The Athletics and shortstop Jacob Wilson agreed to a seven-year, $70 million contract extension, the team announced Friday.
The deal includes a club option for the 2033 season.
Wilson, 23, is coming off his first full MLB season. He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Nick Kurtz after batting .311 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 125 games. He was named the starting shortstop for the AL All-Star team.
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The sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Grand Canyon University, Wilson, whose dad, Jack, played 12 MLB seasons, recently told MLB.com that he was using this offseason to improve his strength.
“It’s definitely been the main focus for the last couple of offseasons now,” Wilson said. “Being able to grow into my body a little bit more and put on more muscle. I’ve been at the A’s facility for the entire offseason now, working with the strength staff to get stronger and prepare my body for the long season ahead.”
This is the latest offseason move for the Athletics. They also signed reliever Mark Leiter Jr., acquired infielder Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets and extended outfielder Tyler Soderstrom with a seven-year contract.
Wilson, Kurtz, Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers represent a hitting core the Athletics hope can lead the team back to the postseason for the first time since 2020 and drum up excitement for their future move to Las Vegas.
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