Athletics' Luis Severino: To Athletics on $67 million deal
Rotowire
The Athletics agreed to a three-year, $67 million contract with Severino on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the deal includes an opt out after the second year. It's an unexpected landing spot for Severino, to say the least, as the $67 million guarantee is the largest in Athletics history. Severino held a 3.91 ERA and 161:60 K:BB over 182 innings across 31 regular-season starts for the Mets in 2024. The A's will play the 2025-27 seasons in Sacramento before moving to their permanent home in Las Vegas in 2028.
Kurtz slashed .353/.450/.608 with two home runs and a 16:9 K:BB in 60 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League.
He ended the regular season on the injured list at Double-A Midland due to a hamstring strain, but Kurtz was able to make up for lost time in the AFL and end his 2024 on a high note. Other than a general lack of athleticism and a bad body (listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds), Kurtz's only notable flaw is his injury history -- he missed time with random injuries at Wake Forest. However, after slashing .368/.520/.763 with four homers in 12 games split between Single-A and Double-A before dominating in the AFL, Kurtz's track record of hitting pro pitching is arguably tops in the 2024 draft class.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Seth Brown: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
The Athletics and Brown avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Wednesday.
There's no word on the financial terms of the deal, but Brown was due a modest raise after earning a $2.6 million salary in 2024. The 32-year-old slashed .231/.283/.379 with 14 home runs in 124 games this past season. Brown is likely to play a good amount versus righties again for the Athletics in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Matt Krook: Catches on with Athletics
Rotowire
Krook signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Friday.
Krook surrendered two earned runs in one inning during his lone MLB appearance with Baltimore last season. He was much more effective during his time with Triple-A Norfolk, however, posting a 3.92 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 43.2 frames. Now with the A's, the 30-year-old southpaw will most likely fill in as organizational depth at Triple-A Las Vegas.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Gets 40-man roster spot
Rotowire
The Athletics selected Clarke's contract from Double-A Midland on Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
Clarke is now on the 40-man roster after slashing .269/.339/.446 with 13 homers and 36 stolen bases at Midland last season. The 24-year-old can play all three outfield spots and will likely begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Las Vegas.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Ryan Cusick: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Athletics selected Cusick's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Cusick didn't have a great 2024 season, posting a 4.90 ERA and 65:37 K:BB over 60.2 frames between Double-A Midland and Las Vegas. The 25-year-old did pitch better after being moved to the bullpen in the second half (2.78 ERA, 35:18 K:BB in 32.1 innings), and it would appear his future is as a reliever.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Gunnar Hoglund: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Athletics selected Hoglund's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
Hoglund, who turns 25 in December, held a 3.44 ERA and 119:37 K:BB across 130.2 innings between Double-A Midland and Las Vegas in 2024. He was much more successful at Midland (2.84 ERA) than he was at Las Vegas (5.88 ERA), which isn't a surprise given the step up in competition and hitter-friendly environment in the Pacific Coast League. Hoglund is a candidate to see some starts for the A's in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Jason Alexander: Minor-league deal with Athletics
Rotowire
The Athletics signed Alexander to a minor-league contract Nov. 15.
Alexander's lone big-league experience came in 2022 with the Brewers, when he posted a 5.40 ERA over 18 appearances (11 starts). He spent the 2024 season at Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox organization, holding a 4.42 ERA and 129:39 K:BB across 138.1 frames.
Athletics' Tanner Dodson: Inks minors deal with Athletics
Rotowire
The Athletics signed Dodson to a minor-league contract Wednesday.
Dodson, 27, spent the 2024 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Dodgers organization, putting up a 3.32 ERA and 58:43 K:BB over 62.1 frames. The right-handed reliever has yet to appear in a major-league game.
The Athletics signed Lopez on Monday to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.
Lopez reported the news himself on his Instagram account. The 28-year-old is a career .265/.309/.329 hitter over parts of three major-league seasons and is capable of playing all over the diamond.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' Jared Johnson: Traded to A's
Rotowire
The Athletics acquired Johnson from Atlanta on Monday in exchange for Nick Allen.
Johnson spent the entire 2024 regular season with High-A Rome. Across 38 outings he registered a 2.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, eight saves and a 61:27 K:BB across 52 innings. The 23-year-old right-hander will look to work his way up through the Athletics' organization.
Athletics general manager David Forst said this week that the team isn't considering moving Miller back into a starting role, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
When the Athletics announced last offseason that Miller would be used as a reliever, they didn't rule out the right-hander eventually returning to the rotation. However, it appears that ship has now sailed and Miller's future is in the bullpen. He was one of the best closers in baseball in 2024, posting a 2.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 104:21 K:BB over 65 innings. Given his past health issues, it's not a surprise that the team has opted to leave Miller in a role in which he's proven he can stay heathy and effective.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' T.J. McFarland: Back in Green and Gold
Rotowire
McFarland signed a one-year contract with the Athletics on Thursday.
McFarland put up a 3.81 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 56.2 innings last year and tallied 19 holds while pitching in high-leverage situations fairly often. He's likely to retain a similar role in his second year with the A's, though opportunities for saves will be limited as long as Mason Miller is still on the team.
