This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

During last week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., A’s manager Mark Kotsay expressed optimism about the upcoming 2024 season and beyond, pointing to the big league arrival of prospects such as Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler as reason for excitement.

“There’s some young talented players here that we’re going to have a chance to really mold and teach and grow with,” Kotsay said. “We talk about the word ‘teach’ a lot. That’s something that’s really important for us going forward. … There’s a nucleus here that we think we can build something with and that we’re excited about.”

A better look at that promising future for the A’s will be provided through the creation of Major League Baseball’s Spring Breakout, a new event that will see all 30 MLB clubs assemble rosters comprised of around 20-25 of their top prospects who will then play an exhibition game against a different MLB club’s prospect team during Spring Training in both Arizona and Florida from March 14-17. Some games will be single and standalone, while others will be half of a traditional doubleheader followed by an MLB Spring Training game.

The A’s are scheduled to host a doubleheader on March 15 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz., with their top prospects facing the Giants’ prospects at 4:05 p.m. in a contest that will follow a traditional Cactus League game against San Francisco. 

Rosters will be officially announced closer to Spring Breakout. Prospects are eligible to play regardless of previous Minor League level or experience, allowing for a mix of near-MLB-ready players and some of pro ball’s youngest talent.

Players likely to participate in the event include Oakland's 2023 first-rounder and No. 1 prospect Jacob Wilson, along with Top 5 A’s prospects such as Denzel Clarke, Daniel Susac and Luis Morales.