How can A's convince free agents to play in a minor league park? A dash of hope -- and a ton of cash

Luis Severino joined a Zoom gathering connected the Friday aft Thanksgiving pinch an Athletics contingent that hoped to make him not only the ace of their staff, but 1 of the biggest, astir consequential additions successful franchise history. He was receptive but skeptical.

"I had a batch of questions," Severino recalled successful Spanish. "Lots and lots."

A's wide head David Forst sat alongside head Mark Kotsay and a fistful of different staffers while Severino probed them astir the guidance of a squad that mislaid 307 games complete the past 3 years, the dynamics of the insignificant convention ballpark they'll telephone location for the adjacent 3 seasons and the intentions of a franchise that had spent decades arsenic 1 of the sport's astir frugal.

A fewer days later, Severino, a 30-year-old right-hander who was among the much affordable standouts successful a heavy harvest of disposable starters, received an first connection that proved the A's were serious. Within a week of that first meeting, he signed the largest statement successful squad history -- a three-year, $67 cardinal woody that astir doubled their erstwhile precocious for a free agent.

"Neither I nor my supplier were expecting them to connection a statement of that magnitude," said Severino, represented by Nelson Montes de Oca of Klutch Sports Group. "It was impressive."

The A's, dormant successful free agency for astir of their existence, person spent these past 2 months talking astatine statement levels they ne'er have, moreover while navigating the astir volatile juncture successful franchise history. They person moved retired of Oakland, their location for the past 56 years, and will walk the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons -- and possibly the 2028 play -- playing successful a Triple-A ballpark successful West Sacramento while waiting for a caller stadium to beryllium erected successful Las Vegas.

In his 21st offseason successful the A's beforehand office, Forst is facing arguably his astir difficult task: Convincing accomplished awesome convention players to play successful a insignificant convention stadium, subordinate a squad successful modulation and lead a group still learning to win. Overpaying is simply a necessity.

Forst's transportation is built astir a young halfway the A's judge is talented capable to build around, shown successful glimpses of the team's .500 grounds successful the 2nd half, arsenic good arsenic a head successful Kotsay toward whom Forst thinks players gravitate. The A's on-field product, not to mention the playing-time opportunities wrong it, has been received favorably by free agents, Forst said.

Their impermanent stadium -- Sutter Health Park, a 14,000-seat venue they will stock pinch the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats -- has been a bigger obstacle.

While gathering pinch prospective free agents -- astir notably Severino and chap starters for illustration Sean Manaea and Walker Buehler, the second 2 still unsigned -- Forst and his group person done a batch of up-front explaining to reside concerns astir amenities, seating capacity, weather, surviving arrangements and, notably, clubhouse commutes.

"I conscionable deliberation there's a batch of unknowns," Forst said successful his Dallas edifice suite during past week's wintertime meetings. "This is not a metropolis that a batch of players person been to. When we were trying to bring guys to Oakland, astatine slightest it was a spot that guys had been to. They'd stayed successful San Francisco, they'd taken the autobus complete to the ballpark, they knew what the stadium looks like."

The A's expressed liking successful Severino soon aft he declined the New York Mets' qualifying connection connected Nov. 19 and filled his agent's inbox pinch PDFs starring up to their first gathering 10 days later.

One held accusation astir really a tweak successful usage patterns could thief Severino amended disconnected a twelvemonth successful which he went 11-7 pinch a 3.91 ERA successful 182 innings for a Mets squad that became 1 of baseball's biggest surprises this past season. The different was a descent platform pinch level plans, pictures and cardinal accusation astir the upgrades being made to Sutter Health Park, astir notably a replenished irrigation strategy to thief earthy writer withstand the rigors of 2 teams playing successful the summertime power and a new, two-story clubhouse consisting of lockers, showers, offices, eating rooms, lounges and neighboring batting cages. That space, however, is located beyond the left-field wall, necessitating a reasonably agelong locomotion extracurricular each clip players spell backmost and distant from the field. It's nary mini problem.

"That's the biggest quality from a large convention acquisition successful astir places is that you benignant of subordinate stepping crossed the section to the clubhouse pinch the insignificant leaguers," Forst said. "We've conscionable been up beforehand successful saying, 'Hey, location was thing we could do astir that. But the clubhouse itself is going to beryllium large league.'"

On Dec. 6, Severino conducted his introductory property convention from the ballroom of a Kimpton edifice successful downtown Sacramento, attached to the arena that houses the NBA's Sacramento Kings. He past crossed neighboring Tower Bridge and toured a ballpark still nether dense construction.

"It's a messiness correct now, but they opportunity it's going to beryllium fresh for the commencement of the season," Severino said. "There's still a batch of activity to do, but they're going to do everything they tin to make their players comfortable."

Severino wasn't excessively concerned astir playing successful an area that regularly sees 100-degree temperatures successful the summertime -- "I'd alternatively it beryllium basking than cold," he said -- but he did inquire questions astir Sutter Health Park's favorability to hitters. The A's told Severino they judge it will play comparatively neutral, astatine slightest comparative to the different ballparks that reside wrong Triple-A's hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Severino besides asked if the A's intended to support adding players to supplement their young halfway -- a group of position players consisting of Jacob Wilson, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof and, eventually, Nick Kurtz, the No. 4 prime successful this year's draft. He was told, alternatively definitively, that they would.

The Severino signing was followed by a waste and acquisition pinch the Tampa Bay Rays for different starting pitcher, Jeffrey Springs, a 32-year-old left-hander who has shown upside erstwhile healthy. The A's would still for illustration to adhd an mundane 3rd baseman, possibly besides a near fielder, and are unfastened to signing different starter for a rotation that could still usage help. They person been nationalist successful their desire to clasp onto Mason Miller, their young prima closer, and person shown liking successful extending Brent Rooker, their champion hitter.

In immoderate ways, they person nary prime but to spend.

The A's are scheduled to person 100% of their revenue-sharing excavation for the first clip nether the existent corporate bargaining agreement, which stipulates that teams put 1 1/2 times that magnitude toward their awesome convention payroll. An manufacture root estimated the A's will person astir $70 cardinal successful gross sharing adjacent season, confirming a study by the Athletic, which intends thing short of a $105 cardinal payroll successful 2025 would unfastened them up to a grievance from the players' union.

It's a sizable bump for a squad that opened the 2024 play pinch astir $60 cardinal committed to players and vanished it without a azygous financial committedness beyond then, and a spread still remains. After adding Severino and Springs, the A's luxury-tax payroll -- the 1 utilized to find really teams allocate revenue-sharing money -- is projected astatine $89 million, according to FanGraphs.

"That is thing that we're alert of," Forst said of the CBA provision. "I can't opportunity that that is the logic why we're spending. We're trying to get better."

The A's vanished past successful payroll each of the past 3 seasons and person been among the industry's slightest consenting spenders during John Fisher's 20-year ownership tenure. But their cardinal decision-makers person promised to summation payroll successful the lead-up to Las Vegas, a earthy root of vexation for an Oakland fanbase that spent years clamoring for them to make greater financial commitments.

The Severino deal, which gives him the expertise to opt retired aft the 2nd year, qualified arsenic an opening statement. It's $1 cardinal greater than the largest statement successful squad history -- a six-year, $66 cardinal hold fixed to 3rd baseman Eric Chavez successful 2004 -- and blew distant its erstwhile precocious successful free agency, a four-year, $36 cardinal woody for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Before Severino, the past A's subordinate to person much than $15 cardinal and motion for much than 2 years was reliever Ryan Madson successful December of 2015.

Money was astir apt the biggest facet successful Severino's decision; the A's offered much than astir projected, particularly considering the penalties associated pinch adding a subordinate who had declined a qualifying offer.

But erstwhile Severino met pinch the A's connected Nov. 29, he talked astir really impressed he was while watching them return 2 of 3 from his Mets successful the mediate of August. He told a group consisting of Forst, Kotsay, pitching coach Scott Emerson, coach and expert Ramón Hernández, and adjunct wide managers Dan Feinstein and Rob Naberhaus that it reminded him of the 2017 squad headlined by Matt Olson and Matt Chapman, young stars who helped lead the A's to 3 consecutive playoff appearances earlier being traded distant successful this latest rebuild.

At 1 constituent successful the conversation, 1 of the A's unit members laid retired a extremity that, to Severino's camp, said to the group's conviction: to create a logistical nightmare for Major League Baseball by qualifying for the playoffs successful a insignificant convention ballpark.

In lieu of comfortableness and security, the A's are offering dream and opportunity.

Also, successful a astonishing twist, money.