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The upcoming Winter Meetings will carry a bit of a different feeling for the Athletics from the past couple of years.

Over the previous two winters, the MLB Draft Lottery was a central focus for the A¡¯s, who twice carried the best odds to land the top overall selection yet missed out on the top three picks. But because they receive revenue-sharing payouts and landed lottery picks in 2023 and '24, they can pick no earlier than 10th in the 2025 Draft as a result of the changes to the Draft through the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement.

With no Draft Lottery to stress over, the A¡¯s can fully focus on laying the groundwork for future trades and free-agent signings throughout the offseason ahead of a season in which they hope to take a big step towards getting back into postseason contention after a few rebuilding years.

With the Winter Meetings getting underway on Monday in Dallas, here is everything you need to know.

Key events

• Sunday, Dec. 8: Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Era Committee results released
• Tuesday, Dec. 10: MLB Draft Lottery
• Wednesday, Dec. 11: Rule 5 Draft

Club needs

Third base and starting pitching are considered the biggest priorities this offseason for the A¡¯s. While finding a third baseman via trade is a possibility, free agency might be the best avenue to address those pitching needs given other teams¡¯ general unwillingness to part with proven starters.

The A¡¯s will likely explore the secondary tiers of the free-agent market, searching for an experienced veteran-type starting pitcher who could potentially help ease the burden on younger pitchers while also helping the club towards its goal of getting back to playoff-contending baseball. Some free agents in that tier who fit that description are right-hander Michael Lorenzen and left-handers Jose Quintana and Andrew Heaney.

Potential trade candidates

JJ Bleday had the best season of his young career in 2024, hitting 20 home runs with 60 RBIs and a .761 OPS (120 OPS+) in 159 games. He can play all three outfield spots and won¡¯t be arbitration-eligible for another year, two appealing factors that might help the Athletics swap him for a third baseman or pitching help. In addition to their solid Major League outfield depth of Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Seth Brown and Esteury Ruiz, three of the A¡¯s Top 10 prospects are outfielders (No. 5 Henry Bolte, No. 7 Colby Thomas and No. 10 Denzel Clarke), giving them plenty of options to replace Bleday should they move him to fill one of their needs.

Prospect to know

Nick Kurtz (A¡¯s No. 2/MLB's No. 45 prospect) wreaked havoc on Minor League pitching immediately after being selected fourth overall by the A¡¯s in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old first baseman earned a promotion to Double-A Midland after playing the first seven games of his professional career with Single-A Stockton, where he slashed .400/.571/.960 with four home runs, two doubles and 12 RBIs.

The only thing that slowed down Kurtz was a hamstring injury shortly after his debut at Double-A, which caused him to miss the end of the season. Sent to the Arizona Fall League to make up for some of that lost time, Kurtz finished his 13-game stint in the AFL hitting .353 with a 1.058 OPS, two homers, three doubles, two triples and 11 RBIs for the Mesa Solar Sox. Kurtz will enter his first full professional season in 2025 as a candidate to be fast-tracked to the Majors, similar to the quick path taken by A¡¯s No. 1 prospect Jacob Wilson last season.

Rule 5 Draft

Notable players who were not protected from the Rule 5 Draft by the A¡¯s are second baseman Cooper Bowman (ATH No. 20 prospect), outfielder Brayan Buelvas (No. 26), right-hander Blake Beers and infielder Logan Davidson, their first-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft who posted a .901 OPS in 87 games at Triple-A Las Vegas in '24.

The A¡¯s have been quite active in making Rule 5 selections over the past several years, most recently striking gold in Mitch Spence, who was selected with the first overall pick in last year¡¯s Rule 5 Draft and ended the season in the A¡¯s rotation as one of the club¡¯s better-performing rookies. That trend of selecting a player in the Rule 5 will likely continue as they hold the fifth overall selection in this year¡¯s Draft.

An intriguing name on the pitching side is Yankees prospect Zach Messinger, a right-hander who racked up 150 innings in 25 games started with a 3.06 ERA at Double-A Somerset last season. Per MLB Pipeline¡¯s scouting report, Messinger¡¯s fastball sits around 92-94 mph with bat-missing run and carry. His slider also has jumped from the upper 70s in college to 81-84 mph with high spin rates and nasty sweep. He has also increased the power and gets good depth on an upper-70s curveball, though he doesn't use it very often.

Burning question

Are free agents willing to sign to play in Sacramento?
Back at the General Managers Meetings in San Antonio last month, GM David Forst expressed uncertainty over what the appetite might be for free agents to sign with the Athletics knowing they will be sharing Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento with the Triple-A Sacramento Rivercats for at least the next three seasons. The A¡¯s believe their young squad can take a big step towards getting back to playoff contention in 2025 by addressing their needs at third base and starting pitching, and the Winter Meetings will provide a clearer picture as to how they might make those offseason additions.