Late into the evening on Monday, the Athletics have extended designated hitter Brent Rooker to a five-year, $60 million deal reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The deal includes a vesting option for a sixth year along with escalators that could push the final total of the deal to $90 million. Jeff Passon of ESPN also reports that the base salary of the option is $22 million and that Rooker will make $30 million over the first three years of the deal, which covers his window of arbitration.

Rooker, 30, could be considered a late bloomer in his career as the former first-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2017 struggled to find a spot in the big leagues. After a seven-game debut with the Twins during the shortened 2020 season, Rooker struggled in a limited 58 games with Minnesota in 2021 and found himself traded to the San Diego Padres, along with Taylor Rogers, in exchange for Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán at the start of the 2022 season. He would appear in just two games with the Padres that season before getting traded to the Kansas City Royals in August where he failed to impress in just 16 games and was placed on waivers after the season.

Rooker had always performed well in the minors thanks to quality power production and .909 OPS but it hadn’t exactly translated to the big leagues. In 2022 he had slashed .289/.395/.649 with 28 home runs in 81 games at the Triple-A level, which was enough for the A’s to take a chance and claim him off of waivers. The move proved to be one the best waiver claims in recent memory as Rooker slugged 30 home runs in 526 plate appearances to earn an All-Star selection in 2023 while batting .246/.329/.488 for the A’s.

This past season Rooker again took another major step forward as he returned with a vengeance, connecting on 39 homers, 26 doubles and a pair of triples with a massive .293/.365/.562 batting line across 614 plate appearances. He finished tied for fifth in the league in home runs and finished sixth in slugging. He may have been subbed from the All-Star Game but Rooker finished 10th in MVP voting and earned the first Silver Slugger of his career. It may have taken a little bit for it to be realized, but Rooker’s .272/.348/.528 slash and 69 home runs over his two seasons with the A’s showcase why he was a 35th overall pick.

There is plenty of swing-and-miss to Rooker’s game as he has whiffed in 30% of his appearances with the A’s but that has at least been countered with a 9.5% walk rate. Additionally, he had a .362 average on balls in play which will certainly be difficult to sustain but Rooker does consistently hit the ball hard so it’s not out of the question he can still rely on a solid BABIP in 2025 and beyond.

The move is yet another investment by the A’s in what has been an active offseason. It is their second contract of $60 million-plus this offseason as the team tries to increase payroll to reach a specific benchmark to avoid complaints from the Players Union. While the fear of repercussions may more incentivize the intentions of the deal, it’s at least a solid move for Rooker and the A’s to start. There is plenty of risk with the deal considering Rooker’s age but the A’s seem confident he can continue to produce at an elite level. He becomes the first A’s player to sign a five-year deal since the club extended starting pitcher Trevor Cahill for $30.5MM in 2011. It will lock up his three years of arbitration and at least two years of free agency through his age 35 season.

The likelihood is that Rooker will continue to serve as the primary DH for the A’s with limited appearances in the outfield. A career -16 DRS hasn’t exactly been ideal for Rooker’s outfield skills and he played just 102 defensive innings in 2024, which in turn will allow the A’s to continue to employ a more athletic outfield core with the likes of Lawrence Butler and JJ Bleday. He also keeps the core of their lineup strong as the A’s put together some quality talent last season and had multiple breakout seasons from Butler, Bleday and Shea Langeliers at the plate.

Unlike previous years where the AL West has been dominated by the Houston Astros, there is certainly an opening for teams like the A’s to make a push to compete for a playoff spot. The A’s will also need positive publicity wherever they can get it in their first season since leaving Oakland and try to figure out the details of an eventual move to Las Vegas. Certainly, the team may be hoping that Rooker can tap into his minor league career numbers and build upon them this season when the A’s play their home games in Sacramento.

There are a number of questions about the A’s heading into 2025 and the need for a lot of things to go right, but as the green and gold try to pave a path forward in a new era, they will be led by a quality hitter in Brent Rooker.