All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson has finalized a seven-year deal with the Athletics that includes a club option for an eighth season, as announced by the team on Friday. This move adds another exceptional young talent to a strong roster as the franchise gears up for its transition to Las Vegas.
The contract is valued at $70 million, according to sources cited by ESPN.
At just 23 years old, Wilson ranked second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting last season, boasting a .311/.355/.444 slash line with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs across 125 games. Teammate Nick Kurtz took home the award, making him a key figure in the potent offensive lineup the A’s have carefully constructed.
Alongside Wilson and Kurtz, All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker and outfielders Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler are under contract through at least 2030. While Kurtz has yet to ink a contract extension, Wilson and Soderstrom will remain under team control until 2033, Butler through 2032, and Rooker until 2030.
Wilson was selected by the A’s with the sixth pick in the 2023 draft from Grand Canyon University, where his father, former big league shortstop Jack Wilson, coached. He dominated minor league pitching, recording a .393/.439/.601 line and making his big league debut less than a year after being drafted.
With remarkable bat-to-ball skills, Wilson has positioned himself as a potential future batting champion, frequently leading the AL in batting average last season. His power numbers impressed scouts, who initially worried that his preference for contact—evidenced by just 39 strikeouts in 523 plate appearances last year—might limit his home run production.
Wilson’s ability to hit to all fields complements an A’s lineup laden with power, where five players smashed at least 20 home runs last season. The A’s bolstered their roster by acquiring second baseman Jeff McNeil through trade and signing reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to a one-year contract this offseason, aiming to leverage their offense for contention while anticipating that top pitching prospects Jamie Arnold and Gage Jump will bolster the rotation soon.
Entering their second year in Sacramento, the team plans to stay for three seasons before the projected 2028 opening of their new stadium in Las Vegas. Owner John Fisher’s agreement to move the team from Oakland, where it has been since 1968, came with a payroll increase to an estimated $90 million, approaching the highest Opening Day payroll in A’s history, which was $92.2 million in 2019.
