A's arbitration projections for 2025

Jason Burke | 3 Hours Ago

Sep 10, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Seth Brown (15) celebrates designated hitter Brent Rooker (25) run against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The A's are set to undergo a roster crunch this winter before their arrival in Sacramento, and we'll be getting into the nuts and bolts of those decisions in the coming days and weeks, but for now we're going to go over the players on the roster that will be arbitration eligible, and what they are projected to make in 2025.

One of those players will be DH Brent Rooker, who will be arbitration eligible for the first time in his career, and he's due for quite the raise after the season he just put up, mashing 39 homers and positioning himself as one of the best bats in baseball. MLB Trade Rumors recently projected him for a salary of $5.1 million, which is honestly a steal.

Seth Brown is also projected for a bump in pay, going from the $2.6 million he made in 2024, to a projected $3.8 million in his second year of arbitration. After his return from the minors, Brown was a solid contributor for the Athletics this season, but given the breakout seasons from JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler, there could be a roster squeeze that includes the veteran Brown in the coming weeks, given his salary projection and the positions (first and left field) being fairly covered.

One of the options for the A's to consider as an option in left field aside from Brown is Miguel Andujar, who missed a little time to begin the year and to end the season, but when he was on the field he was a solid contributor, batting .285 with a .320 OBP. He is projected to make $2.8 million in his final year of team control.

One thing we kept hearing from players (specifically pitchers) is that balls in the PCL can have a fairly low exit velocity, like 92 miles per hour, and it can go over the fence. Brown has more natural pop, but Andujar has better contact ability and could be able to run into a few more at Sutter Health Park. It'll be interesting to see how the A's approach left field this winter.

Austin Adams had a good season in relief for the A's, posting a 3.92 ERA across 41 1/3 innings in 56 appearances. He was used as a one-out option from time to time, and helped raise the level of expectations for the bullpen early in the year, serving as a late-inning option along with Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller. He's projected for $1.7 million in his final year of team control.

MLBTR also has Dany Jiménez listed as getting a slight raise up to $1 million for the 2025 season, but given his recent injury history, there is a chance the team could look for another right-hander in the bullpen, preferably one that they could sign to a minor-league deal this winter with an invitation to spring training. That way, they could have more spots available on the 40-man to get them through the offseason.

The A's will be looking to make some improvements this winter, and part of that process will be deciding which players they will have around for the 2025 season and beyond.