Wilson extension signals shift for A’s ahead of Vegas move

LAS VEGAS -- Standing on the construction site of the future home of the Athletics at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue on Monday morning, Jacob Wilson peered out at the backdrop of the picturesque Las Vegas Strip. Positioned near the home-plate marker, he held up a rendering of the new ballpark in front of him.

A little more than two years from now, the A’s plan to make their grand arrival into that new stadium for 2028 Opening Day. It’s a new chapter in the franchise’s storied history that dates back to 1901, and one that the club has officially enlisted Wilson as one of the leaders to usher in that new era by signing the 23-year-old to a seven-year, $70 million extension.

Shortly after touring the stadium site, Wilson, accompanied by several family members, including his father, former All-Star shortstop Jack Wilson, put pen to paper on his new deal that will keep him in green and gold through at least the 2032 season, with a club option for ‘33.

“It’s super special that I get to be a part of this transition,” Wilson said during a press conference Tuesday at the A’s Experience Center in Las Vegas. “We’re super excited to see [the stadium] fully finished. Today, we already saw how far it’s come. It’s a little glimpse of the future.”

For A’s general manager David Forst, Monday provided an opportunity to reflect on how far Wilson has come in a short time. Taken sixth overall by the A’s in the 2023 MLB Draft, the shortstop debuted in the big leagues a little more than a year later, in July 2024. Last season, Wilson was voted in as the starting shortstop for the American League in the All-Star Game and finished tied with Bo Bichette for the second-highest batting average (.311) in the Majors, behind only Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (.331).

“This is an organizational achievement,” Forst said. “It’s a tribute to Jacob. He really sort of set the timeline here for players in the A’s organization by getting to the big leagues as quickly as he did. … He opened the door for a lot of guys coming behind him to be drafted, get here and show how quickly we can turn this team over and turn it into a team that we feel is ready to compete and be a playoff team again.”

There was no rush for Wilson, who would not have been eligible for salary arbitration until 2027, to sign a long-term extension. For him, the motivation to commit to the long haul was influenced by watching teammates Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler sign their own seven-year extensions over the past year.

“It goes back to the teammates in the locker room,” Wilson said. “We have a very special group here that goes to work every day and hangs out with each other. That made it an easier decision knowing that I get to share the field with those guys for the next seven or eight years. I love those guys. I love going to work with them every day. It’s a special squad that’s going to do great things in the future.”

Wilson’s extension was another example of the organizational shift taking place with the A’s. For the majority of Forst’s tenure with the club -- which began in 2000 as a scout -- the front office’s ability to develop top-tier talent has been coupled with an inability to retain those talented players once they approach free agency.

That conundrum appears to be solved. Between the seven-year deals for Wilson, Butler and Soderstrom, as well as a five-year extension for Brent Rooker last offseason, the A’s are showing a willingness to spend on keeping their core players together, a change Forst directly links to the new ballpark on the horizon.

“It’s pretty obvious that this construction site out here is allowing us to operate differently than we ever have,” Forst said. “As long as we were in Oakland, we always talked about wanting to keep the team together. … This [new stadium] is allowing us to operate differently.”

That doesn’t stop with Wilson. The A’s remain engaged in extension talks with other core players such as AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz and slugging catcher Shea Langeliers, while also looking to further build a roster that will help make them postseason contenders over their remaining two years in West Sacramento before relocating to Southern Nevada.

“As we head toward 2028 in Las Vegas, we want to be a team that is ready to win,” Forst said. “We still have hopes of doing more of these, whether we’re trying to attract free agents or keep guys in this uniform for as long as possible.”