"Dude is a stud" - Justin Verlander's brother Ben gives verdict on Brent Rooker & Athletics' reported $60M contract extension

The Athletics have been spending lately, and they just locked up Brent Rooker. The 29-year-old slugger was one of the best hitters in baseball last year, and the Athletics decided to keep him around for the long run and reportedly gave him a new five-year, $60 million extension.

Justin Verlander's brother Ben, an analyst, was thrilled to see the Athletics finally spending a little bit of money. They have notoriously been shrewd the past few years, but they're giving money out more frequently this offseason.

"So pumped for Brent Rooker. And once again, good for the A’s. Dude is a stud. Well deserved," Verlander wrote.

Rooker is fresh off a season in which he was the seventh-best hitter in baseball per wRC+. He was better than Marcell Ozuna, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Freddie Freeman and others last year.

Rooker is a DH, so his overall value was lower, but he hit at a rate that few matched in 2024. As a result, the Athletics decided to skip arbitration moving forward and cemented that he would no longer be trade bait.

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Brent Rooker's extension pushes Athletics' spending spree even further

Comparatively, even the spend-happy Athletics aren't spending at the rate of other teams. The New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and several other teams have outspent the A's.

Brent Rooker was extended (Imagn)

However, this level of spending is highly uncommon for the Athletics. In years past, they wouldn't sign anyone, and any player nearing an extension would be traded away for prospects.

But this year, they're not doing that. Luis Severino signed the biggest contract in A's history earlier in the offseason for $67 million over three years. Now, Brent Rooker has been extended for $60 million. The money and the fact that he was extended earlier than he needed to be are both rarities for the Athletics.

They also swung a trade for Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeffrey Springs, so they've been surprisingly active and somewhat aggressive in free agency and on the trade market this year. Perhaps the move out of Oakland was all John Fisher needed to start spending money.