Who Will Back Up Shea Langeliers in Sacramento?

Pereda would seem like the obvious choice here, since it was his acquisition that led to McCann's DFA in the first place. He made his MLB debut last season with the Miami Marlins and was acquired earlier this week in exchange for cash considerations.

In his time with Miami, he got into 20 games, but got his only real shot in September when he made it into 11 contests, going 6-for-25 (.240) with a .269 OBP.

Pereda has yet to hit a big-league home run, or draw a big-league walk. He finished with a 33 wRC+ on the year, albeit in just 40 plate appearances spread over multiple trips to and from Miami.

In the minors the past two seasons, he's been a solid bat, posting a 124 wRC+ in the Cincinnati Reds' system in 2023, and a 125 wRC+ last year. Since 2016 his walk rate has finished in double digits at each stop of his professional journey, so at some point you'd have to figure that would also be a part of his game at the next level.

It looks as though there is some upside in that bat, and the A's will be evaluating him closely in camp. If he produces, he's likely the odds-on favorite to win the job. But if he leaves an opening, then there is always door number two.

The catcher will be entering his age 29 season and swings it from the right side.

Willie MacIver

MacIver, 28, is also a righty stick, selected by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round of the 2018 Draft, and had been in their organization until he signed a as a minor-league free agent with the A's this winter. He was born in Pleasant Hill and went to Washington for college.

This past season in Triple-A, MacIver made it into 89 games and hit .297 with a .381 on-base, 15 home runs, nine steals, and a 125 wRC+.

While he has yet to make his MLB debut, it's not like that is a huge separating factor from Pereda, who has played just 20 sporadic games in the bigs himself. It's going to be important for Pereda and MacIver to attempt to separate themselves from one another this spring, because the player that has the better camp may be in line to begin the season with the club.

Tyler Soderstrom

The surprise third option could be Tyler Soderstrom, who was drafted as a catcher but has more or less transitioned to first base. Heading into the 2025 campaign, he is the A's presumed starting first baseman, though A's GM David Forst said during the end-of-year media call that they've told Soderstrom not to put away the catcher's gear just yet.

This could be the situation that he was alluding to.

Soderstrom is still going to see most of his playing time at first base, but with McCann getting just 157 plate appearances total last year, is it hard to imagine that Soderstrom could catch between 45-50 games?

It would work for a couple of reasons. First, it would keep the platoon at catcher available for the A's, with Langeliers also batting from the right side, the same as Pereda and MacIver. Soderstrom, a left-hander, could present a platoon partner for Langeliers. In that same vein, the A's could also move Seth Brown to first for those games, as he hit .259 against southpaws in 2024. He may not be the best long-term option for the A's in this platoon scenario, but it could work in a pinch.

The second reason is that the A's are going to have to figure out what Soderstrom's role with the club will be sooner rather than later, with 2024 No. 4 overall pick Nick Kurtz seemingly not too far away after landing in Double-A in his pro debut.

Kurtz will be entering his first full professional season in 2025, and after watching shortstop Jacob Wilson reach the big leagues right after the break in 2024, Kurtz should also move quickly.

Does this mean that Soderstrom becomes a backup catcher? Will he stick in left field long-term? Is he a trade piece? These are all options that the A's will have to consider over the next year, but before they reach a conclusion, they'll have to see what kind of a player he is and in which roles he'd be a fit for the club moving forward.

Fourth Catcher Option?

The other avenue the A's could pursue would be to acquire another option, either via trade, the waiver wire, or free agency. The current crop of free agents includes Yasmani Grandal, Luke Maile, James McCann, and Yan Gomes. All four options are in their mid-to-late 30's, and only Grandal had a standout tool last season with his framing, which ranked in the 86th percentile.

There is also a high likelihood that there will be some catchers DFA'd during camp, which the A's could look to add if they see a fit. 2023 backup Carlos Pérez was added by the A's on March 19 that season, so that could be the same direction the A's go this time around.

That said, the 2023 A's didn't have any high hopes or aspirations. If they are looking to get the most out of the roster, then Soderstrom taking on some sort of a workload behind the dish would make sense, while also adding an option that the team can maximize at first base on a fill-in basis. Whether that is Seth Brown or another player is up for debate.

Then again, McCann could clear waivers and still be brought in to camp with a shot just like everyone else. The A's will have two 40-man spots available once Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina hit the 60-day IL, so that could give someone a path to the roster that's not currently on the 40-man.

We'll have to wait and see.