-bats in Triple-A. They could also turn to another former prospect, Kyle McCann, to get a couple of starts a week. The only thing stopping this from happening would be finding McCann a spot on the 40-man roster after leaving him off of it ahead of the Rule 5 Draft. As of right now, Soderstrom gets the nod, but it wouldn't be surprising at all to see a veteran backstop brought in and claim that role, much like Carlos Pérez did in 2023.

The last bench spot is truly up for grabs. With Rooker in addition to the other four outfield options, the A's already have five outfielders on the roster, and with Aledmys Díaz, they also have most of the infield covered, too. This last spot could be left for a prospect that has an outstanding spring training, like Lawrence Butler, who's already on the 40-man, or another veteran like Hoy Park who has some big-league experience. 

Right now, let's say the spot goes to Jonah Bride, who would be enjoying his first MLB Opening Day. He can play a few different positions, and this is his last year with an option, so the team will need to make a decision on him before long. Bride was also the A's best defensive third baseman in 2023, putting up three Outs Above Average, tying him with Jace Peterson. 

To recap the roster so far:

C: Shea Langeliers

1B: Ryan Noda

2B: Zack Gelof

3B: Abraham Toro

SS: Nick Allen

LF: Seth Brown

CF: Esteury Ruiz

RF: JJ Bleday

DH: Brent Rooker

Bench Spots: Aledmys Díaz, Tyler Soderstrom, Miguel Andujar, Jonah Bride

The Pitching Staff

With Ken Waldichuk potentially on the shelf to begin the year, there will be a little less competition for the starting rotation than we saw last season. JP Sears, Paul Blackburn, and Luis Medina are near locks. Sears (4.54 ERA in 2023) and Blackburn (4.43) will be seen as the more steady members of the rotation, while Medina is still a work in progress, but he is also out of options, so unless the A's want to place him on waivers, he makes the team. 

It should also be noted that Blackburn was born in Antioch and went to High School in Brentwood. If this truly is the last season of A's baseball in Oakland, it would be pretty special to have him get the Opening Day nod. 

Mason Miller is reportedly headed to the bullpen for 2024 in an effort to get him through an entire season healthy, that opens up another spot in the starting five. Joe Boyle had a phenomenal showing in three games at the end of 2023, posting a 1.69 ERA across 16 innings, and outside of Medina, Boyle may have the most upside in the A's rotation.

The fifth starter will likely come down to either Rule 5 pick Mitch Spence, or free agent signee Osvaldo Bido. Spence held a 4.47 ERA in 163 innings in Triple-A last season and will need to be on the A's 26-man roster in some fashion for the entirety of the 2024 season as a Rule 5 pick. Bido split his time between the Pirates and Triple-A last year, holding a 4.16 ERA in the minors, and a 5.86 in Pittsburgh. The nod to begin the season goes to Bido, leaving Spence to the bullpen as a way to acclimate him to the new level and the new team. Those roles could change fairly quickly, but the expectation is that both will be in Oakland to begin the season.

As for the bullpen, to start the season it seems as though Lucas Erceg may be the A's closer with Trevor Gott working as the setup man. Those roles could also easily be reversed with Gott having more big-league experience. That would leave Mason Miller to work either the seventh and get adjusted to a new role in the 'pen, or open him up to work multiple innings. Those three pitchers could have a big influence on how the A's bullpen is viewed in the early going. 

From there, we should see Dany Jiménez and Zach Jackson. Both are talented pitchers and both spent a decent amount of time on the IL the past two seasons. If they can stay on the field, the A's bullpen could be surprisingly good. 

We already mentioned Spence as a long relief option as he gets adjusted to MLB, which leaves us with two more spots, and they belong to the lefties. First up, veteran Sean Newcomb, who was fantastic for his first 12 innings in green and gold, allowing just one run. In his final outing of the year, he made a start and allowed four runs in three innings and landed on the IL shortly afterward. Since then he has had two knee surgeries, but is expected to be back at some point during Spring Training. 

The final pitcher in the bullpen will likely be Kyle Muller, who is out of options. Muller was the A's Opening Day starter in 2023, but after that initial outing things kind of went downhill for the big lefty. He made it into 21 games last season (13 starts) and held a 7.60 ERA with a 1.96 WHIP. He pitched a little better out of the bullpen, holding a 5.82 ERA across 17 innings with a 1.82 WHIP. 

The scenarios for Muller headed into the regular season are either that he pitches well enough to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, or he is placed on waivers since he's out of options. Given that he was acquired in the Sean Murphy deal, it stands to reason that the team saw something in him when he came over from Atlanta and they'll give him a little time at the beginning of the season to make his case. Then again, the A's traded Cristian Pache last spring when he was in a similar scenario. 

If there is an injury to any of the projected relievers, or Muller doesn't earn his way onto the roster, then watch out for Michael Kelly to make an appearance. We wrote about his upside last week. 

To recap, the A's projected pitching staff:

Starters: JP Sears, Paul Blackburn, Luis Medina, Joe Boyle, Osvaldo Bido.

Relievers: Lucas Erceg, Mason Miller, Trevor Gott, Dany Jiménez, Zach Jackson, Sean Newcomb, Kyle Muller, Mitch Spence.

Pitchers and catchers report in just six weeks! 

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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