The Athletics will not be heading to an arbitration hearing this year after agreeing to terms with catcher Shea Langeliers on a one-year contract for the 2026 season.
The deal, which is for $5.25 million, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, wraps up what was the final potential arbitration case remaining for the A’s ahead of Thursday’s deadline to exchange figures.
Earlier this winter, the A’s agreed to one-year deals with arbitration-eligible players Austin Wynns and Luis Medina, while outfielder JJ Bleday and left-hander Ken Waldichuk were designated for assignment.
Langeliers, who turned 28 in November, is coming off the best season of his Major League career. The backstop was a consistent slugger in the middle of the order, hitting .277 with an .861 OPS, 31 home runs and 72 RBIs in 123 games. He also ranked eighth in the Majors in slugging (.536) and 14th in OPS. Over the past three seasons, Langeliers’ 74 home runs as a catcher are second-most in the Majors, trailing only Mariners star Cal Raleigh.
While Langeliers still has two more years of arbitration eligibility and will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season, he is a key piece of a young core currently in place for the A’s, and the club remains interested in locking him up to a long-term contract extension much like they did with Tyler Soderstrom last month.