What the A's Are Looking For at Third Base

Jason Burke | Dec 16, 2024

Apr 9, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Darell Hernaiz (2) circles the bases during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

In a meeting with the media after the A's trade for Jeffrey Springs, GM David Forst was fielding questions about the direction of the club's offseason plans with that deal done, and of course, third base came up.

When asked what characteristics Forst and his team are looking for in a third baseman, the A's GM joked, "I hear the Cardinals' third baseman is available."

Recent reports said that St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado would only waive his no-trade clause for six teams, and unsurprisingly, the Athletics were not on that list.

As for the actual answer, Forst said, "We have guys in the mix who just don't have a lot of big-league reps and big league experience, so I think experience would be a factor. Mark [Kotsay] talked a lot at the end of the season about our defense and wanting to get better. I think we'll place a premium on defensive ability there. But again, we're sort of turning over every rock right now."

This is where things get interesting for how the A's can go about solving this problem, and it all comes down to their own internal evaluations of their prospects. If they feel like former first rounder Max Muncy can take on that role around midseason, or by 2026, then having a stopgap solution at third could be the way to go.

If they are unsure of where Muncy will be coming off an injury-plagued 2024 and few reps at third base in the minors (28 innings total), then they may want to go after a more long-term solution.

If they're confident in Muncy, or another internal option (Darell Hernaiz, Brett Harris) moving forward, then they could sign a veteran like Gio Urshela or Josh Rojas to handle the position either full time, or find a platoon partner with one of the inexperienced guys. The only way to gain that needed experience is to get an opportunity.

The other route they could take is to go after someone like New York Mets former top prospect Brett Baty, who has struggled in his time in the big leagues, but has loads of tools and talent that may just need some reps to show themselves.

If they went the Baty/inexperienced route, then the A's could have a full-fledged competition during camp, with one player taking over the majority of the playing time to begin the regular season. Hernaiz and Harris have two options remaining, while Baty has one.

The veteran/defensive specialist route could be someone like they had last year with J.D. Davis and Abraham Toro getting most of the time at the hot corner for large chunks of the year. Neither is with the team anymore. That direction would clear the way for Muncy in 2026.

So when Forst says that they're turning over every rock, these are likely the types of scenarios that he's going over with the rest of the front office. It's unlikely that Alex Bregman is an option, so they have to decide if they have the future third baseman on the roster or in the system, or if they need to land someone with years of control.

For what it's worth, Hernaiz was a much better hitter against southpaws in limited action last season, going 12-for-43 (.279) while playing roughly league average defense at third. If his defense were to improve to even slightly above league average, then those numbers against lefties could be enough for the small side of a platoon role in 2025.

If the A's were to go that route, then they could sign a veteran like Josh Rojas, most recently with the Seattle Mariners, who hit .240 with a .318 OBP against right-handers (104 wRC+), which would give the Athletics a roughly league average offensive combo at the hot corner.

Jul 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas (4) waits for a pitch during an at-bat against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Rojas was also a stellar defender at third last season with Seattle, racking up +7 Defensive Runs Saved and +6 Outs Above Average in 952 1/3 innings at the position. For someone that would receive the majority of the playing time, that's a nice player to have.

It would also allow the A's to spend some of their remaining money elsewhere, potentially on another starter, or a lockdown eighth inning reliever that would make the rest of the bullpen even stronger. Adding a veteran relief pitcher to set up Mason Miller may not be entirely necessary given the performances of Tyler Ferguson (3.68 ERA) and Michel Otañez (3.44), but it would make it so that the A's wouldn't have to rely on them quite as much and protect the team from any amount of sophomore slump from the duo.

There are a lot of ways for the A's to attack third base this offseason, and some of those paths could help improve the rest of the roster enough that they are able to reach their goal for 2025: Playing meaningful games during the final weekend of the regular season.