The Athletics are set to begin their 2026 Spring Training in the coming weeks. Pitchers and catchers report on Wednesday (2/11) and the first full squad workout is scheduled for the following Monday (2/16). Ahead of the preseason preparation beginning in Mesa, Arizona, it seems like a great time to recap some offseason happenings for the A’s.
Soderstrom Gets Extended
After a breakout 2025 campaign, Tyler Soderstrom was rewarded with the largest contract in club history. He is now under contract through the 2032 season with a club option for the 2033 season. The 24-year-old was a Gold Glove finalist last season, which was his first year as a left fielder. He hit 25 home runs and finished with an .820 OPS. The extension was announced here in Vegas and the young star toured the stadium construction. Speaking of the construction, the club revealed there were some milestones met recently.
The Squirrel Heads To Sacramento
The A’s got involved in the New York Mets offseason makeover by acquiring Jeff McNeil for pitching prospect Yordan Rodriguez. The Mets were able to offload McNeil and even paid some cash towards his contract to do so for a lottery ticket level prospect. For the A’s, they add a veteran hitter to their exciting young core. Nicknamed “The Squirrel”, the 33-year-old posted an MLB-best .326 batting average in 2022 and has a career OBP of .351 over eight seasons with the Mets. He will slot in as the everyday 2B for the A’s in 2026 and has a club option for the 2027 season.
Other Arrivals & Departure
Pitchers Osvaldo Bido and Ken Waldichuk were both claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves. Bido worked as a starter and reliever the past two seasons and struggled to a 5.87 ERA in 26 games in 2025. Waldichuk was a part of the trade sending Frankie Montas to the Yankees. He debuted in September 2022 and has dealt with a litany of injuries since making 35 appearances in 2023.
Mark Leiter Jr. signed a one-year deal to join the bullpen. His metrics were down quite a bit last season from 2024. His chase rate went from the 96th percentile to 36th, whiff rate from 99 to 77, and K rate from 96 to 66. Without other proven commodities, Leiter Jr. could find himself in a high-leverage role.
Projected Lineup & Rotation/Bullpen
According to the Fangraphs Roster Resource depth chart, these are the current projections for the starting lineup and pitching rotation/bullpen for the 2026 Athletics.
Lineup
Kurtz (1B), Langeliers (C), Soderstrom (LF), Rooker (DH), McNeil (2B), Wilson (SS), Butler (RF), Muncy (3B), Clarke (CF)
Bench: Wynns, Hernaiz, Cortes, Thomas
Pitching
Starters: Severino, Springs, Morales, Lopez, Medina
Bullpen: Spence, Ferguson, Basso, Alvarado, Kelly, Leiter Jr., Sterner, Harris
(Top photo of Tyler Soderstrom, courtesy: Athletics)
