How Bleday's departure affects A's outfield plans for '26

The eventual separation between the Athletics and JJ Bleday felt more and more like an inevitability as the 2025 season went on, becoming official on Friday afternoon.

After he was designated for assignment earlier in the week, the A’s announced that Bleday -- their Opening Day center fielder for each of the past two seasons -- has elected free agency.

It would have been difficult to envision such a decision a year ago. Bleday was coming off a career year in which he hit .243 with 20 home runs and 43 doubles. His 120 OPS+ ranked fourth in the Majors among qualified hitters who played center field in at least 60 percent of their games, trailing only Aaron Judge, Jarren Duran and Jackson Merrill, looking like a key member of this young A’s squad for years to come.

One year later, however, Bleday’s outlook changed drastically. He struggled mightily to start the ’25 campaign, lost his starting job and was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas a couple of times to work on adjustments that would, hopefully, get him back on track.

“His statement to me was that there were a lot of voices telling him different things,” manager Mark Kotsay said of Bleday in May. “That happens. As a young player, you start to go through failure and everyone wants to help, and you listen to everyone. … My thoughts about JJ are he’s going to go to Triple-A and have this reset, from mindset to just the confidence that he’s going to get back to the player that he showed us he is.”

Though he ended the season with the A’s, Bleday hit just .212 with a .698 OPS and 14 home runs in 98 games. He also took a step back defensively, grading out as one of the worst outfielders in baseball, with his -5 outs above average tied for the second-worst mark among all qualified center fielders.

Having turned 28 this month, Bleday will look for a change of scenery elsewhere. Here’s a look at what his departure means for the A’s:

Denzel Clarke is the man in center
Winner of the Capital One Premier Play for his incredible wall-scaling grab at Angel Stadium earlier this year, Clarke displayed Gold Glove-caliber defense throughout his debut season. His rookie campaign was cut short due to a right adductor strain in July, though he was able to get a few Minor League rehab games under his belt at Triple-A in September to head into the offseason with a clean bill of health.

Clarke’s bat remains a question mark at the big league level. He looked overmatched at times and racked up a ton of strikeouts. But he did show some encouraging signs at the plate as the year went on, going 14-for-42 (.333) with a 1.007 OPS, six doubles, two triples and a home run over his final 12 games before landing on the injured list on July 22.

Clarke has serious power that scouts have raved about since he turned professional. Even if he can get his hitting to league average, his stellar defense would make him an asset for an A’s club that has no shortage of firepower on offense.

Junior Perez earned his shot
Part of why Bleday became expendable was the emergence of Perez, whom the A’s added to their 40-man roster on Tuesday to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

Perez dramatically raised his prospect stock with an impressive second half at Triple-A and flashed the skills of a five-tool player. There’s no guarantee that he will see the big leagues next season, but Perez will get a long look in Spring Training as a center fielder.

Outfield depth remains loaded
Even with Bleday gone, there is plenty of outfield depth throughout the organization. Tyler Soderstrom, Clarke and Lawrence Butler project as the club’s starting outfielders. Brent Rooker factors in on days when he’s not the designated hitter, as does Carlos Cortes, who solidified a bench role with the A’s last season by hitting .309 with an .866 OPS in 42 games. There’s also Colby Thomas, who flashed his big-time power as a rookie in ’25 as he graduated from prospect status.

At the Minor League level, Henry Bolte (the A’s No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Ryan Lasko (No. 17) are knocking on the door of a callup at Triple-A. They are joined in the system by Devin Taylor (No. 6) and Gavin Turley (No. 12), both selections by the A’s in the 2025 MLB Draft.