First big trade of the offseason for the A’s
There it is folks. The fan base has been clamoring for a move to bolter the infield and the front office has delivered, reportedly coming to terms on a trade for longtime Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil:
That’s looking like a solid deal for a more proven option at second base. McNeil is about to be 34 next year but was still a productive left-handed bat for the Mets, hitting .243/.335/.411 with 12 home runs this past season. He also has excellent bat-to-ball skills as he walked nearly as many times as he struck out last season. Overall the lefty swinging McNeil was worth 2.0 WAR in 2025, which would be a massive boost to the second base mix of this A’s squad.
He’s got plenty of experience on the outfield grass but he’s likely going to be lining up as the primary second baseman next year. The A’s were clearly not prepared to go into Spring Training with just Zack Gelof and Max Muncy as the options and now they get a proven veteran that should fit in nicely with a team that has lots of power. This’ll buy Muncy some more time to develop down in Triple-A. And as for Gelof, he could still get at-bats in a semi-platoon with McNeil, who doesn’t have huge platoon splits but is still better against right-handed pitching.
The player going back to the Mets is rookie-ball pitcher Yordan Rodriguez, which isn’t a back-breaker for the farm system by any means. McNeil is signed for the coming year with a club option for 2027 which comes with a $2 million buyout. The team could end up flipping him at the deadline if they feel one of Gelof or Muncy is ready to take over as the regular at second baseman. But if the team is in contention, then it’s likely with the help of McNeil.
We have our second baseman! Welcome aboard Jeff!
Category: General Sports
