Athletics storming into Spring Training with 'higher level of expectation'
Mart¨ªn Gallegos
@MartinJGallegosMESA, Ariz. -- There was a different energy as Athletics pitchers and catchers took the field at Hohokam Stadium on Wednesday for the first day of Spring Training, one that has not been felt around these parts in quite some time.
Since the roster teardown of their previous playoff-contending team took place just before the start of the 2022 season, the A¡¯s have entered camp each spring operating in rebuild mode. This year, however, the messaging has shifted -- no longer is this a rebuilding period. The A¡¯s believe they are ready to win now.
¡°There is definitely a higher level of expectation,¡± manager Mark Kotsay said. ¡°You look at the progress we made in the second half and the group that came together, that nucleus of guys, I think they¡¯ve built a culture in there that they believe in each other and know that they belong.¡±
That belief system was established over the second half of last season, when the A¡¯s finished 39-37 over their final 76 games. That second-half success led to an improvement upon their 2023 win total by 19 games (69-93), ending the year having identified a talented group of players that have solidified Major League roles such as Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Mason Miller, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers and Zack Gelof.
Through the discovery of that core group -- as well as the additions of veterans such as Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Jos¨¦ Leclerc and Gio Urshela -- this spring is going to be atypical from the past few years. Sure, there might be a couple of roster battles on the pitching side and at backup catcher. But for the most part, 2025 Spring Training is going to focus less on configuring the 26-man roster and more on sharpening up the tools for a year in which the A¡¯s expect to be in playoff contention.
¡°Everyone in this game wants those expectations,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°We haven¡¯t necessarily had those over the last [three] seasons. We¡¯ve had our challenges, and we¡¯re still going to have our challenges. Our improvement of 19 games still was only 69 wins. We recognize that. We understand it¡¯s going to take a great season to improve on 69 [wins] to get to the playoffs. We¡¯re preparing ourselves for that and those are expectations that we want to have.¡±
JP Sears certainly sensed a different vibe inside the clubhouse from his previous two springs with the A¡¯s. Whereas in the past, the room was filled with a bunch of players who were just fighting to establish themselves as big leaguers, there is now a true sense of camaraderie amongst a group that has been through the ups and downs of a Major League season together.
¡°The past two years of Spring Training, you kind of just came in hoping to survive at times,¡± Sears said. ¡°Now it feels like we can be a little bit more expecting of things. We have a lot of the same guys that have been here the last two years. ¡ The overall outlook is that we¡¯re going to be more on the attack and know we¡¯re going to be really competitive throughout the year. We¡¯re going to hang with every team and be better than a lot of teams that we face.¡±
Sears -- who last year became the first A¡¯s pitcher to make 32 starts in back-to-back seasons since Gio Gonzalez in 2010-11 -- is part of a pitching staff that the A¡¯s targeted this offseason as an area of improvement after the club finished 25th in the Majors last season with a team ERA of 4.37. With upgrades to the rotation in Severino and Springs and the boost of Leclerc to a bullpen that already features an All-Star closer in Miller, they are not shying away from letting their expectations be known.
Set to move into their new home of Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento this season, the A¡¯s are preparing to hit the ground running from Day 1 and, for the first time since 2021, truly challenge for a playoff spot in a competitive American League West.
¡°On paper, we¡¯ve gotten better with the additions,¡± Sears said. ¡°Just knowing you have guys that have thrown the ball really well multiple years in the big leagues, I feel like that gives everyone here more confidence. ¡ I¡¯ve never been more excited about a season. I¡¯ve never been more confident in the last three years than this year, for me, personally, and for the team.¡±