A's find hope in Kurtz and young stars as team eyes Las Vegas in 2028

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Even Athletics veterans walk around the clubhouse wearing “Nick Kurtz goes yard” T-shirts, and they know what he means for the franchise's future.

Kurtz, who recently had one of the greatest individual performances in big-league history, is the odds-on favorite to be AL Rookie of the Year. He's hardly the only talented youngster giving A's fans — wherever they might be — reason to feel optimistic about the team's on-field direction.

The A's are in transition in more ways than one. Most notably, the club is playing the first of what's expected to be three seasons in Sacramento — a temporary, minor league home for the former Oakland franchise until a new stadium is scheduled to be ready in Las Vegas for 2028.

The roster is shaping up to be a dynamic and competitive one when they arrive. Kurtz is the headliner, but teammate Jacob Wilson was the second favorite for top rookie before going on the injured list last week with a broken left forearm. Lawrence Butler, an electric outfield defender with pop and speed, also looks like a centerpiece for the type of team the A's want to take to Las Vegas.

The club added 18-year-old shortstop Leo De Vries on Thursday as part of a multiplayer trade with San Diego that sent out closer Mason Miller and his 101-mph fastball. MLB.com rates De Vries as baseball's No. 3 prospect.

Also on the roster — and under contract through at least 2028 — is All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker. Kurtz, Wilson and catcher Shea Langeliers are among the starters who could be under team control with the planned moved to Las Vegas. That core isn't translating into wins yet — the team is 49-65 this season, worst in the AL West — largely because the team's pitching lags behind.

“We certainly want to win in present day and ‘26 and ’27 are important to us, but a lot of our internal conversations are about what the team will look like in 2028 when we get to Las Vegas,” A's general manager David Forst said. “You can see it some of the contracts we signed, starting obviously with the manager (Mark Kotsay), but also with Rooker and Lawrence, making sure that two of our key guys are locked up into our time in Vegas.”

Whether management keeps the team together is a question. The A's have a history of trading young players on the verge of landing lucrative contracts and keeping their payroll among the lowest in baseball.

Maybe that changes with the anticipated move to Las Vegas, given owner John Fisher might want to bring a competitive team to the market. The A's, in fact, opened up the wallet this year and signed Rooker to a $60 million, five-year contract and a $65.5 million, seven-year deal with Butler.

“I feel like we're headed in the right direction,” Butler said. “We've got a lot of young players. When a team calls up young players, they might not be ready, but I feel like all our guys are ready. They've shown that they can compete at this level.”

Butler, 25, is part of a clubhouse filled with promising 20-somethings.

“In this locker room, I am kind of the old man,” the 30-year-old Rooker said. “I don't know if I take them under my wing. These guys are better players than I am. They don't need the help.”

Kurtz and Wilson were battling it out for the AL's top first-year player award, and maybe that competition will continue if and when Wilson — the first fan-elected rookie shortstop to the All-Star Game — returns to the lineup.

Kurtz has done his best to make it a one-man race. He became the first rookie to hit four home runs in a game and tied the major-league record with 19 total bases by going 6 for 6 with eight RBIs on July 25 at Houston.

His performance has earned him AL player of the month, AL rookie of the month and consecutive player of the week honors. He led the majors in multiple categories in July, including batting average (.395), on-base percentage (.480) and slugging percentage (.953). The 22-year-old already has shown a knack for delivering in key moments with seven game-winning RBIs and five go-ahead homers.

“It's the moment you dream about as a kid,” Kurtz said. “You're in a spot where you can end the game with a walk-off or take the lead. Baseball's so hard. You're supposed to get out. I come through here, it's freakin' awesome. I think I just aim to be calm and I trust my process.”

Kotsay said before the trade deadline that for all the young hitting talent, the A's could use help with their pitching.

The A's then added three pitching prospects in the Miller trade and another in right-hander Kenya Huggins when Miguel Andujar was sent to Cincinnati. They have 25-year-old Jack Perkins, called up Luis Morales on Friday and have Gage Jump in their minor-league system. The A's also selected Florida State left-hander Jamie Arnold 11th overall in this year's draft.

“Where we've struggled this year is pitching, both rotation and bullpen,” Forst said. “When we've had success on the mound, that's when we've put some good little stretches together.”

Outside of a horrendous stint when the A's lost 20 of 21 games, they have been largely competitive. That includes a current run of seven wins in 10 games.

“In terms of our vision, in terms of putting a group together that we can win with, I think that talent especially on the players position side is just showing itself," Kotsay said recently. "(They are) continuing to make improvements and continuing to show what our priorities are, which is playing the game at an elite level and becoming a team that goes out and competes every night.”

The A's signed Kotsay to an extension in February that takes him through 2028 with an option for 2029. He has had to navigate a club that experienced the fan anger in Oakland toward management for its impending move and now playing in Sacramento.

“I think (Kotsay's) got one of the tougher jobs in baseball right now in the sense of trying to get the buy-in from the players,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s so much uncertainty with the ballpark and where they’re going to be. I think he’s done a fantastic job. He’s a lifelong A, so he understands the culture of the organization. ... He’s the perfect guy for that organization.”

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AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.

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