SACRAMENTO -- Brent Rooker played for a few different organizations early in his career, but it was not until he joined the Athletics in 2023 that he truly established himself as a big leaguer.

Since donning the green and gold, Rooker has evolved into one of the better hitters in baseball while also standing out as an important clubhouse presence for a young team on the rise, one the A’s have now ensured will help lead them into a new era by reaching an agreement with the slugger on a five-year contract extension, a source told MLB.com on Monday night. The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, is worth $60 million and includes a sixth-year vesting option for 2030. The club has not confirmed the deal.

Both A’s manager Mark Kotsay and general manager David Forst indicated that extension talks were underway with Rooker and his agent shortly after the end of the 2024 regular season.

It was easy to see why the A’s were looking to lock up Rooker, who turned 30 in November, for the long term. Following up on an All-Star 2023 campaign in his first season with the A’s, Rooker took his offensive game to another level last season. He hit .293 with a .927 OPS, 39 home runs and 112 RBIs to become the first A’s player to win a Silver Slugger Award since Eric Chavez in 2002, all while dealing with a nagging elbow issue that limited him to mostly designated hitter duties and led to him undergoing elbow surgery after the season.

Rooker -- expected to be fully recovered well before Spring Training -- became the first A’s player to finish a season with a batting average of at least .290, at least 30 home runs and at least 100 RBIs since Miguel Tejada’s 2002 AL MVP campaign. His 164 wRC+ ranked seventh highest among all Major League hitters, only trailing superstars Aaron Judge (218), Shohei Ohtani (181), Juan Soto (180), Yordan Alvarez (168), Bobby Witt Jr. (168) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (165).

“He’s pretty unbelievable,” Kotsay said of Rooker after the A’s final game of the season in September. “We don’t talk enough about the perseverance of this kid’s career. As long as it took him to find a home and establish himself as a centerpiece to an offense, it’s pretty remarkable for him to put together two seasons the way he has. I’m looking forward to the future for him here.”

On track for a relocation to a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028 following their temporary stay at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the next three seasons, the A’s are looking to build a roster that can generate momentum ahead of that impending move.

That process has already begun. It starts with the young group of controllable players already on the roster that helped the A’s improve upon their 2023 win total by 19 games last season such as Lawrence Butler, Mason Miller, Jacob Wilson (A's No. 1 prospect/MLB No. 24 prospect), Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof and JJ Bleday. Other top prospects are expected to reach the Majors next season, such as first baseman Nick Kurtz (A's No. 2 prospect/MLB No. 45 prospect) and outfielders Colby Thomas (A's No. 7 prospect) and Denzel Clarke (No. 10).

After supplementing that young core this offseason with the signings of veterans such as right-hander Luis Severino and third baseman Gio Urshela and trading for left-hander Jeffrey Springs, extending Rooker provides further proof of the A’s commitment to what they are building.

“Those three additions are going to be a big help,” Rooker told MLB.com on Monday. “We liked where we were at the end of last year, and I think we’re a better team now than we were then. Heading into Spring Training, the expectations are high, the hopes are high, and we’re excited about where our team is.”