A’s focus on building young, talented roster for move to Las Vegas

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Even Athletics veterans walk around the clubhouse wearing “Nick Kurtz goes yard” T-shirts, and they know what he means for the franchise’s future.

Kurtz recently had one of the greatest individual performances in big league history and is the odds-on favorite to be named the American League Rookie of the Year. But the 22-year-old, who started the season with the Triple A Las Vegas Aviators, is hardly the only talented young player giving A’s fans reason to feel optimistic about the on-field direction.

The A’s are in transition in more ways than one. Most notably, the club is playing the first of what’s expected to be three seasons in Sacramento — a minor league home for the former Oakland franchise until its new stadium in Las Vegas is completed, presumably for opening day 2028.

The roster is shaping up to be a dynamic and competitive one when they arrive. The first baseman Kurtz is the headliner, but shortstop Jacob Wilson was the second favorite for top rookie before going on the injured list last week with a broken left forearm. Lawrence Butler, an electric outfield defender with pop and speed, also looks like a centerpiece for the type of team the A’s want to take to Las Vegas.

The club added 18-year-old shortstop Leo De Vries last week as part of a multiplayer trade with San Diego that sent out closer Mason Miller and his 101 mph fastball. MLB.com rates De Vries as baseball’s No. 3 prospect.

Also on the roster — and under contract through at least 2028 — is All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker. Kurtz, Wilson and catcher Shea Langeliers are among the starters who could be under team control with the planned moved to Las Vegas. That core isn’t translating into wins yet — the team is last in the AL West with a 49-65 record — largely because the pitching lags behind.

“We certainly want to win in present day, and ’26 and ’27 are important to us, but a lot of our internal conversations are about what the team will look like in 2028 when we get to Las Vegas,” general manager David Forst said. “You can see it with some of the contracts we signed, starting obviously with the manager (Mark Kotsay) but also with Rooker and Lawrence, making sure that two of our key guys are locked up into our time in Vegas.”

‘Headed in right direction’

Whether management keeps the team together is a question. The A’s have a history of trading young players on the verge of landing lucrative contracts and keeping their payroll among the lowest in baseball.

Maybe that changes with the anticipated move to Las Vegas, given owner John Fisher might want to bring a competitive team to the market. The A’s did open their wallet this year, signing Rooker to a $60 million, five-year contract and Butler to a $65.5 million, seven-year deal.

“I feel like we’re headed in the right direction,” Butler said. “We’ve got a lot of young players. When a team calls up young players, they might not be ready, but I feel like all our guys are ready. They’ve shown that they can compete at this level.”

That starts with Kurtz, who became the first rookie to hit four home runs in a game and tied the major league record with 19 total bases by going 6-for-6 with eight RBIs on July 25 at Houston.

Kurtz led the majors in multiple categories in July, including batting average (.395), on-base percentage (.480) and slugging percentage (.953). He also has shown a knack for delivering in key moments with seven game-winning RBIs and five go-ahead homers.

“It’s the moment you dream about as a kid,” Kurtz said. “You’re in a spot where you can end the game with a walk-off or take the lead. Baseball’s so hard. You’re supposed to get out. I come through here, it’s freakin’ awesome. I think I just aim to be calm, and I trust my process.”

Pitching biggest concern

Kotsay said before the trade deadline that for all the young hitting talent, the A’s needed pitching help.

They then added three pitching prospects in the Miller trade and another in right-hander Kenya Huggins when Miguel Andujar was sent to Cincinnati. They also selected Florida State left-hander Jamie Arnold 11th overall in this year’s draft.

“Where we’ve struggled this year is pitching, both rotation and bullpen,” Forst said. “When we’ve had success on the mound, that’s when we’ve put some good little stretches together.”

The A’s signed Kotsay to an extension in February that takes him through 2028 with an option for 2029. He has navigated a club that experienced the fan anger in Oakland toward management for its impending move and now playing in Sacramento.

“I think (Kotsay’s) got one of the tougher jobs in baseball right now in the sense of trying to get the buy-in from the players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s so much uncertainty with the ballpark and where they’re going to be. I think he’s done a fantastic job. He’s a lifelong A, so he understands the culture of the organization. … He’s the perfect guy for that organization.”