Are the A's a Postseason Team?

While there are still a couple of weeks until pitchers and catchers report to camp, there aren't many other moves the A's could make, so they may be done with their bigger additions to the roster for 2025. We may still see some smaller pieces added, or fliers taken, but by and large, the big pieces are set in place.

The biggest moves the A's have made have been brining in right-hander Luis Severino on a three-year, $67 million contract and trading for lefty Jeffrey Springs, which gives the Athletics two solid options at the top of the rotation. Severino is expected to be the team's Opening Day starter in Seattle, facing one of the Mariners five aces.

Two smaller additions that were made were bringing in Gio Urshela to man third base in some capacity, whether that's as a platoon option or a full-time gig. His time at the position may also be limited by the development timeline of Max Muncy, a former first round pick of the A's that is nearing his debut.

The A's also brought in former Texas Rangers closer José Leclerc as a late-inning arm, giving the team a bridge to Mason Miller, one of the best closers in baseball. Leclerc's addition deepens the team's bullpen, and effectively shortens games. They could have a sneaky good group in 2025 that most people aren't paying attention to yet.

The A's were also a .500 team after the All-Star break last season, and their goal is to at least reach that mark over the course of a full year in 2025. Given the additions to the roster, it seems like a pretty good goal.

Lawrence Butler's breakout from July through the end of the season gave the A's a second big bat to pair with DH Brent Rooker, who launched 39 home runs last season. From July 1 onward, both Rooker and Butler were top-8 hitters across baseball, and the only pair of teammates that performed better were Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the New York Yankees. With Soto now in Queens, the A's could legitimately have the best duo in the game.

The A's had four players hit 20 or more home runs, and second baseman Zack Gelof added 17 of his own in a down year. This club can mash as a unit. Plus, this season they're adding Tyler Soderstrom at first base for a full season, and he could be another player that joins that mix.

As we discussed last week, the A's best projected overall player is still a prospect, and that's Jacob Wilson. He gets a boost from playing shortstop and being projected to hold a 120 wRC+ (100 is league average) in his first full season in the big leagues.

The A's could end up surprising some people in 2025. They finished with 69 wins last year, but a win total that begins with an "8" could very much be in the cards. Which number follows that eight could determine whether or not they play games in October.

But are they a playoff team? Now that is an interesting question. The easy path, a wild card spot, could depend on how well the AL Central performs overall, and if the Chicago White Sox can win a few more games. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles all seem like postseason bound teams right now, with one of them taking the division, so that could leave a spot open for he A's to push through if only the division winner in the Central ends up qualifying.

The more daunting path, winning the AL West, could also be in play, albeit with some big jumps in development from the A's.

The Angels, who finished last season 63-99, have added 8.2 WAR this offseason. It's not a bad showing at all, but their entire season will depend upon the health of Mike Trout. They'll likely end with a win total in the high 60's, low 70's.

The Rangers, the team that won the World Series in 2023, finished with a 78-84 record last year after some key players had down years. They could easily return to form and push for the division, or they could continue slipping in the standings. They have lost 3.6 WAR from their club last year, which could mean they're likely to fall even further.

The A's had a 69-win season in 2024, and they have added 6.6 WAR. If you factor in that this club had a .500 record in the second half and place the additions on top of that, then they're looking like a potential contender in the division.

Whether Rooker can produce another five-win season and Butler can be a top-10 bat in the league are two pressing questions that will need to be answered, but there will be other young guys that will be looking to take a step forward as well.

The two biggest obstacles will be the Mariners and the Houston Astros.

Seattle went 85-77 last year, and they haven't done much at all this winter, subtracting 1.3 WAR from their club. If they take a small step backward, the A's could be a team they have to deal with in the standings.

As for Houston, it kind of depends upon whether or not they end up bringing back Alex Bregman. As of right now, sans Bregman, the 88-win Astros have dropped 2.3 WAR from their roster, trading away Kyle Tucker while adding Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes. They also got off to a horrid start last year and still ended up winning the division because no other team wanted to claim it. This time around, the A's may be more of an impediment to them.

So are the A's going to win the West? It's not exactly likely, but it's certainly not out of the question. Their season will be determined by how well the younger guys on the roster perform, and if the club can stay relatively healthy. They've made enough front-line additions to think that this club can take another big step forward in 2025, but if a couple of key pieces go down for any length of time, then they could be in trouble.