Athletics Manager Mark Kotsay Details Discussions With Free Agent Walker Buehler

Walker Buehler, fresh off winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, apparently isn't interested in playing in a minor league park with the Athletics in 2025.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) celebrates after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the 2024 Imagn Images World Series at New York. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Athletics, with the city of Oakland officially in their rear-view mirror, are Las Vegas-bound.

But before they set up shop in Sin City, the A's will have to bide their time in Sacramento. The club will spend the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate.

And if early results are any indication, it may be tough for the A's to attract talent to their minor league destination.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay spoke at the USC Sports Business Association Summit on Thursday, touching on a wide variety of topics. According to Annenberg Media's Kasey Kazliner, Kotsay even disclosed that the A's had talked to free agent starting pitcher Walker Buehler, who just won his second World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, Kotsay admitted that Buehler did not want to play in Sacramento.

At USC’s SBA Summit, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the A’s were talking to Walker Buehler but he didn’t want to play in Sacramento. #Athletics

— Kasey Kazliner (@kaseyjkaz) November 21, 2024

Buehler, 30, would likely step in as the A's ace right off the bat, if he were to sign there. JP Sears, Joey Estes and Mitch Spence currently make up the top of the Athletics' rotation, and none of them had an ERA+ over 100 in 2024.

Even though Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA and -1.3 WAR this year, it was his first taste of big league action since 2022. He also went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in the postseason, earning the save in Game 5 of the World Series.

Before Tommy John surgery sent his career down another path, Buehler was one of the game's most promising up-and-coming pitchers. The right-hander finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, then placed ninth in NL Cy Young voting in 2019 and fourth in 2021.

Between 2018 and 2021, Buehler went 39-14 with a 2.82 ERA, 0.989 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 13.3 WAR, making two All-Star appearances along the way.

MLB Trade Rumors projects Buehler to land a one-year, $15 million contract, while Spotrac has his market value pegged at just $3.9 million over one season.

It doesn't seem like the A's will be landing Buehler, though, even if they were willing to pay eight figures. Buehler, who looks like he will be signing a one-year "prove it" deal, apparently doesn't want to audition for his next contract in a minor league park, even if its outfield dimensions are comparable to those of the Oakland Coliseum.

As it stands, designated hitter Brent Rooker is tracking to be the team's highest-earner in 2025 with an estimated arbitration salary of $3.5 million, per Spotrac.

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