Athletics plan more moves after Jeff McNeil trade with NY Mets and Tyler Soderstrom extension

The Oakland Athletics are already thinking on their future in Las Vegas. However, with the relocation, they also want to stop being at the bottom of the MLB. Therefore, they are being aggressive and traded with the New York Mets to get Jeff McNeil. They also extended Tyler Soderstrom to a new deal.

However, according to latest reports, the A’s won’t stop there. The team wants to avoid arbitration, hence the reason they extended Soderstrom quickly to a $86 million deal. According to the team’s general manager, David Forst, “The idea of taking this group of young players and locking them up into a new ballpark has been something we’ve talked about for a long time.”

“We were able to get Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler signed last year, Tyler now, and there are ongoing conversations with others,” Forst said. “So this is kind of the blueprint for how we want to do this and how we want to open the ballpark in ’28.” Hence, the Athletics are going to keep being aggressive.

The A’s have a young core brewing

The A’s have a young roster to be hopeful about. Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson are going to be the next two players to sign big contracts with the Athletics. Kurtz moved Soderstrom to left field, something that brings no issue to him. Per Soderstrom, “I’m the best athlete on the team. I don’t have a problem.”

Tyler Soderstrom #21 of the Athletics.

The A’s have been a bottom-of-the-barrel team in the MLB but last year they showed glimpses of talent. They ended last season at 76-86, which is a big improvement on the last few years. Hence, there is optimism that the team could compete for a playoff spot in 2026.

see also

MLB News: Tyler Soderstrom turns heads with major admission on former NY Mets’ Jeff McNeil joining the A’s

Jeff McNeil will add experience and poise to a young roster

Having a young core is exciting, but a team also needs veterans who know fully the ins-and-outs of the game, how to face adverse situations and also keep the calm when the egos might be growing. McNeil is that. More than an excellent utility player, the trade with the Mets helped the A’s to land a leader.