What It Will Really Take for Nick Kurtz to Sign Long-Term With the A’s
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Late last month, there was a report that the A's were trying to lock up first baseman and AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz to an extension. At the time, there was no word on how much the extension offer was worth.
This week Jon Heyman is reporting that the extension offer was in the $100 million range, perhaps going up to as much as $130. That is both a huge offer from the A's, given that they haven't surpassed a $100 million contract in franchise history—and also entirely too low to lock up someone that could be a perennial AL MVP contender.
Kurtz was drafted in 2024, and signed for $7 million, so he's doing ok financially. He also played in a total of 33 minor-league games before getting called up to the big leagues in April of 2025, and was in the Majors less than a year after being drafted, so he's operating in another realm of player.
He then went on to hit four home runs in a game, a feat that has been accomplished just 18 times in MLB history. That is a feat rarer than a perfect game throughout the history of baseball—a sport built upon its history.
He also ended the season as one of the best hitters in baseball, finishing with an OPS just above 1.000. Kurtz joined AL and NL MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani as the only two players to accomplish that feat last season, among players with at least 450 plate appearances.
Kurtz showed that he's a special hitter last season, and figures to be the centerpiece of one of the best offenses in the game in 2026. He's also just one year into his MLB career and won't hit free agency until after the 2030 season.
Back In January, Kurtz spoke to reporters in Sacramento about a potential extension.
"I would never say it's out of the picture, but it's not really the full focus. I'm young. I'm so happy for [Tyler Soderstrom]. He deserves that wholeheartedly. My main focus is on winning one. And then winning the second one. If we win games, everyone's going to get paid. That's the biggest thing for me. Let's put it out on the field, and then we'll deal with everything else later."
An extension hasn't seemed like something he's after at the moment, but the A's are certainly trying to show that they're making an effort to sign him, because they know how important this deal would be both on the field and in the headlines.
What it could take to extend Kurtz
Based off of the wording of the reported the extension offer, which doesn't include a number of years, it could have been a $100 million deal with a number of escalators baked in that would bring it to $130 million. At least that's the logical conclusion with how that was phrased. That is a team-friendly offer that says, "hey, we tried!"
At the beginning of the offseason, we guesstimated that an extension for Tyler Soderstrom would be in the six year, $80 million range, and he ended up signing for seven at $86 with a club option. We also had Jacob Wilson at seven and $62 million, and he signed on with the green and gold this winter for seven years and $70 million with an option year as well.
This is to say that we've been in the ballpark with our estimates is all.
We also had Kurtz pegged at eight years, $140-160 million, and that's at a base line. There should definitely be escalators baked in there that could bring it up to $200 million. Could that make him pretty expensive? Of course! But that would also mean he's producing for the club and that he's going to be around for quite a bit, too. Those are two huge bonuses that would be hard to pass up.
Because he has the potential to be such a huge piece of the team, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just throw a ridiculous sum of money at him and make him a forever A's player.
The reason for this is because he has no incentive to sign on with the club right now. Sure they're a team on the rise and the vibes in the clubhouse are great, but if he signs an extension, he's also running the risk of leaving a huge sum of money on the table as his career progresses. To get him to sign, the A's have to wow him.
One more reason for Kurtz to take pause
On top of having already vaulted to the level of being one of the premier bats in baseball, the incentive isn't there for Kurtz, which is one reason for him to delay any extension agreement.
The other could be partly tied to the reason that some of the other guys have already signed on: The clubhouse. Rooker is signed through 2029, with an option for 2030. Butler is through 2031 with an option for 2032. Soderstrom and Wilson are signed through 2032 with options for 2033.
Kurtz, without an extension, is already under team control through 2030. With an extension, he could be entering territory where there isn't a known group around him just yet.
Perhaps it's worth checking to see how the pitching develops, and how the A's front office moves next offseason to get better with some potential spots opening up in the rotation before signing on long-term. It's going to take more to sign him, and that likely means adding years to the contract to make the numbers all work.
Making sure he's in the right spot (and perhaps even seeing the completed ballpark in Las Vegas) may not be a bad bet for him before he signs on for the bulk of his career.
For more A's news and insights, follow Jason @ByJasonB on X, or the site @InsideTheAs!
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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