A's Plan to Increase Payroll, But Where Will They Spend?

Sep 19, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) in the batting cage before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

During the end-of-season media call, Athletics on SI asked GM David Forst what the team's payroll plans are for the offseason, given that the Las Vegas ballpark plans are one year closer.

"I expect that our payroll will increase. I don't have the exact numbers yet, and John [Fisher] and I will continue those conversations over the next couple of months. But I think when we made this transition to Sacramento, with Vegas in our sights in 2028, the idea was to continue to build up each year, and that's my expectation."

Last winter, the A's brought in Luis Severino on the most lucrative contract in team history at three years and $67 million, while also adding Jeffrey Springs to the rotation at $10.5 million over the first two seasons (25-26), with a club option for $15 million in 2027.

The A's also signed DH Brent Rooker and right fielder Lawrence Butler to extensions earlier this year, along with bringing in some free agents like Gio Urshela, José Leclerc, and Luis Urías. The A's spent some money this past offseason, and with the club even closer to contention, they're looking to spend a little more.

One way they could do that would be to lock up more of their key players to extensions, with Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, and Shea Langeliers among the group that the team would be likely to look at.

Langeliers is set to enter arbitration in 2026, which could make him the most likely option, while Kurtz and Wilson still have team control that runs through 2030 for Wilson and 2031 for Kurtz.

We also asked if the team could be targeting a veteran reliever, potentially as a closer, following the Mason Miller trade at the deadline, and Forst's response didn't make it seem as though that was something that was necessarily a goal of theirs, given how the bullpen performed the final two months of the season.

"I think we'll be opportunistic when it comes to the bullpen. It's not an easy area to figure out, you know, in the offseason. These things kind of get figured out on the fly. I thought Mark and Emo [Scott Emerson] and Dan Hubbs did an incredible job adjusting the way that they use the bullpen, particularly once Mason was traded and you don't have a capital 'C' closer out there.

"You have to be flexible, and frankly, a little uncomfortable. I don't know that Mark will say it here, but we put him in a position where he and his staff were uncomfortable with how they were going to handle the back end of games, and they could not have done a better job...They used guys for two innings at a time, or for one-plus.

"Or matched up early in the game with a guy maybe you thought was going to close. It was really fun to watch those guys be creative down in the dugout and figure out how to finish games. So I guess it's a long way of saying I think bullpens are sort of created organically.

"We will certainly look for talent out there on the free agent market or the trade market, but it's nice to know there's a lot of experience coming back."

From August 1 through the end of the season, A's relievers ranked second in all of baseball in ERA with a 2.99 (4.04 FIP), just slightly behind the Cleveland Guardians' 2.93. In that span, Hogan Harris closed out four games with a 1.16 ERA, Sean Newcomb closed out a pair with a 0.84 ERA, and Michael Kelly earned two saves with a 5.14 ERA.

Tyler Ferguson and Osvaldo Bido also earned saves over the final two months. Given that the A's went 28-23 over that stretch didn't need to win a slew of close games in order to do so is impressive. It also speaks to how often this team really needed to use a capital 'C' closer.

Perhaps building up the team's depth of relief options will be a focal point fo the club, but they can also do that with minor-league contracts and waivers claims, where they have had success in recent seasons with Kelly, Elvis Alvarado, Sterner, and Ferguson. This would also allow them to have a more flexible 40-man roster this winter.

Forst also mentioned that potential areas they take a look at this winter will be second base and third base, as those are the only two spots that don't have someone locked in at the moment, primarily due to injuries. Having options at those spots could also be critical for the team's success in 2026.

Over the course of the offseason, we'll be sure to provide a number of players that could be options for the A's to consider to help build out the roster to be the best it can be in an effort to make the postseason for the first time since 2020.