In the months following our devastating loss in the ALCS, I made it my mission to get this team stronger and in a better position to thrive. The expectations for this team are sky high and I must evaluate all options at this time via free agency, trade and even through our farm system.
Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta and Garret Crochet are the top pitching free agents, but as it stands on Day 1 of free agency, I do not have the money to afford them. One of these guys would be HUGE for my staff though, so I need to carefully review my roster and the payroll to look for opportunities.
It saddens me to say that trading Luis Severino seems like a must for this team. He is getting paid $25 million to pitch to average results. He is a great teammate and employee to the organization, but baseball is a business, and this contract was dished out before my reign as GM. I need to turn that salary into an ace. Time to get creative.
I checked out the Red Sox roster and noticed that a star player was being mistreated. They boasted an outfield of Ceddane Rafaela (who went 20-20 last year), Wilyer Abreau (who blasted out 25 home runs) and stud youngster, Roman Anthony. Notice anything here?
Where is Jarren Duran? He played in only 20 games for them last season and has clearly become a bench bat behind Roman Anthony.
CRAZINESS.
This is a guy who hit 21 homers and stole 34 bases in 2024 while hitting .285. He stole 41 bags in 2025 and hit 13 homers in a shortened season. He is being misused, but his value is very fair right now. Their best pitcher is currently Tanner Houck and they have “SP” listed as their biggest need. I smell a perfect fit.
I was able to send Luis Severino and his big contract over to Boston for Jarren Duran, and I am hoping this blockbuster trade will ignite a successful offseason. Thank you for your service, Sevy. We will always have that legendary postseason run.
Jarren Duran fits this team so perfectly, and I feel so dirty for dumping a large contract and acquiring a big bat like this simultaneously. It is a crazy steal at such a low value as his speed and potential for power will fit the scheme of this team perfectly.
I kept the fire hot on the trade market and continued to look for ways to dump dead weight salaries. I called up the Cleveland Guardians and convinced them to take on the contract of Jeffrey Springs and Christopher Morel in exchange for a legitimate relief pitcher in Cade Smith. Springs was no longer a good fit for me as he imploded time and time again in the biggest moments. He is no longer the pitcher with immense potential, but he is rather just a declining arm with a ceiling of being a #4 pitcher, but Cleveland had no issue with him.
Cade Smith is a monster in the pen and should keep the 8th inning safe ahead of Mason Miller next season. These trades fired me up and I stayed active on the trade wire for a bit and investigated acquiring another stud reliever to try and build a super bullpen.
I locked in on Justin Martinez, who is currently on the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is only 25 years old and is coming off back-to-back seasons with an ERA over 5.20. However, he still has “A” potential and I love the idea of having him in my late inning strategy. I want a three headed monster in the bullpen, and I got it. Justin Martinez has been acquired. Will Vest was great for me last season, but is eating a nice percentage of my payroll right now, so he is the focal point of my return package for Arizona. I essentially traded current dominance for future dominance while clearing some cap room.
Side note: If you think these trades are crazy, please note that the Nationals traded James Wood for Cristopher Sanchez this offseason, so this league is unhinged and I am the only one fighting and clawing for fair trades. It is the wild west out here, but I am focused solely on making the right moves for my squad. Now…back to the action.
Another reliever would be nice in free agency, but I must stay focused on acquiring another ace.
I showed some brief interest in Jazz Chisholm, but I was not too aggressive for him, and he turned down my contract offer and went to Cleveland for less years and a higher AAV. Not the biggest loss as I have Coby Mayo in the hot corner and Xavier Edwards up the middle with Gleyber. It just allowed me to focus more on those massive starters out there who are still lurking in the shadows.
A few days have gone by and with Tarik Skubal now off the board (signed with the Royals), I was fully expecting the dominos to fall for the other two quickly, so I had to lock in on Garrett Crochet and Freddy Peralta. With this increased budget I suddenly had from my string of trades, it became a necessity.
The Brewers were very aggressive with their ace in negotiations, but I was given a last chance opportunity to sign Peralta. However, I did not like my chances to outbid them and the other two teams involved, so I let him go back to Milwaukee. Crochet, who is 3 years younger, became the guy for me and I made a very aggressive offer of 8 years, $321 million ($40.21 AAV) to him. It is no shock that he accepted the offer and joined the Montreal A’s with hopes of a pennant at the top of his mind.
We are now in a world where the A’s are dishing out $300+ million contracts. A’s fans….you are welcome.
Crochet and McClanahan should form a very scary 1-2 punch in this rotation for several years as they are both under 30 years old. After this massive and franchise-altering move, I remained active in the reliever market.
While I was priced out of higher-level relievers, I was still able to go out and snag Evan Phillips for 2 years, $16 million. This bullpen is terrifying for opposing hitters as Phillips will shape up to be in the late inning rotation of relievers but mostly see mid-inning action. I want every inning to feel like the 9th inning for my fans.
I dumped a lot of dead weight this offseason and turned it into a star center fielder, a mega bullpen and added cap space that landed me an ace starter.
Here is a summary of my additions:
- Garrett Crochet
- Jarren Duran
- Justin Martinez
- Cade Smith
- Evan Phillips
What an offseason. I do not think I could have asked for better. The team and the fans are hungry. They tasted something magical last season and have now watched that same team get even stronger.
We do not want a mere wild card appearance anymore. We want the division. We want the pennant. We want the World Series, the parade and all the added perks that come with it. We want to run the table and dominate the league.
A lot has changed in such a short period of time. Just shows me I am doing the right thing and I am now more convinced than ever that my team-building strategies will take us to the promised land.
Let’s Go A’s.