With a week until the MLB trade deadline, the Athletics remain a franchise in transition. And yet, West Sacramento is exactly where slugger Brent Rooker wants to be.
At 42–62 and in the AL West basement, the A's are hurtling towards a fourth consecutive season below .500, and fifth without a playoff berth. Logically, plenty of A's players find themselves thrown into trade rumors, but Rooker, fresh off of his second All-Star Game appearance, shut down any notion that he could be moved in the coming days.
“Yeah, I'm not going anywhere, Kratzy. We're good. I'm staying," Rooker told former MLB catcher Eric Kratz on Foul Territory.
Rooker, who joined the team via waivers ahead of the 2023 season, signed a franchise-record five year, $60 million extension in January, which could reach six years and upwards of $90 million thanks to a vesting option. Rooker had a career year in '24, hitting .293 with a .927 OPS, with 39 home runs and 112 RBIs.
When asked whether that assurance makes him feel "better" ahead of the deadline, Rooker laid out why he's happy to be with the A's, even amid another difficult season.
"Yeah, for sure. Like I said, I signed the extension because I'm where I want to be. I believe in what we're doing, I believe in the people that we have on our team, on our roster, on our coaching staff, in the building. I believe in everything we have going on, and I want to be a part of that. That's one of the reasons why I decided to sign that extension and stay here, and I will not be going anywhere this trade deadline..”
Brent Rooker confirms he's NOT getting traded anywhere.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 24, 2025
"I signed the extension because I'm where I want to be." pic.twitter.com/gkFpRsOzjJ
Conventional wisdom is that the Athletics would avoid trading a player they just inked to a large, but still team-friendly deal. However, conventional wisdom doesn't always work with the former Oakland squad. Before the Rooker extension, the team signed pitcher Luis Severino to the biggest deal in franchise history per total value: three-years, $67 million. Fast forward a few months, and Severino is one of the names most frequently rumored in potential trades, after comments bashing the franchise's minor league accommodations at Sutter Health Park. Severino has struggled pitching at home, and has not been quiet about his frustrations.
Other pitchers like Jeffrey Springs or even fireballing closer Mason Miller could be on the move for the right price. However, even with his impressive bat, Rooker expects to be in West Sacramento and—at some point, presumably—Las Vegas for years to come.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 'I'm Where I Want to Be': Athletics Star Shuts Down Trade Talks Ahead of Deadline.
