MESA, Ariz. — For the past few years, the A’s have been viewed as the ugly stepchild of Major League Baseball. The team’s decision to leave Oakland following the conclusion of the 2024 season has loomed like a dark cloud over the organization. Meanwhile, the team’s roster was extremely young, undermanned and unprepared to compete, and their chances of turning things around appeared remote.
But there’s a different energy in the air at A’s camp this spring, and it isn’t just because the team will be playing in a new city in 2025. It’s also because, after an offseason of investment in the roster, there’s a real belief that this season could be the starting point of a new era of A’s baseball.
This time of year, there’s discussion around the industry about the team to look out for in 2025, and there’s a common refrain emerging about which team that might be. Meet your sleeper postseason hopeful for 2025: the A’s of West Sacramento.
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“It’s hard not to hear it in this day and age, when it’s instantaneous and in your hands, information that comes across the phone, but that’s a good thing,” manager Mark Kotsay said of the buzz around his team. “[Our players] are somewhere new right now, but that’s exciting. It’s exciting for them, and I think it’s exciting for us to have those expectations.”
You can tell when a team knows it’s going to be good, and inside the A’s clubhouse, there’s a quiet confidence. It’s not cocky or arrogant, but there’s a feeling that these players are fully aware of the season they’re embarking on and the potential for what could come of it.
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Youthful exuberance comes with its own share of energy, and youth has been the name of the game for the A’s over the past few seasons. At times, their age showed, and the sheer lack of big-league experience could be seen in their play. But last season, there was a shift in a positive direction as the team’s young core of position players began to tap into their potential.
The player who has helped ignite the team’s offensive outlook the most is All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker. Rooker followed a strong 2023 season with the best year of his career in ‘24, clubbing a team-high 39 homers and establishing himself as one of the game’s most feared power hitters. He was rewarded by the club with a five-year, $60 million extension…