A's Decline Team Options on Springs, McNeil, Freeing Up $28 Million

The Athletics have decided to decline the options of both left-hander Jeffrey Springs and infielder Jeff McNeil. Neither decision is terribly surprising, as Springs would have been owed $15 million in 2027, and McNeil's option was worth $15.75 million next year. The A's now owe McNeil a $2 million buyout, and Springs a $750,000 buyout.

Overall, the decision removes $28 million from the projected payroll, which is money the team could look to spend elsewhere on the roster. The team needs more pitching, but how much they'll be after will be determined by Luis Severino, who owns a $22 million player option for 2027.

We wrote earlier this week that the difference between his guaranteed money and his projected market value may be too wide to not accept another season in Sacramento. 

Springs had a rough season, holding a 6.18 ERA (6.02 FIP) across 142 ⅔ innings and getting touched up for the second-most home runs in baseball with 35. The lefty finished tied with Shota Imanaga, and both players were two back of Aaron Nola's 37 home runs allowed. 

Springs is a fly-ball pitcher, holding just a 34.3% ground-ball rate, and doesn't have big swing-and-miss stuff. We also noted that if Springs had played in a different ballpark, his home run total would have been lower, perhaps even significantly so. 

If all of Springs' games had been played in Pittsburgh, he would have allowed just 20 home runs based on the batted ball data, nearly halving his home runs allowed total. While the underlying metrics weren't superb, he's been a good enough pitcher in his career to get a shot with a club that doesn't play in a hitter-friendly park and see what happens. 

McNeil began the season as the A's second baseman, but later in the season when Nick Kurtz was injured, McNeil spent a lot of time at first base and played it well, grading out with +4 defensive runs saved. 

He finished the season batting .264 with a .313 OBP and an 83 wRC+ (100 is league average), adding nine home runs, 59 RBI and eight stolen bases. 

While the A's declined his option for next season, he seemed to enjoy his time with the club and would be a decent option to bring back as a veteran bench bat. The A's could use more left-handed bats, particularly bench bats for pinch-hitting, and he could serve as a utility fielder in a pinch, though he'd be most useful at first and second base.