Athletics

Luis Severino's contract with The Athletics has set the tone for a lucrative free-agent pitching market.

The A's shocked the baseball world by dipping into their pockets and signing the 30-year-old to a three-year, $67 million deal on Thursday. It was the largest contract offered in franchise history and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that it has only raised the value of the other free-agent pitchers still available ahead of the winter meetings.

"The market for pitching is insane right now," an NL executive told Feinsand. "It's through the roof."

Severino certainly earned a solid deal after going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA for the New York Mets in 2024. He will be a top-of-rotation starter for the A's as the team prepares for its eventual move to Las Vegas and could signal a change in approach for a franchise that is notorious for a low payroll.

However, he was not the top arm available on the market and his hefty contract will only make Corbin Burnes and Max Fried worth even more to whatever team can snag them.

"There are two tier-one guys, and more than two teams [are] looking for a guy like that," the NL exec told Feinsand. "The prices just keep going up."

Burnes went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. He is a four-time All-Star, a former Cy Young winner, and a consistent ace with postseason experience. Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 174.1 innings for the Atlanta Braves in 2024 and is the top remaining southpaw on the market.

With Severino making an average of $22.3 million per season in his contract, Burnes and Fried could easily reach the $40 million range per season while Nick Pivetta, Jack Flaherty, Nathan Eovaldi and Sean Manea could exceed $30 million per season.

The Athletics made a big offer to starting pitcher Sean Manaea before reaching an agreement with Luis Severino on a three-year, $67 million deal, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Before agreeing to the Severino deal, the A’s made a big offer to Sean Manaea in hopes of bringing him back to his first MLB team

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 5, 2024

The 32-year-old Manaea, a nine-year MLB veteran, played his first six seasons with the A's. Last season, the left-hander went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts over 181.2 innings (32 starts) with the New York Mets.

Severino's contract is the largest handed out in Athletics' history and the biggest season the team signed third baseman Eric Chavez to a $66 million contract in 2005.

The right-hander enjoyed a fantastic comeback attempt after a host of injuries largely curtailed his previous five seasons, to the point where he made only 45 appearances during that time. Severino also struggled for the New York Yankees in 2023, posting a 6.65 ERA in 19 games.

But he bounced back nicely after signing a one-year deal with the Mets, going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA (1.24 WHIP) and 161 strikeouts in 182 innings.

Manaea posted a better year than Severino, so one can surmise that he could be in line for a better deal.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicted that Manaea will get a five-year, $90 million contract. He also guessed that the Baltimore Orioles will ink the left-hander.

Chances are that contract won't be coming from the notoriously low-spending Athletics, who finished last in MLB's payroll list last year.

The A's also perhaps moved on from Manaea to get Severino, who now serves as the staff ace.

Manaea is one of numerous available quality free agent pitchers out there, alongside Corbin Burnes, Jack Flaherty and Max Fried. Japanese star Roki Sasaki will also be made available in the international signing period.

The Athletics' new Las Vegas stadium, which is aiming to open in 2028, now carries a cost of $1.75 billion, or $250 million more than previously estimated, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

That increase is due to increasing construction costs and 70,000 square feet of more stadium amenities, per Sandy Dean, who owns a small stake in the A's.

"The increases in the cost of the stadium are the responsibility of the team, and the team would most likely finance that with additional contributions from the Fisher family," Dean said.

The A's are playing in Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for the next three seasons while the stadium is being built.

Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported on the cost increase, citing Las Vegas Stadium Authority documents.

"New elements added during the stadium's design phase include more clubs and suites, upgraded general admission spaces and player amenities," Akers reported. "The A's Las Vegas ballpark will be the first in Major League Baseball to offer under-seat cooling."

Dean also had this to say to Akers about the Athletics' desire for a "premier" MLB park: "The design process is iterative, and has been allowing us to add elements to the ballpark intended to make this a premier facility for Major League Baseball."

As of now, Fisher and the A's are on the hook for $1.4 billion of the $1.75 billion stadium. The remainder will be foot by the public via Senate Bill 1, approved in June 2023.

"As of this summer the public contribution for the ballpark through SB 1 was estimated to be about $350 million," Dean told Akers. "The estimates remain about the same and are subject to adjustment based on interest rates and other refinements that will be made as the project unfolds."

That breaks down to Fisher and the A's being responsible for $1.4 billion of the $1.75 billion price tag.

The stadium will have a 33,000-seat capacity, and construction is set to begin in the spring, per Akers.

The West Sacramento Athletics are not going to be trading slugger Brent Rooker this offseason despite speculation he could be moved.

"We're going to keep (Rooker)," general manager David Forst told Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The 30-year-old outfielder hit .293 in the 2024 season with 39 homers, 112 RBI, 82 runs, 11 stolen bases and a .927 OPS.

Rooker has found his footing with the Athletics and had a breakout year in 2023 after hitting .246 with 30 homers, 69 RBI and a .817 OPS. That earned him the first All-Star Game appearance of his career.

But Rooker was better by basically every metric in 2024, proving that his breakout season wasn't a fluke and that he has the potential to be one of the top sluggers in the sport.

109.3 MPH off the bat for Brent Rooker's 39th home run of the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/48XzUz9gcb

— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2024

And that, combined with yet another poor season (69-93) from an Athletics franchise that is yet again rebuilding under the ownership of John Fisher—since he bought the Athletics in 2005, the team has won a grand total of two playoff series—made Rooker a potential trade target for contending teams around baseball this offseason.

Condolences to Rooker. https://t.co/XXA5AbkssR

— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) November 5, 2024

Granted, his age and defense may have capped his overall value to a degree. That likely would have been offset by the three remaining years of club control before he can become a free agent.

That Rooker will remain fairly cheap compared to what he would get on the open market if he was a free agent probably played a major role in the Athletics deciding to keep him instead of trading him for future assets. That wouldn't be a major surprise coming from an organization that had a pathetically minuscule payroll of $63.4 million in 2024, easily the lowest in baseball.

For context, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto alone made $55 million in total cash this past season. When viewed in that light, keep Rooker seemed to perfectly align with the ethos of a franchise that has been in the bottom third of payroll spending dating back to at least 2011.

The Athletics are a team without a city for the time being, at least in how they're referenced.

The MLB franchise announced Monday it has removed Oakland from its name and will simply be the "Athletics." It appears the A's are forgoing any mention of their temporary home of Sacramento, California. They're also amending their primary logo to be an all-green version of the A's design.

The A’s officially are no longer the Oakland A’s. They say they are simply the Athletics. But in fact they are now the Sacramento A’s. They just seem too embarrassed to call themselves that. They should be Sacramento proud. Very odd. pic.twitter.com/83uXmbigYQ

— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) November 4, 2024

This is the Athletics new primary logo, per the team. The Club’s primary wordmark will remain unchanged from the green Athletics script. pic.twitter.com/u8PWwC6Toh

— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) November 4, 2024

This is yet another oddity of the Athletics' eventual relocation to Las Vegas.

Ownership announced its intention of moving to Sin City without firm plans for a new stadium in place. And since that venue isn't scheduled to open until 2028, the A's were stuck trying to find a stopgap because remaining in Oakland wasn't tenable after they burned so much goodwill.

Updated A’s Las Vegas ballpark renderings. #vegas #athletics #mlb pic.twitter.com/zCdO6PXqUK

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) March 5, 2024

As a result, the Athletics will be stationed in Sutter Health Park, home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. Renovations are already underway to ensure the stadium is up to MLB standards.

There's no question that officially referring to this franchise as the "Sacramento Athletics" would be a little weird when everybody knows this is a short-term marriage. The A's would also have to spend a lot of money on branding and merchandise that has a clear expiration date.

But that's the bind the A's created for themselves.

Omitting Sacramento from any official designation for the team feels unnecessarily petty, especially since the Athletics needed Sacramento much more than the city needed the Athletics. Municipalities weren't tripping over themselves to court principal owner John Fisher.

And this is what Sacramento is getting for stepping up to the plate.

A fact I kindly pointed out to Vivek the day they announced the deal. After everything the Kings/Sacramento did to bail out the A’s… They won’t even acknowledge the city. https://t.co/bM3QOUcbWD

— Casey Pratt (@CaseyAPratt) November 4, 2024

John Fisher may as well have issued a press release saying, “hi, we’ll squat in your city for a few years and we’ll take your people’s money, but we’ll not honor it at all in any formal way nor acknowledge its major league status, even if it’s temporary.”

— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) November 4, 2024

When Hurricane Katrina dislodged the then-New Orleans Hornets from their home in the Big Easy and moved them to Oklahoma City, the Hornets tried to make the best of it and didn't shy away from embracing Oklahoma's capital city.

The A's are taking the opposite approach and preferring to have no geographic affiliation whatsoever. This doesn't exactly set a great tone for how the next few years will go until the Vegas stadium is built.

As the Oakland Athletics prepare to move to Las Vegas, team owner John Fisher will make a hefty investment into the construction of a new stadium.

Club executive Sandy Dean announced on Thursday that Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion into the construction of a stadium in Las Vegas while U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez and the Associated Press.

Dean revealed that final approvals will likely be made at a Dec. 5 authority meeting to allow construction of the $1.5 billion ballpark that's expected to contain 33,000 seats as well as a dome.

The A's previously released renderings of what the stadium could look like on Oct. 17.

Some A’s ballpark renderings detailing what materials will be used in different areas. #vegas #athletics #mlb pic.twitter.com/O3R0aZOxSy

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) October 17, 2024

Construction is on track to begin in the spring with a targeted opening prior to the team's 2028 season, per Gonzalez and the Associated Press. As much as $380 million in public funding will also go into building the ballpark.

The A's finished with a record of 69-93 in 2024, their final season in Oakland after 57 years.

In the meantime, the Athletics will call Sutter Health Park in Sacramento their home. The stadium is typically used by the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

As the A's prepare for their first year in Sacramento, it appears that progress on the construction of their future stadium in Las Vegas is continuing to be made.

As the Oakland Athletics make the transition to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for the 2025 season, there will be a change to the previous plan for the stadium's playing surface.

Per The Athletic's Evan Drellich, Sutter Health Park will have natural grass instead of turf because of players' preferences and heat concerns.

MLB had originally planned to use turf for durability reasons given two teams—the A's and the Triple-A Sacramento Rivercats—would share the field throughout the year.

"Since the beginning of this process, we have worked collaboratively with the MLBPA to incorporate feedback from major and minor league players regarding the facilities, amenities, and playing conditions in Sacramento," a league spokesperson said, per Drellich. "Based on feedback from players, as well as guidance from MLB's long-time field expert, MLB and the A's have decided to maintain a natural grass field at SHP. Our shared, primary concern is ensuring the best and safest playing surface for the A's, River Cats, and visiting players.

"In light of the players' clear preference for natural grass, and after weighing with the MLBPA the potential risks and benefits of maintaining natural grass versus replacing the playing surface with synthetic turf, all the parties are aligned in moving forward with a natural grass field for Opening Day 2025."

According to Drellich, MLB still plans to play as many night games as possible to help manage the heat in Sacramento.

The new stadium in Las Vegas will have a roof, meaning heat concerns will be a non-issue.

Updated A’s Las Vegas ballpark renderings. #vegas #athletics #mlb pic.twitter.com/zCdO6PXqUK

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) March 5, 2024

The Athletics will call Sacramento home for the next three seasons as they await the completion of their new stadium in Las Vegas, which has a target date of Opening Day 2028. The A's deal with Sutter Health Park is for three years but has an option for a fourth if the stadium is not completed by the 2028 season.

The Oakland Athletics are getting a new city and stadium in the coming years, and the team recently released some renderings of what the stadium in Las Vegas could look like.

Unlike The Coliseum in Oakland, the new ballpark seems like it will have a roof based on the photos. The recent renderings of the proposed $1.5 billion stadium showed the new roof and other details from the exterior.

Some A’s ballpark renderings detailing what materials will be used in different areas. #vegas #athletics #mlb pic.twitter.com/O3R0aZOxSy

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) October 17, 2024

According to MLB.com, the new stadium, located on the Las Vegas Strip, will hold 33,000 people—significantly less than The Coliseum, which holds nearly 60,000 people.

Though it is covered by a roof, the stadium features the "world's largest cable-net glass window" to provide "an outdoor feel with views of the city's skyline." Fans will have no trouble seeing stats for their favorite players inside the new stadium, as it will have an 18,000-square-foot video board, the largest of any MLB ballpark.

Updated A’s Las Vegas ballpark renderings. #vegas #athletics #mlb pic.twitter.com/zCdO6PXqUK

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) March 5, 2024

Per KTVU, the construction companies hired to build the new stadium plan to break ground in the spring of 2025 with a goal of it being ready for Opening Day in 2028. In the meantime, the A's will play their home games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento.

The ballpark is home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats and has a capacity of 14,000. The agreement allows the Athletics to play in Sacramento from 2025 to 2027 with the option to play there in 2028 if stadium construction is not yet completed in Las Vegas.

In their final season in Oakland, the A's finished 69-93, showing some minor improvement from the previous two years but still failing to make the postseason for a fourth consecutive season.

Oakland Athletics star slugger Brent Rooker joked Monday that he would have hit .300 if former MLB hitters scored games.

I might’ve hit .300 this year if this was the case so I may be a little biased. Looking at you, official scorer in Houston on May 15 along with a few others. https://t.co/P0CBcdhTgE

— Brent Rooker (@Brent_Rooker25) October 14, 2024

When asked if he can appeal calls, Rooker said the following:

Yes. I always lose the appeal. I also try to appeal a bunch of strikeouts but those never get changed either for some reason. https://t.co/d93ds14Dep

— Brent Rooker (@Brent_Rooker25) October 14, 2024

Rooker still had a fantastic season, hitting .293 (.927 OPS) with 39 home runs and 112 RBI. The 2023 All-Star nearly achieved the .300 feat too, finding himself hitting .304 on Sept. 18. A four-game hitless slump dipped Rooker under .300, but that doesn't take away from a phenomenal year.

This was Rooker's second full season in the bigs. He showed off his power last year, too, smacking 30 home runs and knocking in 69 runners to go along with an .817 OPS.

Rooker hit .246 then and displayed serious improvement this year. It was an impressive season for Rooker, who bounced back after hitting just .206 going into May. But he rolled off some great months, including May (.330, .997 OPS) and July (.391, 1.288 OPS).

As for the .300 quest, Rooker would have need four more hits (164 total) in his 546 at-bats to get the job done this year. He reached on an error four times this season, so if those errors were called hits, that would have gotten the job done.

Rooker seems particularly concerned with a ninth-inning ground ball he hit at Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in a 3-0 loss on May 15 that was ruled an error.

Alas, former MLB hitters are not scorers, so Rooker will have to settle for .293.

Thursday marked the end of an era as the Oakland Athletics played their final game at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A's, who have called the Coliseum home since 1968, will spend the next three seasons playing at Sutter Health Park, a Triple-A stadium in Sacramento, before ultimately moving to Las Vegas for the 2028 season.

While the Athletics' final season in Oakland as a whole wasn't successful, the A's at least ended things on a positive note, beating the Texas Rangers 3-2 in front of a sold-out crowd. Oakland still has one more series to play this season, but it will take place on the road against the Seattle Mariners.

The A's final week at the Coliseum saw fans flocking to the ballpark to see their favorite team play one last time while grabbing souvenirs, whether that be a handful of dirt or some seats. On Thursday, fans celebrated the end of an era and the historic venue.

A'S WIN FINAL GAME IN OAKLAND 👏🔥

WHAT AN ENDING 🥺💚

(via @NBCSAthletics)pic.twitter.com/Mf1gRMuY8o

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2024

The A's announced a crowd of 46,889 for the final baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum pic.twitter.com/4KVYV87Qg8

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 26, 2024

A’s fans camped out since 7 AM for final game at the Oakland Coliseum 💔 pic.twitter.com/FNEQf4su67

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2024

The scene at the sold-out Coliseum for the A's final game in Oakland: pic.twitter.com/A32he8RHOA

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 26, 2024

This Oakland A’s fan was in attendance for the first and last game in the Coliseum 🥹

(📸: @sxr_704 ) pic.twitter.com/YOuZRAWEdb

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) September 26, 2024

A sell-out crowd with heavy hearts cheer for the final anthem flyover and last time the A’s take the field in the #Athletics’ farewell game at the Oakland Coliseum. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/XY4ihYuZwP

— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) September 26, 2024

Former A's ace Barry Zito sings the national anthem 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wDDw9Vwf3Z

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 26, 2024

End of an era. Today the last home game for the Oakland A's franchise as the Oakland A's at the Coliseum. Full house expected here in the upcoming hours. #Athletics #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/V7Lya3niMB

— Joey Schneider (@joeyschneider95) September 26, 2024

For the very last time in the Oakland Coliseum, Take Me Out to the Ball Game. #OaklandAs @ABC10 pic.twitter.com/7BpTUb8zI5

— Devin Trubey (@DevinTrubeyTV) September 26, 2024

One final seventh inning stretch at the Coliseum 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/81v5tq3tCO

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 26, 2024

The last ever pitch at the Oakland Coliseum clocks in at 104 mph. Game's changed.

— Michael Dixon (@mdixonair) September 26, 2024

The Athletics beat the Rangers, 3-2.

The last pitch in the history of the Coliseum?

Mason Miller's 103.5 MPH fastball to Travis Jankowski resulting in a game-ending groundout to third.

So sad for the Oakland Athletics community, especially the kids. pic.twitter.com/3P1NJx8HLx

— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) September 26, 2024

The Oakland A's win their final game at the Coliseum.

Thank you, A's. Goodbye, Oakland Coliseum.

1968-2024.

— Jason Hernandez (@StimpyJD) September 26, 2024

The decision to move the A's from Oakland to Las Vegas has been met with plenty of frustration. Fans spent much of the season protesting the move and filling the Coliseum with chants of "sell the team," though their wishes were never met.

While the Athletics won't return to the Coliseum next spring, the venue will always be remembered by baseball fans.