February 8th, 2024
TV Deal Doesn't Change A's Strategy
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- There was a time not so long ago that the A's would gladly spend money to draw some of Major League Baseball's most expensive free agents to the Bay Area. They had their dalliances with the likes of Bryce Harper, Justin Upton, and Stephen Strasburg. And now that the A's have come to terms with upstart sports provider "SWX" on a lucrative television rights deal, it's only natural to think the money would be burning a hole in Billy Beane's pocket.
You would be wrong.
In an free agent feeding frenzy that saw the Yankees sign starting pitcher Vince Washington to $38 million per season and third baseman Hector Veloz to $36.5 million per, the A's took the road less traveled. Their one significant free agent acquisition was DJ Peterson, who signed for a relatively paltry $8.1 million salary for two years as a platoon first baseman. That's it.
There were reports that the A's brass met with Veloz's representation team, but were scared off by the gargantuan salary he was demanding and eventually received. They also explored a deal with closer George Francis, but refused to budge above $10 million per season. The 4-time all-star would eventually sign with the Mets for a hair under $15 million.
"The A's have kind of stolen a page out of the San Francisco Giants playbook," says one AL executive. "The Giants have always stayed away from free agents, but rewarded their own players with big extensions."
The point is a valid one. In recent years, Sancho Fajardo (7 years, $107 million), Michael Pryor (6 years, $77 million), Julian Riverva (5 years, $47.5 million), and Josh Sterling (6 years, $43 million) have all inked long-term extensions to avoid arbitration and free agency to stay in San Jose. And while the team is reportedly $50 million under budget for each of the next three seasons, Beane refuses to spend that money on one or two marquee players, instead keeping that flexibility to eventually sign other home-grown players to extensions.
"You look at that team, and they've got all sorts of young guys who could command huge salaries on the open market," says the executive. "You've got to think the A's are going to keep spending money to make sure their players don't see free agency until they're in their 30's."
Such players include infielder Manny Colon, Jason Dallimore, Tommy Alford, and Ken Taylor. All are earning the league minimum but will soon enter their arbitration years. The A's have made a habit of signing players to extensions after their first or second arbitration year.
Remarkably, the A's do not have one player currently ranked in the top-25 in salary for the upcoming 2024 season. The closest is Corey Seager, whose $19.4 million is a relative bargain considering the .315/26 HR/106 RBI season he put together in his first full season with the A's.
At some point, the A's will inevitably spend a truckload of money on a free agent. They have too much money coming in from SWX
not to spend millions. But for the moment, there's one less big spender on the free agent market, and that's good for business in San Jose.