Late on January 6, news broke that the Athletics came to terms on a five-year extension with Brent Rooker. Rooker, heading into his first arbitration-eligible season, had a career year in 2024. Now, he’ll stick with the A’s at a critical juncture for the franchise.
A Look at Rooker
Had Brent Rooker played more games in the outfield — he only started 13 games in the outfield in 2024 — the 30-year-old would have ranked among the league’s best over the last two seasons.
Over the last two seasons, Rooker hit the ninth-most home runs (69) in baseball. And among hitters with at least 600 plate appearances, Rooker had the 15th-best OPS (.876). Last season, Rooker hit a career-high 39 home runs and .927 OPS. That run earned the 30-year-old his first Silver Slugger award.
Rooker found a home with the A’s. The former Mississippi State star was a former first-round pick of the Twins in 2017 and was lauded for his plus-plus power. However, Rooker couldn’t find hit footing in brief stints at the MLB level. That’s until 2023.
As I noted last July, the A’s outfielder/DH is an sabermetrics dream. Rooker has a relatively short swing for a power hitter, at 7.1 in., shorter than the league average of 7.3”. He also has eye-popping bat speed, which shows up on video but thanks to Statcast, is now easily quantifiable. Rooker’s mean bat speed of 73.7 MPH is two MPH better than the league average.
That combination gives Rooker a clear edge to catching up to fastballs. Just last season alone, Rooker hit .338 with 23 home runs off the heat.
Yes, that combination can lead to a lot of whiffs — and it did in 2024. Rooker struck out 177 times over 145 games and posted a 34.1% Whiff%. However, when Rooker connects, it’s generally hit well.
Per ESPN, it’s a five-year, $60MM extension for Brent Rooker. The deal will see Rooker get $30MM over the next three seasons, buying out the three years of his arbitration eligibility. Rooker could also get a sixth, vested, season in the deal for at least $22M.
Analysis
It’s not easy to find a comp for Rooker, who blossomed into a superstar in the matter of two seasons. Rooker is 30, making it interesting for a player to be entering his first year of arbitration. But for reference, let’s take a look at two notable power-hitting outfielders who entered arbitration recently for the first time at or near around the same age:
| Name | Age | HR | OPS | 1st Yr. Arb. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brent Rooker (2025) | 30 | 79 | .836 | $12M (AAV) |
| Adolis Garcia (2024) | 30 | 97 | .770 | $4.75MM* |
| Randy Arozarena (2023) | 28 | 48 | .807 | $4.15MM |
Arozarena — who starred for the Rays after he was acquired nearly five years ago — became arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2023. He earned $8.1MM in his second run last winter. As for Garcia, the Rangers outfielder became arbitration-eligible for the first time in the 2024-25 offseason.
Both Arozarena and Garcia had impressive resumes, as the former was a AL Rookie of the Year and the latter was a two-time All-Star coming off a record-breaking October. However, Rooker did have better numbers.
Assuming the $30MM owed to Rooker over the next three seasons is proportionally spread out — meaning, he’ll get significantly more in 2027 compared to 2025 — the 30-year-old will do well for himself over his arbitration years. And, the A’s will have their star slugger locked up without worry.
If Rooker can continue to mash, it’ll save the A’s some heartache of having to deal with a slugger who might not stick on the roster thanks to salary demands. For reference, slugging outfielders Anthony Santander ($11.7M) and Teoscar Hernandez ($14MM) made at or near the $12MM AAV Rooker received in their final years of arbitration, before heading to market.
It ends an interesting year for Rooker, who was the target of trade rumors last summer. However, the A’s are on the rise. The Sacramento-bound ballclub has solid pieces in place, including Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, and power-hitting catcher Shea Langeliers. And for as tough 2024 was for Zack Gelof, the 25-year-old still has a tantalizing skillset.
Gelof hit 17 home runs and stole 25 bases last season for the A’s.
With an improving farm system and rotation additions, the Athletics — for the first time since 2021 — are in a position to compete. While there’s obvious risk with any long-term extension, keeping Rooker around for the short-term future ensures the A’s core is in place for at least the next three seasons.