2023-24 MLB Offseason Recap: Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics’ rebuild continued in earnest last year, as the A’s finished dead last in 2023 with 112 losses. And while the A’s pending move to Las Vegas has dominated the headlines, Oakland has made some moves re-aligning what is a very young roster. Here’s our recap of the Athletics’ 2023-24 offseason moves.

Notable Additions

The A’s, to not much shock, had a relatively quiet season in terms of roster re-alignment. The most notable moves made by Oakland were the signing of former Giants starter Alex Wood and a trade for Ross Stripling.

Wood’s long been an effective starter in the Majors thanks to his deceptive delivery and ability to induce ground balls with his sinker. The 33-year-old will look to do the same in Oakland after an average 2023 season in San Francisco. Wood posted a 4.33 ERA last year but saw his Chase% and Whiff% metrics fall.

Stripling, meanwhile, inked a multi-year deal in the 2022-23 offseason with the Giants after a strong 2022 with the Blue Jays. But with the Giants, Stripling saw his slider get hit more often in what was his worst statistical season since 2020.

Reliever Trevor Gott, who struggled with the Mets last summer, is also now a member of the A’s. Now, let’s move to the subtractions part of our Athletics offseason recap.

Notable Subtractions

Arguably the most notable loss for Oakland this past winter was Tony Kemp.

Kemp spent four seasons in Oakland after the A’s acquired him in 2020. He played mostly at second and in left. While Kemp showcased defensive versatility and a penchant for making contact, the 32-year-old didn’t hit for much power and posted an ISO of above .100 just once over his four seasons with Oakland.

Trevor May, the A’s closer for a good chunk of 2023, is also gone. May retired after nine MLB seasons this winter.

What to Expect in 2024

The biggest storyline that followed the Athletics this offseason had nothing to with players acquired or lost. Rather, it had to do with the Athletics’ pending move to Las Vegas and the backlash associated with it.

The move has irked baseball fans from across the Bay. And given that the mayor of Las Vegas recently said that the A’s should “figure out a way to stay in Oakland to make their dream come true,” the controversy surrounding the move won’t go away anytime soon.

Getting back to the baseball set to be played in 2024, the Athletics are in the midst of a massive rebuild — one that’s far from over. Oakland hasn’t received much from the Matt Olson or Sean Murphy trades to this point, aside from Shea Langeliers and Esteury Ruiz. But the Frankie Montas deal did yield Oakland JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk, who finished first and second last season for the A’s in innings pitched.

Sears did very well in his first full season and is poised to be a building block for Oakland. And on the offensive side of things, A’s fans will have a chance to look forward to seeing Zack Gelof, who led Oakland in bWAR (2.6) despite not even playing in the first half with the big club.

Still, the A’s are well behind the pack in the AL West.