Athletics looking to make additional moves even after high-profile deals

As the Athletics gear up to play the 2025 campaign in their temporary home of West Sacramento while waiting on a more permanent move to Las Vegas, they’ve made an effort to put a more competitive product on the field after showing signs of progress with a 32-32 record after the All-Star break during their final season in Oakland. Those efforts to bolster the roster started when they inked right-hander Luis Severino to a three-year deal and continued Saturday when they landed left-hander Jeffrey Springs in a five-player trade with the Rays.

The addition of Severino and Springs to the top of the A’s rotation adds some credibility to the club entering 2025 after the club’s starters struggled to a 4.76 ERA that was a bottom-five figure in the majors last year. Severino and Springs will front a rotation that currently also figures to feature J.P. Sears, Mitch Spencer and Joey Estes on Opening Day, but club GM David Forst indicated to reporters that he “wouldn’t rule out” adding another starter to the mix, via Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. In addition to continuing to weigh a potential third rotation addition, Forst suggested that he intends to explore both the trade and free-agent markets for a potential third base addition, as relayed by Gallegos.

The A’s significant additions and newfound willingness to commit to a higher payroll come with off-the-field concerns attached in addition to desire to improve the roster on the field. Reporting earlier this week indicated that the A’s would run the risk of a grievance from the MLB Players Association if they don’t spend 150% of their revenue sharing money on MLB payroll. With the A’s reportedly expected to rake in $70M or more in revenue sharing, that means they’ll need a payroll of $105M or more for luxury-tax purposes in order to avoid risking a grievance from the players’ union. After the trade to land Springs, RosterResource projects the club for an $88.5M luxury-tax payroll in 2025. That still leaves around $15M in budget room for luxury-tax purposes before they reach that $105M benchmark, which ought to leave the door open for the club to another addition or two.

In the rotation, even a back-of-the-rotation veteran such as Andrew Heaney or Kyle Gibson (who the A’s were previously connected to prior to the Springs deal). would likely eat up most if not all of that $15M. It’s at least theoretically possible the club could look to spend beyond that, however. Previous indications have suggested that the club was targeting a payroll in the $100M range for 2025. Given that RosterResource’s projection for the club actual payroll in 2025 in terms of cash paid out is just over $64M, that would leave substantially more room to spend than if the A’s are targeting a payroll in the $100M range for luxury-tax purposes. That could make both the addition of a back-end starter and a notable salary at third base feasible.

Turning to the hot corner, the position has been the focus of a number of different clubs in the rumor mill this winter. The Cubs dealt third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Astros, and Houston’s longtime third baseman Alex Bregman remains one of the most coveted players on the free-agent market. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have made clear their intentions of dealing Nolan Arenado this winter. The Angels, Tigers, Yankees and Astros are among the other teams known to be in the market for third base help, while the Red Sox and Padres remain on the periphery of the market as teams with established third basemen who have been connected to potential third base options like Bregman and Arenado as solutions at other positions.

It’s nearly impossible to imagine a top-tier free agent like Bregman or a veteran with no-trade protection such as Arenado choosing to play out a long-term deal in West Sacramento, but that doesn’t mean the A’s are completely out of luck if they hope to add a third baseman to their roster this winter. Alec Bohm of the Phillies is one frequently discussed trade candidate at the hot corner, and Diamondbacks veteran Eugenio Suarez has seen his name percolate in the rumor mill as another possible trade chip. Meanwhile, Jorge Polanco, Paul DeJong and Yoan Moncada are among the potential third base options available in the lower tiers of the free-agent market, and it’s possible that a club with an infield surplus such as the Blue Jays or Orioles could make someone like Davis Schneider or Ramon Urias available in trade.