The Hidden Benefit of the A's Adding Jeff McNeil
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The Athletics have made clear that they were open to upgrades at second base this winter, and hammered home that point when they made a four-year, $48 million offer to free agent Ha-Seong Kim, before he chose the Atlanta Braves.
Just days before Christmas, the A's have finally made their big move to address second base, adding Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets. The A's will also be receiving enough money to trim his salary to $10 million on the season, sending over unranked 17-year-old right-hander Yordan Rodríguez to make it happen.
While the expectation is that McNeil will be handling second base duties, and pushing the three-way competition between Brett Harris, Darell Hernaiz and Max Muncy to third base. While that is the expectation, that may not necessarily be the way things ultimately shake out for the entire season.
McNeil has been an above average defender at second base, but he's also been a fairly solid defender on the outfield grass as well.
The A's have their outfield set—at least that's the hope—with Tyler Soderstrom, Denzel Clarke and Lawrence Butler from left to right. They can also mix in Colby Thomas and/or Carlos Cortes, if needed. The A's have outfielders aplenty.
But as we saw in 2025, while Clarke showed signs of being an otherworldly defender in center, his bat isn't a sure thing just yet. He ended the year hitting .230 with a .274 OBP and a 75 wRC+ (100 is league average) while also playing gold glove defense for the green and gold. He also played in just 47 games, missing most of the second half with a right adductor strain.
If Clarke's bat isn't where the A's want it, or he ends up getting injured over the course of the season, McNeil provides the team with a veteran to help fill in where he's needed. We saw Butler make some tremendous plays in center himself, which could leave McNeil as an option in right, or in center, depending on where he fits best in that scenario.
What about Zack Gelof?
This is a question that has been circulating around social media since the trade went down. Gelof was seen as the A's next big star when he debuted in 2023, but he had a subpar 2024 and was injured for much of 2025, leaving him two years removed from that initial breakout.
From the A's standpoint, they have to be hopeful that he'll return to the form that he showed in those 69 games when he debuted. At the same time, they can't afford to wait around for him to get back to that form with the rest of the team coming together quickly. He's also not a sure thing to be ready for Opening Day, after having shoulder surgery at the end of the season.
Ironically enough, the addition of McNeil could be a move that helps buy two guys some time. The first of those players is Gelof, who has two option years remaining, and can use any extra time to get his health fully in order, and then make a push to get back to the A's roster in Sacramento.
The other player this provides time for is top prospect Leo De Vries, who could end up starting the season in Triple-A with a strong spring. It's only a matter of time before he's on the A's active roster himself, but the addition of McNeil provides him the necessary time for the A's to make sure that he's ready for his debut.
If De Vries makes an early-season push, then McNeil's versatility will also come in handy as the club tries to figure out where to slot their slew of infielders.
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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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