3 A's Players to Keep an Eye on This Spring

The Athletics have made a number of moves this offseason, signing starter Luis Severino, reliever Jose Leclerc, and third baseman Gio Urshela, as well as trading for left-handed starter Jeffrey Springs. Bringing in veteran guys will surely have an effect how how the roster shakes out this season, so here are three players to keep an eye on as camp gets underway.

Noah Murdock

The A's added Murdock in the Rule 5 Draft back in December, and when the pick was made, it was pretty clear that he could have a nice role in the team's bullpen. In 38.1 innings in Triple-A last season with the Kansas City Royals, the 26-year-old righty posted a 3.76 ERA (3.52 FIP), along with a ground ball rate of 62.1%.

Given that the A's don't exactly know how Sutter Health Park will play with big-league hitters inhabiting the space, they have brought in a number of ground ball pitchers this winter.

On top of the high ground ball rate, Murdock also struck out 27.9% of the hitters he faced in Triple-A, but he also walked 15.8% of batters. He sits 94-97 and has big stuff, but his command could be an issue.

The A's tend to go after guys that fit this profile, and they've had some success in the past, most recently with Michel Otañez last season, but even he was given some time in the minors to figure things out with his new club.

For Murdock, since he's a Rule 5 guy, he'll have to stick with the A's on the 26-man roster for the entirety of the season, or else go straight to waivers, and if he clears there, then he'd be offered back to the Royals.

The A's may end up keeping him around to see what he can do in low leverage situations to begin with, but with the franchise looking to turn a corner and having higher internal expectations for themselves, Murdock will either have to catch up or be left behind.

Darell Hernaiz

Hernaiz was acquired in the Cole Irvin deal with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, and made his big-league debut in 2024 as part of the A's Opening Day roster. Playing time was sporadic overall, with Nick Allen beginning the year with the team at short, and J.D. Davis as their third baseman, leaving few opportunities to make an impression.

He was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on April 18, only to be brought back a week later. From then until he landed on the IL in early May, Hernaiz went a solid 9-for-37 at the dish, good for a .243 average. It looked as though he was starting to find himself at the next level, only to suffer a setback that would keep him off the field in Oakland until August.

He never quite found that stroke again in his time with the A's, finishing the season as a .191 hitter with a .261 OBP. On the bright side, he did show that he could hit left-handers, batting .279 with a .327 on-base against them in a small sample. That could be his way onto the roster in 2025, as a platoon option at third for Urshela, or even as someone that can give Jacob Wilson a breather at short.

That said, the A's will surely have Max Schuemann on the roster, and he holds a similar skillset in terms of where he can play, and he had a better year in 2024. Hernaiz may need to push his way onto the roster in camp, or he could fall out of the team's plans moving forward.

Former first rounder Max Muncy is projected to be the A's third baseman of the future after Wilson took over shortstop, so as soon as he learns how to play the hot corner, he could be with the A's in Sacramento.

If Hernaiz performs well, he could be seen as a trade piece sooner rather than later. If he falters, then the team may hold onto him until they can get something for him since he has two option years remaining. It doesn't seem as though his time with the club will last too much longer, unless he becomes a versatile bench guy, so he's certainly someone to watch for in camp.

Joey Estes

Estes , 23, could very well make the A's starting rotation out of camp. He's still growing as a pitcher, but he has flashed some impressive tools on the mound in his year plus with the A's.

Still, he finished last year with a 5.01 ERA (4.94 FIP) in 127.2 innings. He only walked 5% of the batters he faced, but his strikeout rate was also fairly low at 16.9%. He's the kind of guy that's going to grind out innings for a club day in and day out.

Yet, there are a couple of stats that are a little concerning as the A's change home venues in 2025, moving from the more pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum to the unknown of Sutter Health Park. Last season, Estes was terrific at home, posting a 3.26 ERA (4.58 FIP), while on the road, he held a 6.90 ERA (5.32 FIP).

There will be no home cooking like that in 2025, which brings up the question of what kind of pitcher Estes will end up being.

Added to those splits are the fact that he had the worst ground ball rate on the team at 24.9%, which also ranked in the first percentile among MLB pitchers. Given the A's uncertainty with how the new park wil play, those two factors could be enough to keep Estes in the minor leagues, at least to begin the season. He also has two options remaining.

On top of both those statistical reasons, there is also the fact that Severino, Springs, and JP Sears are pretty much guaranteed to be in the starting rotation, while Osvaldo Bido and Mitch Spence seem like better options than Estes at the moment. We'll see how things look in about a week when games begin, but as of right now, Estes could be on the outside looking in for a few reasons.