This story was excerpted from Mart¨ªn Gallegos' A's Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Ending the 2024 season with one of the better records in the American League dating back to July 1 has the A¡¯s feeling optimistic that a return to contention is coming soon.

After back-to-back 100-loss seasons in 2022-23, the A¡¯s easily eclipsed their win totals from the previous two years and have built some momentum for 2025 with a group of top prospects that has enjoyed major success at the highest level.

Before we get into the offseason, let¡¯s look back at ¡®24:

Defining moment: The finale at the Coliseum
The A¡¯s ended a historic 57-year chapter in Oakland with an emotional home finale against the Rangers in their final game at the Coliseum. A raucous sold-out crowd of 46,889 fans cheered on the green and gold to one last victory, which ended with A¡¯s manager Mark Kotsay delivering a heartfelt speech on the field to acknowledge and thank Coliseum fans and employees for their support over the years.

The next time the A¡¯s play a home game, it will be in West Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, where they are set to play through at least the 2027 season before a planned relocation to a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

What we learned: A¡¯s could be poised for big jump
The A¡¯s trusted the process by allowing most of their promising young players to figure things out on the fly at the Major League level. Those who were sent down to the Minors were eventually called back up after making adjustments and found much more success in the second half, setting up what the organization believes could be a big step forward in 2025 that is similar to the transition from finishing last in the AL West in 2017 to winning 97 games and earning a spot in the AL Wild Card Game the following year.

¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of growth in front of us,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°We¡¯d love to jump the way we did in ¡®17, where I think the team won 67 or 68 games to ¡¯18, where they turned in 90-plus wins. We¡¯re still working on that, and that¡¯s the goal.¡±

Best development: The young core
The A¡¯s have identified a group whom they expect to form the next core of playoff-contending clubs with players such as Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof and Tyler Soderstrom. Also looming are A¡¯s No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 23) Jacob Wilson, who ended the season as the club¡¯s everyday shortstop, and No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 42) Nick Kurtz, who reached as high as Double-A Midland not long after the A¡¯s took him fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. On the pitching side, JP Sears along with rookies Joey Estes, Mitch Spence and J.T. Ginn showed the makings of a promising rotation, while flamethrowing rookie Mason Miller quickly emerged as a lights-out All-Star closer.

Area for improvement: Third base, pitching depth
The hot corner is a position that is seemingly without a true everyday player. Max Schuemann and Darell Hernaiz ended the season splitting time at third base, though the A¡¯s could look to the free-agent and trade markets to bring in a veteran third baseman. Pitching is another area of need, as the A¡¯s could use a veteran starter and perhaps a reliever or two depending on which bullpen arms they lose to free agency.

On the rise: Jacob Wilson
Wilson forced his way to the big leagues just 376 days after he was selected sixth overall by the A¡¯s in the 2023 MLB Draft after slashing .401/.445/.613 over 311 Minor League plate appearances. Getting his feet wet in the Majors this season, Wilson has demonstrated his impressive tools -- both offensively and defensively -- and should hit the ground running in 2025 as the A¡¯s starting shortstop.

Team MVP: Brent Rooker
Not only is Rooker the A¡¯s MVP, but he is likely to earn some down-ballot AL MVP votes for his performance as one of MLB¡¯s elite hitters. He will become the first A¡¯s player to finish a season with a batting average of at least .290, 30-plus home runs and 100 or more RBIs since Miguel Tejada¡¯s 2002 AL MVP campaign.