A’s looking to add third base, “wouldn’t rule out” another SP addition

7.26pm: The A’s have asked about Bohm with the Phillies, according to a report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, but Philadelphia’s request for a star closer Mason Miller in exchange for Bohm’s services, he reportedly ended those discussions.

5.49pm: As the Athletics prepare to play the 2025 season at their temporary home in West Sacramento pending a more permanent move to Las Vegas, they have made an effort to field a more competitive product after showing signs of progress with a Record of 32-32 after the All-Star break during their final season in Oakland. These efforts to strengthen the roster began when they signed the right-hander Luis Severino to a three-year contract and continued today when they landed on the left Jeffrey Springs in a five-player trade with the Rays today.

The addition of Severino and Springs atop the A’s rotation adds some credibility to the club entering 2025 after the club’s starters struggled to a 4.76 ERA that was bottom five in the majors the last year. Severino and Springs will be the protagonists of a rotation that currently also includes the participation of JP Sears, Mitch Spencer, e Joey Estes on Opening Day, but club GM David Forst indicated to reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) that he “wouldn’t rule out” adding another starter to the mix. In addition to continuing to evaluate a potential third base addition, Forst has suggested (as reported by Gallegos) that he wants to explore both the trade and free agent markets for a potential third base addition.

The A’s significant additions and newfound willingness to commit to a higher payroll are accompanied by off-field concerns in addition to a desire to improve the on-field roster. Reports from earlier this week indicated that the A’s would be at risk of a complaint from the MLB Players Association if they didn’t spend 150% of their revenue sharing money on MLB payroll. Given that the A’s will reportedly bring in $70 million or more in revenue sharing, that means they will need a payroll of $105 million or more for luxury tax purposes to avoid risking a claim by the players union. After today’s trade to land in Springs, RosterResource projects the club to have a luxury tax payroll of $88.5 million in 2025. That still leaves about $15 million in balance sheet space for luxury tax purposes before they reach that $105 million benchmark, which should leave the door open for the club to make another addition or two.

In the rotation, even a back-of-the-rotation veteran like Andrew Heaney OR Kyle Gibson (to which the A’s were previously connected prior to the Springs deal). it would probably consume most if not all of that $15 million. However, at least theoretically it is possible that the club could look to spend beyond this figure. Previous indications have suggested the club was targeting a payroll in the range of $100 million for 2025. Given that RosterResource’s projection for the club’s actual payroll in 2025 in terms of cash paid is just over $64 million, that would leave substantially more room to spend than if the A’s targeted a payroll in the $100 million range for luxury tax purposes. That could make both the addition of a back-end starter and a sizable salary at third base feasible.

Moving on to the hot corner, the position has been at the center of several rumors this winter. The Cubs dealt third base Isaac Paredes to the Astros just yesterday, and Houston’s longtime third baseman Alex Bregmann he remains one of the most coveted players on the free agent market. Meanwhile, the cardinals have clarified their intentions to negotiate Nolan Arenado this winter. The Angels, Tigers, Yankees and Astros are among the other teams known to be looking for help at third base, while the Red Sox and Padres remain on the periphery of the market as teams with established third basemen who have been linked to potential third base options like Bregman and Arenado as solutions at other positions.

It’s nearly impossible to imagine a top-tier free agent like Bregman or a veteran with no-trade protection like Arenado choosing to land a long-term deal in West Sacramento, but that doesn’t mean the A’s are completely out of luck if they hope to add a third baseman to their roster this winter. Alec Bohm of the Phillies is an oft-discussed trade candidate at the Diamondbacks’ veteran hot corner Eugenio Suarez has seen his name percolate in rumors as another possible trade chip. In the meantime, Jorge Polacco, Paolo De JongAND Yoan Moncada are among the potential third base options available in the lower levels of the free agent market, and it’s possible that a club with an internal surplus like the Blue Jays or Orioles could make someone like Davis Schneider OR Ramon Urias commercially available.