MLB insider does John Fisher's dirty work for him while raving over A’s tepid offseason

The Athletics were once one of MLB's proud franchises, but in recent years, they've been nothing more than a laughing stock. Not only have they lost 90 or more games in each of the last three seasons, but they have officially moved away from Oakland - a city they called home for decades.

Owner John Fisher made it a priority to move the A's from Oakland, breaking and angering the hearts of one of the most loyal fan bases in the sport. Without a long-term home locked in, the A's will be spending the next three seasons (at least) playing at a minor league ballpark in Sacramento.

Despite that fact, and the Athletics' lukewarm offseason at best, Bob Nightengale of USA Today dubbed Fisher's team as one of the MLB offseason's winners for reasons only he can truly explain.

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MLB insider inexplicably labels Athletics as one of MLB offseason's winners

"Finally, no more payroll slashing. No more distractions. No more protests. The Athletics, who lost 307 games the past three seasons, suddenly are legitimate," Nightengale wrote.

It's true - the A's spent more money this offseason than they ever really have, especially under Fisher. They gave Luis Severino a three-year, $67 million deal, extended Brent Rooker on a five-year, $60 million deal, traded for Jeffrey Springs and even gave veterans Gio Urshela, Jose Leclerc, and T.J. McFarland one-year deals. Normally, a small-market team like the A's spending over $100 million should get praise, but it isn't hard to see why Fisher was a willing spender for the first time in seemingly forever.

Firstly, the A's have a new fan base to try and win over. They're hoping to draw fans in Sacramento, and while a guy like Luis Severino isn't going to get butts in seats by himself, a collection of proven players will win more games, thus attracting fans. Second, as was reported by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic ($), the A's ran the risk of a grievance from the MLBPA if they did not significantly increase their payroll.

To put it simply, the A's only spent money because they were concerned about the possibility of them losing out on cashing in on revenue sharing money that they receive. As much as Nightengale wants to believe it's them finally being serious about winning, that isn't the case.

Plus, the moves themselves are far from exciting. Luis Severino had a solid season in 2024, but the A's gave a starting pitcher who had gone a half-decade without making 20 starts in a single season before 2024, a three-year deal worth over $23 million annually, forfeiting a draft pick in the process. That was the big splash they made.

The Brent Rooker extension was a good one, but an argument could be made that their best use of that asset would've been trading him for a haul coming off a breakout year.

As for the lack of distractions and protests that Nightengale points out, that might be true, but that's because A's fans have given up with the team now out of town. Instead of having passionate fans willing to do what it took to try and keep the team in Oakland, the A's have the daunting task of trying to win over new fans while playing for several years in a minor league ballpark.

Is it good that the A's are finally spending money? Sure, but Fisher couldn't care less about fielding a winning team - their intentions are clearly financially motivated. The big-money move that the team made feels iffy at best, and the team - while definitely improved - still isn't very good. They might avoid the 90-loss mark for the first time in a little while, but even with the exciting young pieces that they have, this A's team isn't going to seriously compete with the likes of the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, or even the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. And, again, the A's do not have a permanent home.

Putting the A's in the same category as a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers is asinine. They weren't offseason losers, but to declare them as winners for overpaying Luis Severino and spending money when otherwise they would've had a grievance on their hands is just wrong.