Traveling from Oakland to Sacramento to Las Vegas, the A’s pick up some hope along the way.

The optimism about Brent Rooker’s 39 homers and new five-year, $60 million deal and Mark Kotsay’s extension seems extend to the organization and their beleaguered fan base.

“It’s different. The emphasis is always on winning, and that’s always the main goal. But when you’re playing at this level against this kind of competition, there’s a certain barrier to entry. You have to have good enough players who have had enough success and confidence before winning becomes realistic.” Rooker told the Associated Press. “Now we’ve reached that point.”

The A’s have won three of their first five this spring and are about to pick their fourth. As of this writing, they lead the Padres 6-4 in the ninth at Hohokam.

There’s a lot of young talent to believe in, even if the starting pitching still needs prayer. Outfielder Lawrence Butler, 23, is one to keep an eye on. The left-hand hitting Butler already has five hits, a double and homer in nine at-bats.

The A’s made a 19-game jump in 2024–winning 69 after totaling a mere 50 in 2023. The club’s last winning season was in 2021, winning 86 games. Oakland’s last playoff appearance was during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

The team has grown under Manager Mark Kotsay, who took over in 2022 and recently signed a deal to keep him in green and gold through 2029.

Throughout the Moneyball Era, the future was not the A’s mindset. It was win before the young guys hit arbitration and free agency.

The Rooker and Kotsay deals indicate a change as they begin the journey to new and permanent digs in Las Vegas.

“I look forward to the commitment of going forward with this talented group for the next four years,” Kotsay said. “Going from a 50-win season to a 69-win season, to an expectation of being better than that and possibly competing and winning a division—that in itself gives me excitement about the future.”