"First time an Oakland Athletic got an MVP vote since Eric Chavez" - Ex-MLB catcher claims Brent Rooker is a bargain at $60,000,000

For the first time since the Eric Chavez era, an Oakland Athletic has earned MVP votes, and that player is none other than Brent Rooker. It came as a surprise to many when the club extended him to a five-year, $60 million extension this week. The reason is simple: the A's are not spenders and more often than not trade away their stars in search of prospects.

Well, for it's worth, the designated hitter finished the 2024 season, batting .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs, 112 RBI and 11 stolen bases. The numbers should have resulted in better contract, according to former MLB catcher Chris Gimenez, who spoke about the deal, saying that it was a bargain for John Fisher's team, who has moved out of Oakland.

"He is an absolute main cog at the heart of that lineup, got MVP votes this year," Gimenez said on MLB Network. "I think that's the first time an Oakland Athletic has gotten MVP votes since Eric Chavez did back in the day.

"This was when I was a kid, right? Watching the A's growing up in the Bay Area, watching the Oakland Athletics. So, fantastic job by Oakland for signing him long-term, and honestly, all things considered, I don't feel like this is that bad of a deal on the pocketbook either. He may be a little underpaid at this point."

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Athletics changing narrative amid offseason spending to sign Luis Severino and Brent Rooker

The Athletics made two blockbuster signings this offseason, or at least one can say blockbuster, as they are not known to splurge cash during the offseason.

First, they signed Luis Severino to a franchise-record $67 million signing and then this week they extended their designated hitter, Brent Rooker, to a five-year, $60 million extension.

Chris Gimenez gave front office and other executives due credit for taking the momentum forward from the late winning spree in the 2024 regular season.

"They're a lot better, and they're gonna give some teams absolute fits the way they played at the end of last year," Gimenez said. "They were an extremely scrappy team and not a team where, when you saw Oakland on the schedule, you thought, 'Alright, cool, we're going there. We're gonna win three out of four at least, and feel really good about our playoff hopes.'

"At the end of the season, they were extremely scrappy. Give the front office credit, give their manager and staff credit—they kept these guys engaged and going, and a lot of times on young teams, that's not necessarily the case."

The Athletics finished the 2024 season with a 69-93 record, placing them just above the LA Angels in third spot in the AL West. While they aren't expected to leapfrog in division, but at least, a far better record can be expected.