AL West Preview – Athletics Position Players, bash ‘em and smash ‘em

Our trip through each AL West rival continues this week with a look at the Oakland Sacramento Las Vegas Athletics. With a target arrival date in Las Vegas of 2028, this period of limbo for the Athletics is a crucial time to set the foundation for a competitive ballclub by the time they arrive in the desert. Playing in Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento certainly has its challenges — the team’s pitching staff allowed nearly a full run more per game at home than they did on the road — but that same hitter-friendly environment absolutely bolstered their position players.

If there is one reason to fear the A’s in 2026, it’s because they’ve assembled one of the most dangerous young lineups in baseball. Last offseason, they signed Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler to long-term contract extensions. This winter, they locked up Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson to a pair of seven-year contract extensions. Along with Rookie of the Year winner Nick Kurtz, this quintet should form the core of the next great Athletics team, and all of them are signed or under team control through at least 2029.

In 2025, the A’s had the 12th best offense in baseball by runs scored, 10th best by wRC+, and eighth best by wOBA. At home in their cozy little minor league ballpark, they sported a .331 wOBA, though that mark dropped to .317 while on the road. As far as home/road splits go, the A’s weren’t as extreme as teams like Rockies or Mariners, which is a testament to the quality of their batters.

With the strength of their team clearly established, the Athletics spent this offseason adding around the margins of the roster and improving their depth.

Notable Transactions

Out: OF JJ Bleday, UTIL Max Schuemann
In: 2B/OF Jeff McNeil, INF Andy Ibáñez, UTIL Justin Riemer, 1B Joey Meneses, INF Michael Stefanic
Italics = Minor League Deals with Spring Training Invite

The biggest move the Athletics made this offseason was bringing in Jeff McNeil in a trade with the Mets just before Christmas. He had fallen out of favor in New York after a couple of injury-plagued seasons in 2024 and ‘25, undergoing thoracic outlet surgery this offseason to relieve an issue in his shoulder. He’s playing out the final season of his four-year extension he signed in 2023, though he does have a $15.75 million club option for next year. I have a hard time seeing the A’s pick up that option, especially since they have Leo De Vries quickly pushing for a debut within the next couple of seasons.

Andy Ibáñez had a bit of an interesting offseason; he was non-tendered by the Tigers in November, signed a major-league deal with the Dodgers in January but was designated for assignment just a month later — ostensibly to sneak him through waivers so that Los Angeles could stash him in Triple-A. The Athletics swooped in with a waiver claim and now he’ll serve as a right-handed utility infielder for them. It’s not that impactful of a move, but Ibáñez mashes left-handed pitching (career .335 wOBA vs. LHP) and can reasonably play almost everywhere on the field.

The Lineup

It took a while for Nick Kurtz to acclimate to the majors after getting called up on April 23, but about a month into his big league tenure, he collected three home runs in two games on May 20 and 21. From that point through the end of the season, he was the best hitter in baseball — yes, better than Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Cal Raleigh. He wound up blasting 36 home runs — including a historic four home run night on July 25 — and easily won the AL Rookie of the Year award for his efforts.

If Kurtz hadn’t erupted in late May, it’s quite possible Jacob Wilson would have won the award anyway — he wound up getting second place behind Kurtz’s unanimous selection. These two players are polar opposites. While Kurtz produces some of the most potent damage on contact in baseball, Wilson relies on elite bat-to-ball skills to put the ball in play more than nearly any other player in baseball. But rather than a prototypical slap-dash approach, Wilson can produce a bit more power than you might expect from someone with just a 24.7% hard hit rate; he surprisingly hit 13 home runs last year! The tiny stadium in West Sacramento certainly helped, but if he elevates to his pull side, he can muscle out a few long balls just over the left field wall.

And then there are the breakout kids Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom. During the second half of the season, Langeliers was the best hitting catcher in baseball. He managed to cut his strikeout rate by 7.5 points thanks to a career-high contact rate. His contact quality was already excellent, so more balls in play meant a lot more hits. As for Soderstrom, the A’s finally settled on a permanent position for him — left field — and he responded with a huge season at the plate. As a prospect, he was always known for his bat rather than his defensive prowess behind the plate. The challenge, then, was finding a way to get his bat into the lineup without any defensive lapses. The outfield grass turned out to be a good fit as he turned in an above average season in the field.

While those four youngsters enjoyed tremendous success in 2025, it wasn’t such smooth sailing for Lawrence Butler. He struggled to follow up his big breakout in ‘24, seeing his strikeout rate spike up to 28.4% and his power output drop a bit. He had the opposite problem as Soderstrom; his contact rate fell by 5.5 points and fewer balls in play, despite excellent contact quality, meant fewer hits. Brent Rooker also struggled to replicate his massive ‘24 season last year. I actually think he was a bit unlucky to post a 122 wRC+; his plate discipline metrics have significantly improved year-over-year the last three seasons and his contact quality remained excellent, if a little less excellent than in his breakout season. Even though it feels like he’s been around forever — he’s the elder statesman of the A’s core at 31 years old — he’s only been a full-time player for three years.

With seven positions filled by fantastic regulars, third base and center field are a bit of a question mark for the A’s. Max Muncy — no, not the Dodgers’ Max Muncy, the other one — is penciled in at third base, but Darell Hernaiz, Carlos Cortes, or Zack Gelof could see some time there throughout the season. There are fewer options in center field. Denzel Clarke is a phenomenal defender in the middle of the park but there are real questions about his bat. He ran an untenable 38.4% strikeout rate in limited action last year, though he does have a bit of pop if he can ever make contact. Colby Thomas is more suited for an outfield corner and has the same concerns about his bat as Clarke. It’s possible the A’s would slide Butler over into center if Clarke’s bat falters, but I think they’d prefer the elite defender to find a way to stick in the majors.