DALLAS – The buzz created by the Athletics from their signing of right-hander Luis Severino generated momentum heading into the 2024 Winter Meetings they hoped would lead to further signings or trades.

While no official moves were made at the Winter Meetings outside of a Rule 5 Draft selection, the A’s front office contingent led by general manager David Forst departed the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon encouraged by discussions with clubs and player agents throughout the week.

“We feel like we want to follow up on our Severino signing with more moves,” Forst said. “It’s never super critical to do it here. But I think we feel some urgency to do something else.”

BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS

1. Third base: With the in-house candidates at third base -- Brett Harris, Darell Hernaiz, Max Schuemann and No. 8 prospect Max Muncy -- all on the inexperienced side, the A’s would like to add a more proven option at the hot corner. Free-agent third basemen who could be on the A’s radar include veterans Gio Urshela and Yoán Moncada. On the trade market, Alec Bohm of the Phillies and Brett Baty of the Mets are third basemen whose names have come up In trade rumblings this offseason.

2. Starting pitcher: The A’s believe supplementing their talented young offense with a formidable rotation can help lead them into playoff contention for 2025. So, even after signing Severino to anchor the staff, the A’s would still like to add another veteran to their rotation, which currently projects to feature Severino, JP Sears, Osvaldo Bido, Joey Estes and Mitch Spence. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen and left-handers José Quintana and Andrew Heaney are free-agent names who fit that mold. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand also reported that pitchers who could potentially be available on the trade market include San Diego’s Dylan Cease, Houston’s Framber Valdez and Miami’s Jesús Luzardo.

• How Severino's signing signals new direction for A's

RULE 5 DRAFT

The A’s held the fourth overall pick in Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft and selected right-hander Noah Murdock from the Royals’ Triple-A roster. They lost infielder Cooper Bowman – who was rated their No. 20 prospect by MLB Pipeline – to the Reds, who selected him with the No. 7 pick.

• Every pick of this year's Rule 5 Draft, plus 1st-round analysis

Three other A’s Minor League players were selected by other clubs in the Minor League portion: Right-hander Gustavo Rodriguez (Angels), right-hander Franck De La Rosa (Pirates) and infielder Jack Winkler (Marlins).

Listed at 6-foot-8, the 26-year-old Murdock -- who was Zack Gelof's teammate at the University of Virginia -- is a groundball-heavy pitcher who combined for a 3.16 ERA in 46 relief appearances between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha with 72 strikeouts and 41 walks across 62 2/3 innings in 2024. He'll immediately be in the mix come Spring Training for an A’s club whose bullpen combined for a 3.83 ERA in ‘24.

“He’s the kind of guy we think could stick in the bullpen,” Forst said. “He’s up to 98 [mph]. Sinker, good secondary stuff. Not a huge strikeout guy. Obviously, the ground balls are good.”

GM’S BOTTOM LINE

Forst has indicated that the A’s payroll is indeed going up from the $63.4 million figure in 2024, and the Severino deal is evidence of that. He sees a team with a talented young core on the verge of playing contending baseball again after going through a rebuild over the previous three seasons, and he wants to add the necessary pieces that can help the A’s become a winning team during their temporary stint at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the next three years ahead of a planned relocation to a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028.

“We’re trying to get better,” said Forst. “I’m spending because I want to get better. If you ask ownership, they’re the ones who decide whether we spend or not. But I like spending because it makes our team better.”