Jeff McNeil trade positions A's to be a pain in Mariners' backside in 2026

The Athletics are rarely a team to be worried about in any offseason. Aside from moving cities and being stuck in a minor league ballpark in the interim, they're still working with one of the thinnest payrolls in MLB. Some of their frugal peers have been fairly active this winter, but the A's have yet to make additions of the same spending caliber.

One major move they have made is to acquire Jeff McNeil from the Mets in exchange for pitching prospect Yordan Rodriguez. McNeil is far from the same player who won the batting title and posted a 140 OPS+ in 2022, but he hit to a respectable 111 OPS+ in 2025. Still, he's not enough to be a concern by himself now that he'll share a division with the Mariners but he'll absolutely make his new lineup even more potent.

Jeff McNeil positions A's to be a pain in Mariners' backside in 2026

The Athletics had a team OPS of .749 this season, 8th in MLB. Against Seattle, they had an OPS of .700 and scored 49 runs, more than any team other than the Astros (55). Their lineup is full of young players that are poised to get even better. Of their top ten position players by rWAR, only one was 30 or older (Brent Rooker). Nick Kurtz had an outstanding campaign that earned him Rookie of the Year honors while the team's shortstop, Jacob Wilson, placed second.

The team's biggest gap in the lineup was second base, a role filled primarily by ex-Mariner Luis Urías. He was largely ineffective, posting an 82 OPS+ with 0.5 rWAR over 330 plate appearances. Zack Gelof, who spent the second-most time in the role, was even more lackluster. For the Athletics, a hitter of McNeil's caliber could be just what they need.

Even in his least productive years, he has been one of the hardest hitters to strike out. His whiff and strikeout rates consistently rank among the best in MLB and as long as he's able to get an above-average launch angle sweet spot rate, he'll be a productive hitter even without much natural pop, augmenting an already formidable offensive unit for the A's.

The Athletics are hardly contenders to win the division, but they'll spend a considerable amount of time playing against the Mariners and could steal more than a few wins. Over the course of 162 contests, a handful of wins may seem inconsequential but the parity of baseball means they could also make or break a team's postseason aspirations.

Should this be the catalyst for Seattle's front office to get more aggressive in trade discussions? Realistically, it's likely one of several reasons the club should consider whether they've moved the needle enough heading into 2026. They've stayed somewhat active, supplementing the Josh Naylor signing and the Harry Ford trade by adding depth but without subsequent roster additions of impact, it may not be enough to truly separate themselves from the rest of the pack.