As recent as 2023, Tyler Soderstrom was the best prospect in the — then Oakland — Athletics’ farm system. However, after a fairly underwhelming start to his career, there weren’t a lot of expectations for the 23-year-old heading into 2025.

Fast forward to now, and Soderstrom just put together one of the more underrated seasons across Major League Baseball. He moved to left field, played elite defense, and then mashed to the level we expected when he was a prospect.

The Athletics now have an important decision on their hands. With a lineup that is strong outside of Soderstrom, they will have to make the choice on whether he is a serious part of their future, or if he is a possible trade piece to go out and get some much-needed pitching reinforcements.

Let’s take a look at just how good Soderstrom was in 2025 and why he could be used in a major deal this offseason.

Soderstrom’s Stock Is Rising

Soderstrom’s first taste of the big leagues came in 2023, where he struggled mightily. In his 45 games, he hit a mere .160 with a wRC+ of 34. He struck out over 30% of the time and looked completely overmatched.

Fortunately for the A’s, he took a decent step forward in the very next season.

For the first time in his career, he was an above-average hitter, ending 2024 with a 114 wRC+ and nine home runs in 61 games. While it still wasn’t the elite bat that was expected from the former top prospect, it was an encouraging sign after his disappointing cup of coffee in ’23.

During these first two seasons, Soderstrom spent the majority of his defensive time at first base and behind the plate. To keep it simple, he was a poor defender at both positions. He accumulated -2 defensive runs saved behind the plate and -4 outs above average at first base.

With the breakout of Shea Langeliers and the development of Nick Kurtz, Soderstrom was forced to move the outfield. This could very well be the decision that changed the trajectory of his entire career as everything clicked in 2025, his first season as primarily a left fielder.

In over 850 innings in left field, he posted +10 DRS and +5 OAA. Not only did he comfortably transition to a brand-new position, he became an elite defender there. This impressive adjustment was capped off when Soderstrom was named a Gold Glove finalist after the conclusion of the season.

The defense wasn’t the only thing that clicked, however. He blew basically every career high out of the water, including home runs (25), RBIs (93), wRC+ (125), fWAR (3.4), and all three of the big three offensive statistics with a .276/.346/.474 slash line.

Arguably the most impressive part were the strides he made in the strikeout department. In his 2023 rookie campaign, he held a punch out rate of 31.2% as compared to the 22.6% rate he posted this past season.

What once looked like a disaster of a development for the Athletics now looks like a clear success. Soderstrom is part of one of the best young cores in all of baseball and can be a huge factor for the Athletics contending soon. However, could he be used to benefit the A’s in a different way?

Soderstrom Shipped Out?

Now immediately, people might think it’s insane to consider trading Soderstrom after the season he just put together. However, the Athletics have a surplus of outfielders who can slide in if he’s dealt.

On the big-league roster, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, Denzel Clarke, and even a Colby Thomas can play any of the outfield spots.

Brent Rooker, who is primarily the designated hitter, also has plenty of experience in the outfield. On the prospect side of things, Henry Bolte is an intriguing outfield option in the system who is probably big-league ready heading into 2025.

Simply put, the A’s would be get by if they were to lose Soderstrom.

Now, what would they target in a return?

This is an extremely easy answer, as the organization has a glaring hole they need to fill. The A’s pitching staff was arguably the worst in all of baseball. Now, it didn’t help that they played their home games in a Triple-A stadium, but the numbers are still extremely disappointing.

For one, they had the lowest ground-ball rate in all of MLB at 37.4%. That combined with the hitter-friendly nature of Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is not going to bode well for any team.

The starting rotation was also abysmal for the entirety of 2025. They had the fourth-worst ERA with a 4.85 clip and only accumulated 5.9 fWAR, the second-worst mark in MLB.

Clearly the organization needs pitching help and there is a plethora of names on the trade market that could be intriguing for the A’s. Obviously, names like Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene, Joe Ryan, and Freddy Peralta are the big fish that have stolen headlines.

However, there are some more realistic options that could be available, such as Sonny Gray, Mitch Keller, or Sandy Alcantara.

Final Thoughts

If the Athletics are willing to move a guy like Soderstrom, they can absolutely go out and get some serious help on the pitching market. The system also has three top 100 prospects, according to our own Aram Leighton, that could be used as trade chips if they wanted to go after a big name.

When you combine that possibility with some of the safer arms on the free agent market, there’s a world where the A’s could sneak into a wild-card spot in 2026. The real question is whether Tyler Soderstrom is part of the 2026 team or merely a piece used to bolster the staff that desperately needs help.

The Athletics organization has the opportunity to have one of the more interesting offseason this winter. Deciding what to do with Soderstrom after his breakout season could be one of the biggest storylines to follow in the Golden State’s capital.