Oakland Athletics 2024 offseason preview: What's next for the product on the field as the team moves to Sacramento?

Fred Zinkie
Closer Mason Miller's breakout provided a bright spot in the A's final season in Oakland. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Closer Mason Miller's breakout provided a bright spot in the A's final season in Oakland. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) (Lachlan Cunningham via Getty Images)

2024 season: Eliminated on Sept. 15, 4th in AL West

Let's take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Oakland Athletics, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: White Sox, Angels, Marlins and more

As the Gin Blossoms once said, “If you don’t expect too much from me, you might not be let down.”

The A’s are in a strange position, as they will finish 2024 with one of baseball’s worst records, but they might have exceeded expectations. Many prognosticators pegged this team to finish last overall and lose 100 games, and the A’s will comfortably avoid both fates.

Brent Rooker is a big reason for the team’s relative respectability. The 29-year-old reached the 30-homer plateau for the second straight year, but this time around, he boosted his on-base rate and ranked among baseball’s OPS leaders throughout the season. Rooker was thrilled that the team didn’t deal him at the trade deadline.

Mason Miller also ascended to star status this season. After previously working as a starter, Miller spent all of 2024 in the bullpen and immediately became one of baseball’s best closers. The 26-year-old gained national attention when he struck out Shohei Ohtani and picked up the win in the All-Star Game.

Although no one else dominated on the level of Rooker and Miller, players such as JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Lawrence Butler and Joey Estes had stretches in which they showed exciting potential.

Expectations were so low for this group that few members were able to disappoint. That said, Zack Gelof was one man from whom much more was expected. The second baseman logged an exciting 69-game stretch as a rookie in 2023, producing an .840 OPS, 14 homers and 14 steals, but he never got on track this year, as struggles with strikeouts silenced his skill set.

Esteury Ruiz is the other player who fell well short of expectations. After stealing 67 bases in 2023, he seemed like a lock to be the team’s center fielder and a possible option atop the lineup. Instead, Ruiz was optioned to the minors for a couple of weeks in early April and spent all summer rehabbing a wrist injury.

Beyond Gelof and Ruiz, another disappointment in Oakland was the failure of its young starting pitchers to assert themselves. There weren’t high expectations for any individual, but it’s still disappointing that aside from Miller, no one from a large group of 20-something hurlers had a breakout season.

The good news is that almost every player on the 2024 roster remains available to the club in 2025. The bad news is that there are many possibilities but few certainties among this group. Langeliers is set as the No. 1 catcher, Rooker will serve as the DH and Bleday will occupy a spot in the outfield. Everyone else will need to earn their playing time.

Butler was incredible in July (10 HR, 27 RBI, 1.210 OPS) and had some positive moments in August. He should have a starting spot, and Ruiz could be a factor as well. Prospect Jacob Wilson will battle Max Schuemann for shortstop opportunities, while Gelof will try for a bounce-back year at second base. The team has Seth Brown at first base and Darell Hernaiz at third base but should be open to upgrades at both positions.

Estes, JP Sears and Mitch Spence should be in the rotation while Joe Boyle, Osvaldo Bido and Hogan Harris compete for the remaining spots. And the biggest offseason decision will surround Miller. The club can play it safe by leaving him in the bullpen, where he will remain one of baseball’s best closers. But the A’s have the option of trying to squeeze more innings out of his incredible skill set by putting him back in the rotation.

Oakland had the lowest payroll in baseball for the 2024 season, and its planned relocation to Las Vegas hangs over the franchise. It’s unlikely that the team will pursue notable free agents until it settles into a permanent home.

General manager David Forst took steps to improve the farm system this season, but this remains a below-average group with few players who are on the verge of reaching the majors.

Jacob Wilson stands out as the team’s best prospect and is ready to make his mark at the big-league level. He suffered a strained hamstring in his MLB debut on July 19 but returned to action down the stretch. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Wilson showed an elite ability to reach base in his brief minor-league action and profiles as an effective leadoff hitter.

After being selected fourth in the 2024 MLB draft, Nick Kurtz will try to match Wilson’s rapid rise to the majors. The sizable slugger has already reached the Double-A level and would fit perfectly as an upgrade over Brown at first base. He could debut in the summer. Colby Thomas lacks the ceiling of Wilson or Kurtz but could contribute to the A’s outfield early in 2025. Thomas split the 2024 season between Double-A and Triple-A, showing a balanced offensive skill set at both levels.

Mason Barnett has the best chance of denting the pitching rotation soon. Barnett was the Royals’ 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and he arrived to the A’s organization in the Lucas Erceg trade this summer. He has yet to pitch in Triple-A but could get to the majors next summer.

The slow rebuild continues, as the A’s are unlikely to have postseason hopes at any point next season. Success in 2025 will be measured by finding more young players who can be lineup regulars when the team eventually arrives in Las Vegas in 2028. The fans who have stuck with this team through the payroll cuts and relocation plans will now hope that the likes of Wilson, Bleday and Miller can continue their ascension.

Miller will surely be the most coveted A’s player in 2025 fantasy drafts, especially if the organization keeps him in the closer’s role. Playing on a losing team keeps Miller out of the 40-save conversation, but he could combine 30 saves with 100 whiffs and terrific ratios.

Rooker will be the other early round pick from this team. The remaining A’s, such as Bleday, Langeliers, Butler and Wilson, will be late-round options in standard formats. Unfortunately, all of the team’s starting pitchers should open 2025 on fantasy waiver wires.

Advertisement