What will Seth Brown's role on the A's be in 2025?

Jason Burke | 10 Hours Ago

Sep 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Seth Brown (15) reacts after hitting a walk-off single against the Detroit Tigers during the thirteenth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

After signing a one-year deal with The Athletics earlier this week to avoid arbitration, one question has persisted: What is Seth Brown's role on the A's in 2025?

The A's have a crowded outfield at the moment, with JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler cementing themselves as lineup regulars in center and right fields, leaving just left field and a couple of bench outfield spots remaining with as many as five options for the team to consider.

Obviously they have Brown, whom they signed to a $2.7 million deal, but in addition to him, they'll also have Miguel Andujar, Esteury Ruiz, Brent Rooker, and No. 7 prospect Colby Thomas in the mix. And that is just with the guys that they have in house, let alone if they wanted to make an addition of some kind.

In 2024, Brown was optioned to the minors after batting .202 with a .263 OBP and seven home runs in 67 games in the first half. When he was brought back up in July, he went on to hit .263 with a .304 OBP and seven home runs in 57 games. That run included Brown hitting .304 and .308 and looking like a new hitter in parts of July and August, spanning about 110 cumulative at-bats, before batting .222 with a .229 OBP in the final month in 81 ABs.

The route that the A's are likely planning on is having Brown and Andujar split time in left field, with Andujar taking on left-handers, and Brown facing the righties, even though Brown didn't necessarily have a big difference in his splits last year, posting an 89 wRC+ against lefties and a 91 against righties. He was roughly 10% below league average against both. He was also below average in the field.

Andujar was also not great in the field, but has a great arm out there. His splits were also much more pronounced. In 61 plate appearances against lefties, Andujar hit .411 with a .459 OBP, and his career numbers suggest that he's better against left-handers on a regular basis, though not necessarily performing at quite that high of a level. The A's will also have to decide whether or not to tender Andujar a contract on Friday, and that decision could have big implications for this scenario.

While the platoon plan makes some sense, it also limits the amount of playing time that Ruiz would receive, potentially limiting him to a pinch-runner, which is not exactly the best case scenario for the last remaining part of the return from the Sean Murphy deal. Rolling with an Andujar/Brown platoon would also keep Thomas and potentially Denzel Clarke in the minors longer than they need to be.

What the A's end up doing in left field will likely depend upon what kinds of moves they're able to make this winter to upgrade the roster. The A's have both a lot of options in left, and also lack certainty at the position.

Another option for Brown could be to serve as a first base option to give Tyler Soderstrom a day off here and there, though both are left-handed bats, so there isn't much of a platoon fit.

If the depth chart looks similar to where it is now (crowded) come Opening Day, then the play is likely to see how Brown and Andujar perform in Sacramento, with the hope being that Sutter Health Park will boost their stats just a touch, which could make them more viable, and valuable, trade candidates. Brown is 32 and Andujar is in the final year of team control, so neither is a long-term piece for this club.