Athletics general manager David Forst is pursuing trades over signing free agents this MLB offseason.
The approach makes sense, as it presumably could be challenging for the A’s to lure free agents to play at Sutter Health Park, a stadium they will share with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, in West Sacramento.
In an exclusive interview with the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea published Friday, Forst further detailed the A’s methodology this winter.
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“We have to be active in the trade market until we get a clear sense of how free agents are going to view the possibility of coming to Sacramento,” Forst told Shea in a phone interview. “That’s been the impetus for our reaching out to clubs ahead of free agency starting. Any trade activity we’re discussing is about improving the major league team in 2025, not about trading major league players for prospects.”
The A’s will spend, at least, the 2025-2027 seasons in West Sacramento.
Some have doubted whether Sutter Health Park, which opened in 2000 and is undergoing renovations this offseason, is a viable home for a major league team.
That said, the A’s are entering the 2025 MLB season with optimism. They finished the 2024 campaign 69-93 -- a 19-game improvement from 2023 -- and have stars such as closer Mason Miller, designated hitter Brent Rooker and right fielder Lawrence Butler to build around.
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“We feel we took a big step in 2024 and were anxious for the World Series to end so we could get to work,” Forst told Shea. “We’re excited about what is possible for us this offseason.”
That sentiment is not new for A's fans. However, Forst pledged in October to uptick the A’s league-low $63.4 million payroll.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, who ranked 29th in payroll last season, even spent $20 million more ($85.4 million) than Oakland’s former team.