Athletics Spring Training Preview: Welcome to Sacramento (for now)
February 25, 2025
A sold-out crowd of 46,889 heartbroken fans filled the stands, with tears in some eyes, cheering on the Athletics as they faced the Texas Rangers in its final home game of the season on Sept. 26.
“Today there is crying in baseball,” one fan’s sign read, as they watched the A’s play at the Coliseum one final time.
The A’s ended their 57-year run in the Oakland Coliseum into the Bay Area of California with a 3-2 victory and a farewell speech by A’s manager Mark Kotsay, who led the fans in the chant “Let’s go Oakland.”
In the 2025 season, the Athletics’ new home will be in West Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, a minor-league stadium. They are projected to play there through the 2027 season before relocating to a new ballpark in Las Vegas.
The shift to Sutter Health Park is said to be hitter-friendly and benefit the team’s offense. During the offseason, the A’s also made some moves and no longer have the lowest payroll in baseball.
The team signed pitcher Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million contract — the largest deal in franchise history. His arrival was followed by the trade of third baseman Gio Urshela and left-hander Jeffrey Springs.
However, when faced with a transitional phase of relocation and notable roster enhancements, their future remains unknown.
2024 record: 69-93 (Fourth, AL West)
Last Postseason Appearance: 2020 (lost ALDS 3-1 to Houston Astros)
What Happened in 2024: The A’s ended the 2024 season in September with one of the better records (69-93) in the American League. Safe to say, the team was feeling confident about its return to contention after finishing the prior two years with 100-loss seasons. Among the bright spots was right fielder Brent Rooker, who slashed .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs, and right-hander Mason Miller, who flourished with a 2.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts across 65 innings. However, the team didn’t get much progression from any other pitcher. The A’s ranked 25 in team ERA of 4.37, 22 in walks allowing 530 and third to last (28) in strikeouts, only recording 1263.
New Arrivals
- RHP Luis Severino (New York Mets)
- RHP José Leclerc (Texas Rangers)
- LHP Jeffrey Springs (Tampa Bay Rays)
- 3B Gio Urshela (Atlanta Braves)
- RHP Jacob Lopez (Tampa Bay Rays)
- RHP Noah Murdock (rule 5 draft from Kansas City Royals)
Key Departures
- RHP Joe Boyle (Tampa Bay Rays)
- RHP Jacob Watters (Tampa Bay Rays)
- RHP Will Klein (Seattle Mariners)
- SS Nick Allen (Atlanta Braves)
Projected Batting Order*
1. RF Lawrence Butler
2. DH Brent Rooker
3. CF JJ Bleday
4. C Shea Langeliers
5. 1B Tyler Soderstrom
6. 2B Zack Gelof
7. LF Seth Brown
8. 3B Gio Urshela
9. SS Jacob Wilson
Projected Rotation*
1. Luis Severino (RHP)
2. Jeffrey Springs (LHP)
3. JP Sears (LHP)
4. Osvaldo Bido (RHP)
5. Mitch Spence (RHP)
Projected Bullpen*
- Mid-Relief: Michel Otañez (RHP), T.J. McFarland (LHP), Grant Holman (RHP), Dylan Floro (RHP)
- Long-Relief: Noah Murdock (RHP)
- Set-Up: José Leclerc (RHP), Tyler Ferguson (RHP)
- Closer: Mason Miller (RHP)
Biggest Question: Who will step up in the bottom half of the lineup?
While the top of the lineup is set with a solid top four of Butler, Rooker, Bleday and Langeliers, the team needs to find production from more players to lengthen the lineup. A step forward from second baseman Zack Gelof would help as he slashed 17 home runs, but just .211/.270/.362 while striking out at a 37.8 percent rate.
Team MVP: Brent Rooker
He is projected to become the first A’s player to finish the season with a batting average of at least .290 and achieve his third consecutive season with 30-plus home runs. Rooker earned the Silver Slugger award in 2024 and will be a star again with an .800+ OPS.
Breakout Candidate: Osvaldo Bido
The right-handed rotation candidate was listed on MLB Network’s breakout candidates for the season. He appeared in 16 games with nine starts and posted a 3.41 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 26 walks. Bido is listed in the 100th percentile in hard-hit percentage, 99th percentile in average exit velocity, 98th percentile in expected batting average, 94th in expected ERA and 93rd percentile in barrel percentage. These stats will be key to force weaker contact as the A’s compete in Sutter Health Park, a minor-league stadium, which is slightly more hitter-friendly than the Coliseum.
Key Stat: 25
The Athletics ranked 25th in pitching amongst all 30 MLB teams with an ERA of 4.37. This shows that they lack pitching depth and it needs improvement in order to be a contender for the 2025 season.
2025 Will Be Successful If… the team can accumulate to the changes of a new stadium.
The team’s primary goal is to continue to improve its record by building off the momentum from the end of last season. It had a promising 39-37 performance over the final 76 games. To accomplish this, it must factor in improving its pitching rotation, which it has done by adding veterans Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs.
2025 Prediction: Fifth in AL West, No Playoffs
Despite the progress the team made in 2024 and the addition of new prospects for the 2025 season, the A’s still have a lot of improvements to make, especially within the pitching depth after finishing the 2024 season with an ERA of 4.37. They are competing in a stadium that’s not theirs and known to be more hitter-friendly, which is concerning for pitchers. However, its new arrivals and prospects consist of young players who have shown the makings of a promising rotation, alongside All-star closer Miller. It’s hard to see the A’s as a playoff team unless the pitching rotation surprises.
FanGraphs’ Projection: 77-85
Baseball Prospectus: 71-91
*Projections were pulled from FanGraphs as of Feb. 24
Posted: February 25, 2025
Category: Athletics, Cactus League
Tagged as: al west, Astros, Athletics, Brent Rooker, Gio Urshela, Houston, Jeffrey Springs, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Athletics, Mason Miller, Mets, MLB, MLB Spring Training, Osvaldo Bido, Spring Training
