The Athletics are keeping one of their own in the yellow and kelly green.
According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the A's have agreed to a five-year extension with outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker worth $60 million that includes a vesting option that can take the deal to six years and $90 million.
Rooker has emerged as one of baseball's preeminent power hitters since joining the Athletics, earning his first All-Star appearance in 2023 and receiving MVP votes and an AL Silver Slugger Award in 2024.
Last summer, the 30-year-old slashed .293/.375/.562 with 39 home runs, 112 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 26 doubles for the A's in their final season in Oakland.
Rooker was eligible for arbitration this off-season for the first time in his career. Teams and arbitration-eligible players have until Thursday to negotiate a 2025 salary, but if they can't agree to terms, they must exchange figures and go to a hearing, typically held in February.
The extension buys out Rooker's three years of arbitration, as he was scheduled to become a free agent following the 2027 campaign.
Originally drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft by the Twins, Rooker made his debut with Minnesota in 2020, but struggled to find his footing at the major league level to begin his career.
Rooker was eventually traded to the Padres in 2022, before San Diego dealt him again later that summer to Kansas City. After appearing in just 14 games with the Royals, the six-foot-three slugger was designated for assignment and later claimed off waivers by the Athletics that off-season.
From there, Rooker became a force in the middle of Oakland's lineup, totalling 69 homers, 181 RBIs and a .272 average over 282 games the last two seasons.
In 2024, he made the transition to DH almost full-time, spending 131 games in the position. He appeared in the outfield for just 102.1 innings, a significant drop from 440 the year before.
As the A's set up shop at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for the next three years, they are seemingly turning the corner toward fielding a more competitive team than they have in recent years.
Before inking Rooker long-term, the Athletics have already signed Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million contract and traded for lefty Jeffrey Springs this off-season.
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