What the Gio Urshela Signing Tells Us About the A's Plans

Feb 23, 2023; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics infielder Max Muncy (81) poses for a portrait during spring training photo day at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The Athletics came into the offseason with a need to upgrade at third base. They could have continued to cycle through young and unproven talent like Brett Harris or Darell Hernaiz at the hot corner, but wanted to go with a more veteran presence with a longer track record.

The A's have signed Gio Urshela, most recently with the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves, to a one-year, $2.15 million deal which will give them that veteran at third. Now, they could go with a platoon at the position, with Urshela and Hernaiz splitting time and forming a league average third baseman, but roster space will be limited.

We'll know more about the A's plans for this coming season once Spring Training begins next month, but this signing also seemed to suggest the long-term direction of the club is also somewhat set at third base.

While the A's could have tried to pry away Brett Baty from the New York Mets, he would be seen as a long-term solution himself, and since the A's went with Urshela on a one-year deal, that would seem to say that the organization feels pretty good about their own internal options.

The guy that is already being penciled in at third base by numerous people beyond 2025 is Max Muncy, the A's first round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Still just 22, Muncy is knocking on the door to the big leagues, but after an injury-plagued 2024, he has yet to debut. He will now presumably have to get some reps at third base before the A's feel comfortable enough for him to become the team's third baseman.

Muncy played in just 58 games last season, with 50 of those coming in Triple-A Las Vegas. He was there to begin the year, and put up solid numbers when he was healthy, batting .277 with a .374 OBP and eight home runs. Not bad for a natural shortstop. When the Aviators were in Sacramento in April, he was hit on the hand and ended up missing a few weeks. He then attempted a return in mid-May, only to be held out for another six weeks.

By mid-July he was back with Las Vegas, and he played fairly consistently in August, batting .367 with a .466 OBP across 60 at-bats.

He certainly has the tools to make it at the big league level. The main thing for him to make it to Sacramento will be to learn third in the coming months. As soon as the A's feel that he's ready, they could either trade or DFA Urshela since his contract isn't too large, and this is the only year he's signed.

Urshela is a stop-gap for the A's, not the answer for them. Muncy is the most likely option that they'll be looking to develop, but they'll also want to provide Brett Harris time at this natural third base as well, so there is a decent chance that Muncy continues to also receive reps at short, just in case something happens to his former high school teammate and current A's shortstop, Jacob Wilson.

With the production of Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, and Shea Langeliers in 2024, the A's lineup could end up being fairly good in 2025, and that is without knowing what kind of production they'll receive from Wilson, Zack Gelof, or Tyler Soderstrom, who could all turn into above average bats this season.

The addition of Urshela will help the A's lengthen their lineup in 2025, but Muncy could be the one to help take them to the next level in 2026.