Urshela agreed to a one-year contract with the A's, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. The deal is pending a physical. Urshela split time between Detroit and Atlanta last season and hit .250 with nine home runs and a .647 OPS. He was released by Detroit in August after hitting just .243/.286/.333, but improved slightly with Atlanta by hitting .265 with a .711 OPS. Urshela still has a decent glove at third base as his Defensive Runs Saved ranked 18th at the position last season. He'll compete for a regular role this spring at third base.
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Giovanny Urshela : One-year deal with Athletics
Urshela agreed to a one-year contract with the A's, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. The deal is pending a physical. Urshela split time between Detroit and Atlanta last season and hit .250 with nine home runs and a .647 OPS. He was released by Detroit in August after hitting just .243/.286/.333, but improved slightly with Atlanta by hitting .265 with a .711 OPS. Urshela still has a decent glove at third base as his Defensive Runs Saved ranked 18th at the position last season. He'll compete for a regular role this spring at third base.
Jacob Lopez : Headed west after swap
The Rays traded Lopez and Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics on Saturday in exchange for Joe Boyle, Jacob Watters, Will Simpson and a compensatory draft pick. Lopez appeared in four games for the Rays last season, giving up six earned runs while striking out eight batters and walking seven across 10.1 innings. His performance improved slightly in Triple-A (4.26 ERA, 1.32 WHIP over 88.2 innings), and his chances of making the Athletics' Opening Day bullpen will likely depend on how well he does during spring training.
Jeffrey Springs : Headliner in offseason swap
The Rays traded Springs and Jacob Lopez to the Athletics on Saturday in exchange for Joe Boyle, Jacob Watters, Will Simpson and a compensatory draft pick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. After signing Luis Severino to the largest guaranteed deal in franchise history, the A's continue to invest into their rotation by acquiring Springs. The 32-year-old southpaw missed the first half of last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but returned to start seven games for Tampa Bay, recording a 3.27 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 33 innings. He and Severino will almost certainly slot in at the top of the Athletics' rotation, but because Springs has surpassed the 45-inning mark only once in his seven-year career, the A's may look to limit his workload in 2025.
Ben Bowden : Latches on with Athletics
The Athletics signed Bowden to a minor-league contract Dec. 9. Bowden, 30, pitched at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization this past season, posting a 4.03 ERA and 35:17 K:BB across 29 innings. The right-handed reliever's lone major-league experience came back in 2021, when he held a 6.56 ERA in 39 appearances with the Rockies.
Brent Rooker : Team trying to extend
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay indicated Friday that the club is looking to sign Rooker (forearm) to a contract extension, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Kotsay was talking to reporters about the recent signing of Luis Severino and noted of Rooker that the team is "hopeful to get something done" with the 30-year-old that would show the Athletics are moving in a new direction in regard to "making commitments to players." Rooker is projected to make around $5 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility this offseason and is under team control through 2027. Athletics general manager David Forst said in November that he did not expect to trade Rooker, and the news that the club is looking to extend him instead certainly backs up that line of thinking. Rooker underwent right forearm extensor surgery but is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
Luis Severino : To Athletics on $67 million deal
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.
Seth Brown : Avoids arbitration
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.
Matthew Krook : Catches on with Athletics
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.