A's Non-Tender Three Ahead of Deadline

The moves clear up a little space on the A's 40-man roster

The A's announced on Friday that they would not be tendering contracts to right-handed reliever Deolis Guerra, lefty Jared Koenig, or first baseman David MacKinnon. 

With the removal of these three players, the A's 40-man roster sits at 37, and likely clears up space for the A's to make at least one selection in the Rule 5 Draft, and perhaps even try to jump on another team's non-tendered player over the weekend.

Guerra is the surprise of the bunch, if only because he has had decent success in the big leagues in the past, posting a 4.11 ERA with the A's in 2021 before needing Tommy John surgery last April. There is still a chance that the A's could bring him back on a minor league deal, which would be slightly less expensive that the $900K he was projected to make, and also allows them to remove him from the 40-man roster for a couple of months in case a player hits waivers or they need the space. 

Jared Koenig struggled as a starter in the big leagues, going 1-3 with a 6.39 ERA in five starts, but he seemed to have found a home as a long relief option, where he dominated in all but one appearance, totaling 14 innings in five appearances. 

David MacKinnon was an August waiver claim that excelled in the minors in 2022, batting .318 with a .416 OBP and 15 home runs, but in a brief stint in Oakland he went 0-for-13 with a walk and five strikeouts after going 7-for-37 (.189) with the Angels in a previous big-league stint. The A's likely see recent signing Kevin Cron as a better bet to produce in the majors. 

The A's are tendering contracts to Tony Kemp and Ramón Laureano, but they could still end up being trade pieces this winter as the A's look for more long-term solutions. 

Kemp has expressed a desire to stay with the A's as a mentor to the younger players, and he would be a good fit in that role if Oakland decides to keep him around. The A's have also brought in Brent Rooker, Yonny Hernandez, and Tyler Wade, and all three players fit best in Kemp's primary positions of left field and second base, so it's not assured that he'll be returning to the Coliseum in 2023. 

Laureano wasn't really a non-tender candidate, but he could be a trade piece this winter to a team looking to take a small chance on Ramón finding his swing again and providing solid outfield defense.