The A's will be looking to hand someone a bag of money this winter, if they can convince them to play in a minor-league ballpark. In fact, they almost need to lure someone to play for them in Sacramento to truly show that things will be different for the franchise moving forward. The organization has said numerous times that they'll spend a little more this coming offseason, and that they will ramp up spending over the coming years as well.
It's not too often that a high caliber free agent to-be from the Los Angeles Dodgers may fall into the A's lap, but there is a slim chance that it could happen because of the two things the team can offer: a long-term deal, and money.
Enter Walker Buehler.
Buehler missed the 2023 season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery, which is one reason that teams may be a little wary of adding too many years or zeroes to a potential contract. In the most recent episode of Fair Territory, Ken Rosenthal guesstimated a contract for Buehler around two year and $15 million per season.
If the A's swooped in and offered an extra year at the same price, or even a touch higher, would that be enough to entice the 30-year-old? Something in the three year, $45 million range, or even four years at $60? Throw in as many opt-outs as he wants.
It would be a big contract by A's standards, but still not the biggest in franchise history. That record belongs to the six-year, $66 million deal Eric Chavez signed before John Fisher bought the team. A 4/60 deal for Buehler would be the biggest contract Fisher has ever handed out in his nearly 20 years of owning the club. Heck, the 3/45 would also be the biggest contract he's given out. The bar is low, which also means there is a lot of persuading that will need to be done in the coming years that things are truly different.
The righty has a career 3.27 ERA in the regular season with a 1.09 WHIP, but this year, in his first 16 starts back from TJ, he held a 5.38 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP. The velocity is still more or less there, as is the movement on his pitches, but the league has caught up to where he was a couple of years ago, so his "stuff" didn't seem to stand out quite as much upon his return. He has been a lockdown postseason starter in the past, and the hope would be, should the A's sign him, that he would not only help guide the club to the postseason, but serve as the team's ace, pitching in their biggest games, once they made it.
Obviously there is no guarantee that the A's would go after Buehler this winter. They've tended to stick to shorter deals for less money, but this is a pivotal offseason for the franchise. Not only are they leaving their home in Oakland after 57 seasons, but their future home is by no means set in stone.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the franchise at the moment, so if ownership wants to calm some of those nerves, the first thing they could do is to present some ironclad financials for their proposed ballpark in Las Vegas. The other option would be to secure a top-tier quality free agent with some question marks heading into the future.
If Buehler were to sign with the A's and it worked out well for him and the club, this would end up being a huge signing and an enormous turning point for the franchise.
