Donovan Walton had his best season in the big leagues in 2026 at the age of 32, but he's not necessarily guaranteed a spot on the Athletics roster next season, either. Walton ended up hitting .261 with a .358 OBP and a 124 wRC+ (100 is league average) on the year, which is impressive coming from a waiver-wire pickup from the Angels. 

That said, he did hit a little worse after joining the Athletics, batting .223 with a steady .361 OBP and a 115 wRC+ across 171 plate appearances. At the very least, he would appear to be a solid bench option for the club to consider keeping around. 

Walton said at the end of the season that playing time certainly helped him achieve his breakout season at the plate, as well as the hitting coaches with both the A's and Angels, but that over the years you kind of figure out who you are at the plate, so his approach during the season was to keep it simple by sticking with his process. 

When it comes to filling out the roster for 2027, the decision on whether to include Walton will be a tricky one. The assumption is that second baseman Jeff McNeil's $15.75 million club option won't be picked up, which would clear space at Walton's primary position. Alika Williams and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer will also be fighting for that role to begin the year.

Walton is out of options, however, which could work in his favor. If the A's choose not to carry him on their 26-man roster when the year begins, he would have to pass through waivers where all 29 teams would be able to claim him before the A's would be able to send him to the minors if he went unclaimed. 

Of course, that could also work against him, with the club looking for more flexibility on the roster, meaning players who are able to be sent to the minors freely over the course of the season. 

Walton would present both depth and a conundrum of how long to keep him on the roster. He wouldn't be the long-term solution, but he'd be a nice option out of the gate. Both Williams and Kuroda-Grauer have options remaining, meaning the A's could have all three internal options available early in the year.

The other big reason to keep Walton around is that the A's are short on left-handed bats. In the regular lineup they have Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, and Lawrence Butler, but everyone else is right-handed. Carlos Cortes is the only other left-handed option, but he's an outfielder, like Butler and Soderstrom, which doesn't leave a ton of one-for-one swaps where he fits. 

Walton would present the A's with a fifth lefty bat, which would be a plus for roster versatility. 

Of course, new president of baseball operations Taylor Smith could also search for left-handed depth on the free-agent or trade markets, which would take that perk away. The reason they could lean that direction would be Walton's glove, which looked good from the press box the majority of the time, but graded out poorly in DRS (-5), OAA (-8), and FRV (-6). 

The A's will also be looking to make strides defensively in 2027, so they can either help build up his glove or look for another left-handed second baseman who doesn't cost much and has some upside with the bat.