David Frost: Athletics will keep Brent Rooker amid trade speculation

David Frost: Athletics will keep Brent Rooker amid trade speculation

While they’re still a bottom-feeder in the American League, Athletics general manager David Frost continued to shut down any right-handed slugger Brent Rooker trade speculation this week at the GM Meetings.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, they plan to keep the 30-year-old leading into the 2025 season.

“We’re going to keep [Brent Rooker],” Frost told reporters at the GM Meetings, per Heyman.

Rooker, 30, was one of baseball’s top sluggers last season. In 614 plate appearances, he slashed .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs, 26 doubles, two triples, 112 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He virtually set career highs in every single category, finishing top-20 in fWAR while totaling baseball’s fifth-most home runs and seventh-highest wRC+.

Lawrence Butler and JJ Bleday had their moments, but Rooker was the biggest reason why they were top-10 in both home runs and isolated power while being in the middle-of-the-pack in wRC+. There weren’t very many right-handed hitters better than him in 2024, which makes it confusing why the Athletics wouldn’t want to sell high when you and I both know they’re not competing.

It’s the same question I had for them when they prematurely decided not to trade him at the deadline. Perhaps they overvalue him (most organizations do), but I can also say that teams probably do value him as a full-time DH, too. That may limit his haul for a trade, but Rooker’s inexpensive and in the thick of his prime–why wouldn’t a team want him to slug 35-plus homers with 100-plus RBIs in a context that would be more beneficial for him?

That trade leverage goes out the window now that they are publicly admitting they won’t move him. Rooker’s entering his first season of arbitration–Roster Resource is projecting he earns $5.1 million while Spotrac estimates $3.5 million. The Athletics aren’t one to pay players, but I’d command every last dollar if I were him, especially now that I know that I won’t get traded.

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