5 bold predictions that could define the Athletics’ 2025 season ft. Brent Rooker hitting 50 HR

The Athletics were once again one of the worst teams in baseball last year. However, they began to finally show signs of life. Their offense was surprisingly good, and they avoided finishing last in the AL West. Here are some bold predictions for what's next.

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Bold predictions for 2025 Athletics

5) Luis Severino will have a breakout year

Luis Severino will have a breakout year (Imagn)

In his prime, Luis Severino was a borderline Cy Young pitcher. He finished as a finalist in 2017 with the New York Yankees. He had some injuries, but the last two years seem to indicate that he's healthy.

It got him the largest contract the A's have given out, and he has weighty expectations. He should be able to live up to them with a 15-6 record, 3.11 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 165 innings.

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4) Mason Miller will lead the MLB in saves

Mason Miller will lead the MLB in saves (Imagn)

Mason Miller's numbers from last year don't seem real. He struck out an absurd 41.8% of batters last year. He recorded 14.40 strikeouts per nine innings. In total, he had 104 strikeouts in 65 innings.

That led to 28 saves. That did not lead the MLB. This year, with a better team and more opportunities, it's hard to see Miller not recording almost every save he gets the chance to, and that should be enough to beat out even Emmanuel Clase and Devin Williams.

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3) Lawrence Butler will be an All-Star

Lawrence Butler will be an All-Star (Imagn)

It's true that every team gets an All-Star, but the Athletics will finally have a deserving one on offense. Lawrence Butler, in just 125 games, was nothing short of fantastic last year: 3.3 fWAR, 130 wRC+ and 18 stolen bases. He was just 23 years old.

In his age-24 season, he should only get better and be an easy All-Star. He'll probably finish the season with at least 5.0 fWAR, 30 stolen bases and a 140 wRC+ in a breakout season.

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2) Brent Rooker will hit 50 home runs

Brent Rooker will hit 50 home runs (Imagn)

Last year, Brent Rooker was one of the best hitters in the MLB. He ranked seventh in MLB with a 164 wRC+. He hit 39 home runs in an extremely pitcher-friendly park, so it's not a huge stretch to say he'd hit a lot more in a better environment.

The Athletics are moving to a minor league stadium, so they should have an easier time hitting home runs. Baseball Savant projected as many as 48 home runs in some of the better homer parks in baseball last year, which isn't far from the coveted 50 threshold.

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1) The Athletics will contend for a wild-card berth

The Athletics will contend for a Wild Card berth (Imagn)

The AL is not as dominant as the NL, but eight or nine teams should still be competing for the three Wild Card spots. Consider the Athletics one of those teams. They'd need to make a big leap, but a burgeoning offense and a solid offseason should be enough.

They may or may not be able to outplay the field to get one of those three spots, but they will be in contention for one well into September, even if they do fail to get into the playoffs.