The Athletics made an early splash in MLB free agency, signing Luis Severino to a $67 million contract. However, that didn’t stop the Athletics from keeping their eye on some of the best pitchers available.
Before he signed with the New York Yankees, the A’s were one of the most aggressive teams pursuing Max Fried, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Yankees ultimately landed Fried on an eight-year, $216 million contract.
Even with their Severino signing, it seems unlikely the A’s would be comfortable coming anywhere near that price. Their team’s total payroll is at the bottom of the league at just over $62 million. Maybe when they get to Las Vegas they’ll be major free agent players. But for now the A’s aren’t prepared to dole out that kind of cash.
Still, their interest in Fried at least shows the team wants to be involved in the top free agents. It’s going to be difficult convincing many of them to come to Sacramento. Especially a player like Fried who landed somewhere he can win a World Series, on top of getting the bag.
While signing Fried would’ve been, it’s not shocking that the A’s are going all-in on pitching. They finished the 2024 campaign ranked 25 in MLB with a 4.37 ERA. Max Fried certainly would’ve helped, after he registered a 3.25 ERA and 166/57 K/BB ratio on the way to his second All-Star appearance.
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However, the Athletics must now look elsewhere. Getting Severino on board was the first step of the puzzle. But if they really want a major league rotation, they need to continue adding. Having an ace like Fried atop that rotation would make the A’s much more legit in the eyes of the league.
But that ace comes with a price. And if the top throwers in the game keep getting Fried-esqe contracts, the A’s may simply be priced out.
