What to know: A's 2020 offseason FAQ

The A’s achieved a few major goals in 2020, capturing their first American League West title since '13 and winning a postseason series for the first time since '06. But with their season ending at the hands of the Astros in the AL Division Series, it’s clear there is still work to be done in order to truly overtake Houston for a deeper playoff run -- and that process will begin this offseason.

Here’s a look at some frequently asked questions and answers as the A’s head into the winter:

Which A's are free agents?
There are 10 players from the 40-man roster: Marcus Semien, Liam Hendriks, Tommy La Stella, Mike Fiers, Mike Minor, Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, Robbie Grossman, T.J. McFarland and Jake Lamb.

Were any of them likely to receive qualifying offers, and what was the deadline for that?
Semien and Hendriks were both strong candidates to receive a qualifying offer, which is valued at $18.9 million for 2021, but neither received the offer from Oakland. Though both should have no shortage of multiyear offers from other clubs, the qualifying offer would have ensured the A’s receive a Draft pick as compensation if one or both were to sign with another club in free agency. The deadline to receive a qualifying offer was Sunday at 2 p.m. PT.

Which players had contract options?
The A’s did not have any players with options in their contracts for 2021.

Who is a non-tender candidate? When is that deadline?
The crop of players eligible for arbitration this offseason might be the most expensive group in quite some time for the A’s. Those players include Sean Manaea, Mark Canha, Chris Bassitt, Chad Pinder, Frankie Montas, Burch Smith, Lou Trivino, Tony Kemp, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson.

“It’s a hefty arbitration load,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “All these guys are all great players. As far as tendering all of them, those decisions will be made over the next couple of months. They’re all certainly worthy of whatever they end up with in arbitration.”

It’s unlikely the A’s non-tender any of these players, though the deadline to make those decisions is Dec. 2.

Who needs to be added to the A's 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 Draft?
The A’s do not have any players ranked among their Top 30 prospects that must be added to the 40-man roster in order to avoid being selected by other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft. Players must be added to the 40-man roster by Nov. 20 in order to be protected.

What kind of help do the A's need? Will they be active in free agency?
Depending on which free agents the A’s are able to bring back, the club could search for pitching help. If Fiers and Minor leave, the A’s could look to sign a veteran starter, though they do have a trio of prospects who are close to Major League-ready in Daulton Jefferies, James Kaprielian and Grant Holmes.

If La Stella and Semien sign elsewhere, the middle infield opens up a couple of big holes that will need to be filled. The potential loss of Hendriks would leave Oakland without a clear candidate to take over closing duties.

The A’s will be active in the free-agent market, though it'd be unlikely for them to make a big-splash signing, such as Trevor Bauer or Marcus Stroman. They’ll look to upgrade through savvy moves and inexpensive deals.