Why This Slugger is the Perfect Free Agent Fit For the A's

In 2025, O’Hearn was named an American League All-Star after his first-half efforts with the Orioles. After being traded alongside former Athletic Ramón Laureano to the Padres at the deadline for various prospects, he continued his strong season.

He finished the year with 17 home runs and 63 RBI while carrying a slash line of .281/.366/.437 and an OPS of .803. Over the course of 144 games, the most in a season up to this point in his career, O’Hearn also recorded a career-high 2.4 bWAR.

For the A’s in 2025, only Nick Kurtz had an OBP higher than O’Hearn at .383. Jacob Wilson carried the next-highest OBP at .355. O’Hearn’s OPS would have ranked fifth on the team, behind Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, and Brent Rooker.

While O’Hearn could make a clear impact for the A’s at the plate, he would also bring versatility on the diamond. He made appearances at first base (75), designated hitter (50), right field (21), and left field (2). With Kurtz and Rooker expected to take up the majority of starts at first base and DH, respectively, O’Hearn would need to get more reps in the outfield to become an everyday player.

There may be an opening in the outfield with Lawrence Butler's injury having an unclear timeline for recovery. Plus, O'Hearn has graded out as a solid defender at first (when needed), and a league average glove in right field. Fitting him could be tricky, but he'd certainly provide more depth to an already solid lineup.

The A’s already have the power as one of just four teams in MLB to have three plays with 30+ home runs, but the organization would greatly benefit from O’Hearn’s veteran presence. It also wouldn't hurt to have that experience as a safety measure, just in case some of the A's breakout players regress at all.

For an Athletics team eying to be competitive and take the next step toward developing its young stars, O’Hearn would be able to share his insight as a veteran in the big leagues. The goal of the game is to score more runs than your opponent, and while pitching is one way to limit the other teams, bolstering an already potent lineup is certainly another.