The Athletics’ three-year, $67MM contract with Luis Severino surprised many baseball followers. As proven in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the West Sacramento-bound membership hadn’t spent greater than $15MM on a free agent since signing Ryan Madson to a three-year, $22MM deal practically a decade in the past. The $67MM assure stands because the largest in franchise historical past, surpassing Eric Chavez’s 20-year file by $1MM. The A’s had signaled that they is likely to be prepared to spend in free company or by way of commerce — MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald explored the chances at size final month — and there have been a number of experiences that the A’s have been aiming for a $100MM payroll. Many nonetheless took an “I’ll consider it after I see it method.”
We’ve now seen it — or at the very least the early phases of it. It would nonetheless really feel uncommon to say the A’s agreed to signal a participant for $22MM+ annual worth, however that’s the truth. There are additionally some indications that the on-the-move A’s might proceed to spend. As an example, Jon Heyman of the New York Submit experiences that the A’s additionally made a “massive” provide to free agent southpaw Sean Manaea, who made his MLB debut with the Athletics after coming over from the Royals within the 2015 Ben Zobrist commerce.
That supply got here previous to their cope with Severino, Heyman notes. It’s not expressly clear that the A’s could be prepared to place forth one other aggressive provide for an upper-tier free agent like Manaea, however the Severino deal and speak of a $100MM payroll goal suggests it’s definitely doable. Even with Severino within the fold, RosterResource tasks a modest $58MM payroll. There’s room for one more weighty wage to be added to the combo, be it within the type of a free agent, a commerce acquisition, or each.
One notable side of the reported provide to Manaea: the left-hander, like Severino, rejected a qualifying provide from the Mets firstly of the offseason. The A’s appear prepared to spend on the expense of subsequent 12 months’s draft pool. Severino value them their third-highest decide — the usual worth paid by a revenue-sharing recipient — and now that they’ve forfeited that choice, the associated fee to signal a further certified free agent is diminished. The A’s surrendered their second-round decide to signal Severino — they decide within the first spherical and in Aggressive Steadiness Spherical A, between the primary and second rounds — they usually’d now “solely” have to punt their third rounder to herald Manaea, Nick Pivetta, Christian Walker or one other free agent who turned down the qualifying provide.
The A’s might use extra stability within the rotation and have at the very least one nook outfield opening. They’ve younger choices at first base (Tyler Soderstrom), second base (Zack Gelof) and shortstop (Jacob Wilson) — all of them picked within the high two rounds of the draft and all of whom are/have been extremely touted prospects. There’s extra of a gap at third base, the place Darell Hernaiz and Max Schuemann doubtless lead the pack, though Gelof might doubtlessly slide over to 3rd base as effectively if the A’s wish to pursue a second baseman. The bullpen, after all, might use some setup arms behind standout nearer Mason Miller. There’s no scarcity of areas at which to spend, and it appears the A’s are certainly intent on bolstering payroll forward of the transfer to their short-term house at Sutter House Park.
