General Manager David Forst: A’s Focused on Trades and MLB Roster Overhaul

While the Athletics’ rebuild is not yet complete, the club appears to be moving out of a pure sales phase as the 2024-25 offseason begins (and the team’s temporary stint in Sacramento begins). A’s general manager David Forst told The San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea that his front office has at least reached out to every team except the Dodgers and Yankees, and that “any trade activity we discuss is aimed at improving the major league team in 2025, not trading major league players for prospects.“

This isn’t an entirely new position, as Forst said in July before the trade deadline that the A’s were putting some brakes on moving any existing trade chips. While this could be construed as some kind of ploy to get opponents to raise their bets, the Athletics ended up retaining big names like Brent Rucker, Mason MillerAnd JJ Bledaydespite significant interest from other teams. “A” traded Paul Blackburn (subject to arbitration control until 2025) in favor of the Mets and a long-term asset in Lukas Erceg to the Royals, although Erceg’s team control in the 2029 season is somewhat undermined by the fact that he is already 29 years old.

Although the Athletics had a 69-93 record in 2024, things seemed to start looking up for the team’s young core as the season progressed. After a brutal 37-61 first-half record, the A’s were an even 32-32 after the All-Star break, and even posted a 29-21 mark in July and August. Rooker was one of the best hitters in the entire league, and Bleday Lawrence ButlerAnd Shea Langeliers they all showed some intriguing potential elsewhere in the lineup.

The weak links were pretty obvious, as Shea writes that the Athletics’ offseason wish list includes an upgrade to a porous defense, a starting pitching staff that has been one of the worst in baseball, and some help at third base. The A’s have had as many as 10 players in the A’s hot corner during the 2024 season, but that revolving door has collectively resulted in a replacement of -0.6 bWAR (28th out of 30 teams in third base production).

As always, Forst will be limited in what he can spend on new players, although how much the A’s can spend on free agents overall is still in question due to the uncertainty surrounding their moves. “We need to be active on the trade market until we get a clear picture of how free agents will consider moving to Sacramento. This prompted us to reach out to clubs ahead of free agency.– said Forst.

With that in mind, the A’s could very well end up being one of the more aggressive teams in the early stages of free agency, as Forst and company may be interested in acquiring any non-tender candidates or unwanted contracts that other teams have. The Athletics have about $35.5 million on the books for 2025 (per RosterResource), although none of that money is actually guaranteed, so some trades or non-tenders could reduce that number. That gives the A’s some relative flexibility from a payroll standpoint, as Forst said the club is willing to spend more than its $63.1 million payroll starting in 2024.