3 A's Players Facing Make-or-Break Spring Trainings
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Spring training has arrived in Mesa, Arizona, and the vibes are high for the Athletics. After finishing 76-86 last season, even with an unexplainable 1-20 stretch, this year's club is focused on making it to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
With four contract extensions handed out already, the core of the A's roster is becoming set, and there are plenty of players that are locked into their roles with the club. That said, there are still some spots up for grabs for key roles. There are also a few guys that are at risk of being passed up in the depth chart by up-and-comers.
When we originally planned this article, both Max Schuemann and Mitch Spence were going to be included, but they have each been designated for assignment and traded elsewhere at this point. Here are three players that will be at the very least getting their chance to prove themselves to the front office this spring.
Austin Wynns
The A's acquired Wynns from the Cincinnati Reds after he'd been designated for assignment last summer, and he was a stable, veteran presence behind Shea Langeliers at catcher until an abdominal strain ended his season in August.
The A's decided to roll with Wynns this winter, cutting ties with Willie MacIver, which provides a little security for the veteran. Yet at the same time, the A's will have four non-roster catchers in camp in Shane McGuire, Bryan Lavastida, Chad Wallach and Brian Serven, signaling that the club is open to rolling with the hot hand at any point.
Wynns will likely be the backup catcher to begin the season, but there will be plenty of other potential options waiting in the wings, too. After hitting .400 in 18 games with the Reds, he batted .222 in 22 games with the A's. If one of the other options has a hot bat this spring, could that land one of them ahead Wynns on the depth chart?
Luis Medina
Luis Medina is both blessed and cursed this spring, because he is out of options. On the bright side, that could land him a spot on the roster, presumably in the bullpen as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. On the other hand, he'll have to be fine-tuned and ready to go when camp ends, or he could find himself on the waiver wire.
Medina, 26, has seen the other two pitchers from the Frankie Montas deal leave the organization in just the past eight months, with JP Sears traded to San Diego in the Mason Miller deal, and Ken Waldichuk landing on waivers while he recovered from injury himself. Now he's with the Washington Nationals.
Medina has a pathway to a roster spot, and that is if he performs well enough this spring, he'll be with the A's in Toronto on Opening Day. Then again, if he struggles all camp, the A's have plenty of pitching depth that they could take a look at to begin this season. As the team has gotten better we've seen them be more cutthroat with their roster decisions, so it'll be up to Medina to be ready.
Joey Estes
While Medina has a direct path to the A's Opening Day roster, Estes's path is much less clear. He made the starting rotation out of camp last spring, beating the since-traded Mitch Spence for the final spot, but after two lousy outings to begin the year, he was demoted to Triple-A, where he made 17 appearances (15 starts) and held a 5.50 ERA.
For Estes, the plan is simple. Work his way back into the team's plans. His path to the Opening Day roster is basically taking over the long relief role that Mitch Spence has previous held, if Luis Medina is unable to secure it for himself. He made an appearance out of the bullpen in August for the A's last season, and held the Seattle Mariners to one hit across four innings. That's a good start.
The key for Estes is to prove that he can perform well outside of the Oakland Coliseum on a consistent basis. In his only full season in the bigs, Estes held a 3.26 ERA in Oakland back in 2024, and a 6.90 ERA on the road. The foul territory was certainly known for helping pitchers, as was the thick marine layer that knocked some balls down in the right conditions.
Now, with more than a year to prepare for how to pitch in Sacramento, Estes has an opportunity to insert himself back into the team's plans with a solid camp.
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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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