7 questions for A's to answer this offseason

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

With a young team on the rise that improved upon its 2023 record by 17 wins, the A’s enter this offseason feeling like they are in a good position to make a big step toward getting back into playoff contention in '25.

Activity will begin shortly after the World Series finishes up this week. Soon after will come the General Managers Meetings and Winter Meetings over the next two months, which usually marks the point in the offseason where things start to pick up.

Here’s a look at some frequently asked questions about the A’s as they head into the winter:

Which players are free agents?
Right-handers Ross Stripling and Trevor Gott and left-handers Alex Wood, T.J. McFarland and Scott Alexander are the impending free agents who finished the season on the A’s 40-man roster.

Are any of them likely to receive qualifying offers, and what is the deadline for that?
The A’s are not expected to extend any qualifying offers; teams have until five days after the completion of the World Series to submit.

Which players have contract options and what is the impact on the team payroll?
The A’s have no players with contract options for the 2025 season.

Who might be a non-tender candidate, and when does the club have to make that decision?
The crop of players eligible for arbitration this offseason includes outfielders Brent Rooker, Seth Brown and Miguel Andujar and right-handers Austin Adams and Dany Jiménez.

None of the anticipated raises in pay for the A's five arbitration-eligible players are expected to be large enough to consider them true non-tender candidates, though Brown’s projected salary of $4 million for 2025 would probably be the most likely of the group given the team’s outfield depth. Rooker, who will go through his first year of arbitration, is expected to receive the highest salary for the '24 season, with that number projected at $5 million.

This year’s non-tender deadline is Nov. 22.

Who needs to be added to the A's 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 Draft, and do they have a crunch for roster spots?
Outfielder Denzel Clarke, rated the A’s No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, must be added to their 40-man roster in order to avoid being exposed to other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft, which is scheduled for Dec. 11 at the MLB Winter Meetings. Other candidates the A’s might look to protect are left-hander Gunnar Hoglund (No. 12), second baseman Cooper Bowman (No. 20), outfielder Brayan Buelvas (No. 26) and infielder Logan Davidson, their first-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft who posted a .901 OPS in 87 games at Triple-A Las Vegas this season.

Players must be added to the 40-man roster by Nov. 19 in order to be protected.

What kind of help do the A's need? Will they be active in free agency?
Third base and pitching -- starting and relief -- are the biggest needs for the A’s this offseason. Expect them to look to buy low on players at those positions who are non-tendered in the next month and are looking to rebuild their value. One of those targets could be a veteran-type starting pitcher who can provide leadership and guidance for a young staff that ended 2024 with three rookies in the rotation.

As usual, the A’s are unlikely to be in on the big free-agent names. Most of their activity could come closer to the start of Spring Training.

Who might they be willing to trade?
Brown could be a player of interest for teams this offseason for his power and ability to play all three outfield spots in addition to first base. After struggles led to him getting placed on outright waivers on June 18, the 32-year-old veteran earned his way back to the Majors with the A’s on July 11 and went on to hit .271 with nine homers and 29 RBIs over his final 61 games of the season. With younger outfield options like Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and Esteury Ruiz, as well as prospects closer to Major League-ready such as Clarke and Colby Thomas (No. 7), Brown could be moved in part to address other needs on the roster.