How the Joey Meneses Signing Impacts Others on A's Roster
In this story:
With the offseason picking up, the A's are starting to add some minor league free agents. Earlier in the week, the club added veteran right-hander Nick Anderson, and earlier this morning, the team signed Joey Meneses to a minor league contract.
Meneses, 33, has played three big league seasons with the Washington Nationals, most recently in 2024. His career batting average is quite good at .274 with a .731 OPS and 29 homers in his 1114 career at-bats in the big leagues.
Although Meneses is primarily a first baseman, he's also had his share of time in the outfield in his career, which is possibly the place we could see him playing this season. This is due to the Rookie of the Year, Nick Kurtz, who will be the team's everyday first baseman.
Joey Meneses spent his 2025 campaign in Triple-A with the Syracuse Mets, where he slashed .265/.322/.769 in 385 at-bats. With a crowded position player group on the Mets last season, he never reached the big leagues with them, but could get some time with the A's as a good depth option.
Meneses is currently playing in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, as he gets ready to fight for a spot on the A's out of Spring Training. As of November 15th, he's currently batting .258 with a .320 on-base percentage.
Even if the A's don't need Meneses to be on their Opening Day roster, the team could certainly use him at some point over the summer, and he's consistently proven to be a solid hitter no matter what level he's playing at.
His ability to fill in at first base or in the outfield will allow his bat to be in the big league lineup no matter where the team needs him to play at any given time. Sometimes these minor league signings just fill in depth in the minors, but bringing in Meneses is going to be a nice bat for whatever lineup he's put into next season.
How Will He Impact the Playing Time of Others?
Because the team has gold-glove candidate Tyler Soderstrom in left field, and Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz at first base, with Soderstrom also able to play first base when Kurtz needs a day off, Joey Meneses won't have a straightforward path to playing time in West Sacramento.
However, as a depth bat, he'd have to beat out guys like Colby Thomas, JJ Bleday, or Carlos Cortes to land a spot in the mix to be on the initial roster. Because Meneses' bat has been so good at every level, he could have a shot out of Spring Training, but it would be unlikely unless a trade frees up more space.
Colby Thomas will be an interesting name as this offseason continues. He still has all three of his minor league options remaining, and could also be a possible trade candidate if the team doesn't view him as a potential piece of their future outfield. The A's have outfielders in Triple-A that could be ready for a look soon, which could make Thomas a potential trade piece to help acquire pitching this winter.
Thomas' ability to hit against left-handed pitching makes him a great platoon option at the very least heading into next season. He posted an .894 OPS against southpaws, but just an abysmal .463 OPS against right-handers. He was also regarded as a solid prospect, which could make him an attractive name to other organizations.
Tyler Soderstrom's name has also been thrown around as a possible trade candidate, but because he's been great for the team, they will likely look to keep his name in the lineup, and his nearly golden glove in the field. Losing him would open both an outfield spot, and the team's backup first baseman, which Meneses could look to fill if Soderstrom gets dealt.
To be clear, while he has been mentioned in trade rumors, it's highly unlikely that the team moves Soderstrom this winter. He's viewed as a core piece of this club by the coaching staff.
Overall, it'll certainly depend on the moves the team makes over the course of this winter that will decide how the team's outfield depth looks come Spring Training, but for Joey Meneses, getting some work in the outfield may be his most direct path to a spot on the A's roster in 2026.
I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.
Follow dylanq_2