Why an A's Extension For Jacob Wilson Makes Sense Right Now
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Earlier this offseason, we ranked shortstop Jacob Wilson as the fourth most-likely player to sign an extension with the A's this winter, and projected a deal with cover seven years and cost around $62 million based on comps.
Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that Wilson and the A's are in agreement on an extension that will cover seven years worth $70 million, so we were pretty close. The deal also includes an eighth year club option, per Passan.
Wilson finished second in the American League's Rookie of the Year voting behind teammate Nick Kurtz this winter after batting .311 with a .355 OBP and nine home runs in his first full year in the big leagues. He is certainly a standout player that will now be with the A's through at least the 2032 season, with an option for 2033.
By the time the seven years are up, he'll be through with his age 30 season, with the option for his age 31 campaign as well. The amount for that option year has not been disclosed just yet.
Contributing factor?
We noted earlier this winter that it would be interesting to watch the free agency of Luis Arraez, who is the player that Wilson is most often compared to. Neither player strikes out much, though Wilson has a little more pop in his bat and plays a defensive position fairly well. Arraez has been relegated to first base of late and hasn't graded out well there either.
With February just a couple of days away, Arraez is still on the free agent market and is likely looking at a short-term deal this winter.
That has to be a little worrisome for a player like Wilson, who has many of the same skills as Arraez, to see those skills not being valued by other front offices on the free agent market. In taking this deal, he has some security.
Wilson is able to lock in a pretty good sized bag for himself while also making it so that he could potentially open up his skill set a little more in the coming years to make him more attractive in free agency in 2033. It also protects him from a potential position change, depending on the A's plans when top prospect (and shortstop) Leo De Vries arrives.
Perhaps he'll look to drive the ball a bit more, or become a Gold Glove caliber defender—either of which would make him a pretty attractive free agent down the road.
For the A's, they're taking the chance on Wilson, who has a nice floor with his bat-to-ball ability, taking further steps forward and having him locked in at a little more than Arraez had made through the arbitration process in years prior. It's a decent risk to take for the organization.
A's locked up for Las Vegas
With the addition of Jacob Wilson to the roster in the long-term, the A's now have four players that have been extended into their planned time in Las Vegas, which is set to begin in 2028.
Designated hitter Brent Rooker was the first of the four to sign on last winter, followed quickly by right fielder Lawrence Butler. Both players were scalding hot in the second half of the 2024 season, and earned themselves some nice paydays.
This offseason, it was left fielder Tyler Soderstrom getting the party started when his extension was reported on Christmas. Now, Wilson has followed suit.
Rooker's contract has a vesting option for 2030, while Soderstrom and Wilson's contracts run through 2032 with club options for the 2033 campaign. Butler's deal goes through 2031 with a club option for 2032.
A number of other Athletics players on the roster right now will be under team control heading into the Vegas years, but these are the only four that have signed extensions to date.
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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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