• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The 2024 Best Employers in Sports Award winners have been announced! See the full list of winners

A’s Expect Payroll to Increase, but Face Tough Sell in Sacramento

  • The low-spending MLB club looks to boost payroll, but it will be playing at a minor league facility.
  • Sacramento’s extreme heat and the conditions at Sutter Health Park could be obstacles.
D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The A’s are looking to open their wallets—at least somewhat—in their new home market, but will any MLB free agents actually be interested?

Days after the A’s played their final game at the Oakland Coliseum, GM David Forst said the team intends to increase its payroll in 2025, marking a potentially major step after the club ranked last in Major League Baseball this year at $63.4 million. The figure was 26% below the No. 29 team, the Pirates, and solidified the A’s as the league’s lowest-spending team for the second straight year. 

“We do expect our payroll to increase,” Forst said. “We do expect to be active in free agency.”

More than a generation ago, the A’s were a top-spending club and actually led the league in payroll in 1991. But under the current ownership regime led by the embattled and unpopular John Fisher, the club has tightened its spending considerably. A $66 million contract with former third baseman Eric Chavez signed in 2004 remains the largest player deal in franchise history, a figure now just a mere fraction of top MLB player deals that now extend well into nine figures. 

Despite the ambition of the A’s, the 2025 payroll figure will dip before it potentially goes back up, as the team has more than $25 million coming off its books with the expiration of contracts for pending free agents Scott Alexander, Trevor Gott, T.J. McFarland, Ross Stripling, and Alex Wood. The bulk of the A’s roster is made up of younger players still under team control. 

Facility Concerns

Beyond the spending issues—both real and perceived—perhaps the biggest obstacle the A’s will face this offseason will be convincing players to sign up for playing at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, the team’s home for the next three seasons. The A’s will share the facility with the Triple-A River Cats, the top minor-league affiliate of the Giants, and an artificial turf field will likely be used to help deal with that heavy game schedule. 

That field, however, is expected to exacerbate challenging playing conditions in which Sacramento summers routinely reach triple-digit temperatures. Already, the MLB Players Association is in conversation with the league about mitigating those issues where possible. 

“We do have to sell it,” Forst said of attracting free-agent players to play in a minor league facility. “I’d be lying if I told you I knew what the answers were going to be on the other side, once we start that process.”

That said, the A’s were two games above .500 in the final three months of the 2024 season and finished fourth in the AL West, ahead of the struggling Angels

“I do have an outstanding manager [Mark Kotsay] to play for, and we have a really good team, an improving team on the field that I would hope players want to be a part of,” Forst said. “We’re going to have the sell the situation and the ballpark as much as we can.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

More to A’s Offseason Spending Plans Than Meets the Eye

Revenue-sharing guidelines are helping fuel the increased spending.

BYU Secures No. 1 2026 Hoops Recruit With $7 Million NIL Deal

Dybantsa chose BYU over UNC, Kansas, and Alabama.

Transfer Portal Chaos: Record Moves, Star QBs, and NIL Deals Reshape CFB

There has been unprecedented portal activity this year.

Manfred Reinforces MLB Interest in Tampa Remaining Rays Home

The commissioner meets with state and county officials to support the Rays.

Featured Today

Nov 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Wilson NBA basketball held by a referee during the second half between the Utah Jazz against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena

‘Obvious Weak Point’: Refs Remain an NBA Gambling Concern

A season after Jontay Porter, the biggest risk may not be players.
Nov 2, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader runs with a flag before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Michigan Stadium.
opinion
December 7, 2024

College Football’s Billionaire Backer Era Begins

Is this the new normal in CFB recruiting?
LA Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljic (9) celebrates with midfielder Riqui Puig (10) after scoring a goal against Seattle Sounders FC in the second half in the 2024 MLS Cup Western Conference Final match at Dignity Health Sports Park
December 6, 2024

With or Without Messi, Major League Soccer Is Barreling Into the Future

After the Cup final, the league looks to accelerate its growth.
Dec 18, 2022; Lusail, Qatar; FIFA president Gianni Infantino claps during the awards ceremony after the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium.
December 2, 2024

FIFA Wants More Matches. Resistance Is Growing Inside the Global Soccer World

Resentment and frustration over expanded schedules is nearing a breaking point.
Tilman Fertitta

Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta in Line for Trump Appointment, Wants to Buy..

Fertitta had given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump.
December 9, 2024

As Wizards Hit Historic Low, Leonsis Calls Season ‘Very Productive’

They’re on pace for one of the worst records in NBA history.
Joe Tsai
December 10, 2024

NFL Owners Set to Vote on Dolphins, Bills Stakes for Tsai, Carter,..

The deals are likely to be approved at the owners meetings in Dallas.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
December 9, 2024

Have Mets Upended New York’s Baseball Hierarchy With Soto Deal?

The National League team sheds its image as an often-lovable underdog.
December 9, 2024

McLaren F1 Team Nearly Folded in 2020. An American Exec Just Led..

An investment from MSP Sports Capital in 2020 saved McLaren.
Old Commanders logo
December 6, 2024

Commanders Plan to Bring Back Old Logo on Special Alumni Merchandise

The Commanders are bringing back their old logo in limited fashion.
Soccer
December 6, 2024

U.S. Buyers Snap Up Yet Another English Soccer Club in Sheffield United

The recently relegated club has agreed to sell to new owners.