Last offseason the A’s were on the lookout for third base help in a big way. After seeing veteran Abraham Toro and rookie Brett Harris struggle all season long and moving on from Toro, the A’s were desperate for even league-average production. They weren’t going to be players for the top of the market bats but a cheap veteran who could provide stability would be a massive upgrade. Enter another veteran option in Gio Urshela.

The A’s shelled out $2.15 million for Urshela to suit up in the Green & Gold for the 2025 season. An inexpensive one-year deal for a stopgap option always seemed like the most likely route the A’s would go and they did just that, signing the nine-year veteran to join a young and inexperienced infield.

Urshela had once been seen as the long-term option at third base for the New York Yankees way back in 2019 when he hit .314 with 21 home runs in his first full year. He followed that up with another strong showing during the COVID-shortened season, but then his production began falling off in his age-29 campaign. An offseason trade to the Minnesota Twins kicked off a journey for Urshela as he’d play for four teams over the next three seasons, including both Detroit and then Atlanta during 2024.

When the A’s were deciding which veteran third baseman to go after, they kicked the tires on guys like Alec Bohm in Philadelphia and Bret Baty in New York but ultimately decided to go with Urshela because he was cheap, wouldn’t cost any prospect capital, and had been a roughly league-average hitter for most of his career as well as being a solid defender at the hot corner. And considering what the A’s had gotten out of their third basemen the year prior, that alone would have been a massive upgrade for the hot corner.

No one was expecting Urshela to set the world on fire but if he could solidify a spot in the lineup that had been a blackhole then it was more than worth the couple million thrown his way. And there was always the mid-season opportunity to exchange him for prospects if it worked out the way the A’s hoped. They still had Harris and Max Muncy as young options but they needed more time on the farm so everything had the opportunity to line up perfectly.

Alas, the Urshela signing didn’t work out like the A’s had hoped. He began the season in the Opening Day lineup as the starting third baseman after a solid performance during Spring Training but he started out ice-cold, going just 4-for-29 to start his A’s tenure. Things didn’t improve all that much as the season went on as Urshela would suffer a strained left hamstring in late May. That cost him roughly a month, during which time Muncy got the bulk of the playing time at third base and showed more signs of life in his bat than Urshela had up to that point.

Upon his return in late June he only played sparingly, making it into just 11 games in the month of July. He’d improve just marginally with the bat after his time on the shelf, not enough to take away playing time from younger options. The trade deadline came and passed and no trade involving Urshela occured, and he’d suit up just 11 more times during August before the A’s made the decision to move on and give the younger options more of an opportunity. They designated him for assignment on August 15th and he wouldn’t sign on with another team the rest of the season. He’d end his lone season with the A’s with a .238/.287/.326 slash line with no home runs while offering below-average defense at third base.

2025 represented Urshela’s worst season as a major league hitter. He’s been getting worse and worse on both sides of the ball over the past three years, which can partially be attributed to a severe pelvic fracture he suffered in ‘23 with the Los Angeles Angels. He had a good showing in a small-sample with Atlanta in 2024 and that was enough to convince the A’s to give him a major-league contract. That’s unlikely to happen again for the 10-year veteran as he’d likely have to settle for a minor league deal at this point.

It is fair to wonder though if Urshela would consider going down that path. He’ll be entering his age-34 season next year and he’s already made over $25 million in his career up to this point. Urshela elected not to sign on with another team to end the season and it’s entirely possible we’ve seen the last of him as a major leaguer. Is the drive still there to start in the minors and try to work and force his way back to the big leagues? We’ll find out soon enough this offseason, but it won’t be with the A’s.

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