Locked On A's - Daily Podcast On The Athletics

The A’s offseason has been quieter than a library during finals week, and that silence finally broke when Ha-Seong Kim signed a one-year, $20 million deal with the Braves—only for us to learn he turned down a four-year, $48 million offer from the A’s. That detail matters. Kim is 30, a middle infielder whose recent production looks more like a warning label than a green light. We’re talking about a...

This episode is a full-on reality check. Booney runs a four-camera timeline—August through December—showing the A’s Las Vegas stadium site changing in real time, and the progress is borderline ridiculous. In August, you’re watching pilings and rebar disappear into the ground. By October and November, the foundation and columns start taking shape. Then December hits, and suddenly it’s not “work in...

This episode digs straight into the myths surrounding the Las Vegas sports market and tears them apart one by one. John and Richard explain why Raiders games looking like neutral-site matchups doesn’t mean failure, but success — sold-out buildings, PSL speculation, and tourists willing to pay premiums locals won’t. They compare that reality to the Golden Knights, a team driven almost entirely by l...

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The A’s quiet offseason has sparked panic, hot takes, and a lot of keyboard GMs demanding moves just to feel something. This episode explains why silence isn’t automatically a red flag and why patience can be a competitive advantage. We walk through the idea that every move should have a clear purpose: making the roster better, not just busier. If you can’t clearly say who you’re upgrading and why...

If the A’s want one thing for Christmas, it’s not vibes, it’s not patience, and it’s definitely not another “wait and see.” It’s extensions. This episode opens by laying out the case for locking up the core right now: Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langeliers, and Jacob Wilson. Four players. Four pillars. This is how real teams are built—early commitments, cost certainty, and a message to the...

The A’s kick off the offseason with the signing of veteran reliever Mark Leiter Jr., sparking debate over his role and impact. Is this a smart bullpen upgrade or just another move that fails to excite fans? Booney scrutinizes Leiter Jr.’s pitching stats, contract value, and how this acquisition stacks up against more dynamic targets like Gregory Soto. Booney uncovers the front office’s approach to...

The A’s kicked off the 2025 Rule 5 Draft by grabbing right-handed flamethrower Ryan Watson—an experienced Triple-A reliever with a 95 mph fastball, a whiff-heavy slider, and the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that screams “major league bullpen help.” But just minutes after landing him, they flipped him to the Red Sox for 23-year-old infielder Justin Riemer, a high-OBP contact bat with zero power and...

The air feels electric as the MLB Draft Lottery ticks closer to liftoff, and the A’s stroll in with a 6.55% chance to flip their entire future with one lucky bounce of a ping-pong ball. It’s a slim percentage on paper, but today it represents the doorway to something outrageous: the possibility of drafting UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a player whose glove, instincts, and leadership scream corner...

First day of the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando buzzed with the kind of off-season energy that makes you feel like baseball just rebooted for 2026. Club execs, agents and front-office types flooded the hotel lobbies, ready to strike deals — a familiar scene if you’ve ever seen a bunch of grown-ups fighting over toys. Most of the chatter today centered on upcoming big events: the 2026 MLB Draf...

STADIUM FINANCING?: Why Is Fisher Selling the Earthquakes?   The episode opens with a hard look at the Nevada money maze and the question fans keep whispering: Is everything actually okay with the Las Vegas stadium financing? When a billionaire suddenly unloads his MLS franchise like it’s last season’s inventory, people notice—and John Fisher parting with the Earthquakes sends up every flare on th...

In this episode, we torch the embarrassing backlash Dallas Braden has received from a toxic slice of A's fans—yes, the same fans who once wept with him as he hugged his grandmother after throwing a perfect game. Now? They’re mocking that moment. That’s right. The most emotional, human highlight in A's history has been twisted into a punchline by the very people who used to call it sacred. Why? Bec...

This episode of Locked On A’s digs into the question fans debate every single winter: does spending money in the offseason actually lead to winning? Booney dives into 28 years of MLB payroll rankings and postseason results, from the playoff expansion of 1995 through 2024, and the numbers tell a story that’s far more chaotic than the conventional wisdom. High-payroll teams are consistent October pa...

The A’s Fan Experience officially opened its doors, and John Fisher used the moment to lay out his vision for the franchise’s future—from the Vegas ballpark model to the kids-first strategy meant to build a new generation of fans. This episode dives deep into everything Fisher said, everything he implied, and everything he avoided. We walk through his comments room by room, from the elephant statu...

This episode is Booney stepping right into the comment section with the mic on. He takes on your trade proposals, free-agent wish lists, and “just go get this guy” fantasies one by one — from Nolan Arenado and Jonah Heim to Devin Williams, Gregory Soto, and more. The names make sense, the ideas are smart, and the passion is real… but Booney walks through the math, the no-trade clauses, the extensi...

The A’s have never pretended to shop in the luxury aisle, but they have developed one of the strangest habits in modern baseball: signing fading stars who used to be great and hoping that greatness magically reappears. It began with Frank Thomas turning back the clock in 2006, a season so miraculous it convinced the front office they’d found a cheat code. But that one spark lit a decade-plus of mi...

Thanksgiving morning deserves more than parades and preheating the oven — it deserves a live, unpredictable, wildly entertaining A’s show filled with fan energy. Today’s special holiday edition of Locked On A’s brings exactly that. Booney goes live with his signature mix of humor, honesty, and that proud “we’re-building-a-monster” swagger. Fans flood the chat with questions, comments, trade ideas,...

A’s fans are buzzing as Nolan Arenado trade rumors swirl—could the A’s land another aging star, or is this just more front office chaos? Booney breaks down MLB.com’s surprise inclusion of the Athletics among top landing spots for Arenado, with JD Hafron revealing why the Cardinals are ready to move on. Hear insider insights on Arenado’s declining power, his no-trade clause, and whether his Califor...

For one chaotic, glorious stretch, Booney storms into the general manager’s office and treats it like a battlefield. With only 20 minutes to reshape the franchise, he demands frontline starters, elite defenders, extensions for the young core, and a payroll plan that would make accountants reach for the emergency whiskey. It’s part fantasy, part therapy, part hostage situation — and entirely Booney...

A’s fans, is the waiting finally over? Booney demands the A’s abandon half measures and ignite the offseason with a statement signing—questioning whether the A’s will keep shopping the clearance rack or finally secure a true difference-maker to anchor the franchise. The debate heats up as Jeff Carr joins to break down the Ke'Bryan Hayes trade rumors: is Hayes’ elite glove enough to overlook his po...

The A’s are staring down a turning point: new city, new stadium, new fans—and the same old skepticism. But what if they flipped the narrative before they even touched Vegas dirt? This episode dives deep into why it actually makes sense for the A’s to go all-in on free-agent ace Zac Gallen, even if it means ponying up $100 million. We break down Gallen’s value, the comps, the market dynamics, and w...

Scott Boras looms large as the Athletics weigh their future—can the A’s finally lock down franchise cornerstones like Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, or will history repeat itself? Booney spotlights how player agency dynamics and Boras’s notorious negotiation tactics could force the A’s to break spending habits, with the team’s Sacramento-to-Vegas transition and revenue-sharing rules adding pressu...

The A’s didn’t whisper their intentions—they blasted them through a megaphone. JJ Bleday, the Opening Day center fielder for the past two seasons, has been designated for assignment after another up-and-down year that teased promise but delivered frustration. His defense cratered, the strikeouts spiked, and the bat never stabilized long enough to justify a $2.2 million arbitration tag. Instead, th...

Today's episode hits at the heart of one of the most important days of the baseball calendar: Forty-Man Judgment Day. The A’s stood at a crossroads and finally acted like a franchise that understands the stakes, protecting Junior Pérez, Braden Nett, and Daniel Susac instead of gambling their future away. We break down why this trio represents power, pitching, and cornerstone talent the A’s can’t a...

MLB Trade Rumors dropped their 20th anniversary Top 50 Free Agent Predictions, and for the first time in years, the A’s were more than an afterthought. Six players — from home-run destroyer Eugenio Suárez to former heartbeat-of-the-rotation Chris Bassitt — were projected by at least one MLBTR analyst to land in green and gold. These aren’t fringe depth arms or quadruple-A fliers. These are real, r...