A’s Receiving Trade Interest In Jacob Wilson

Jacob Wilson’s All-Star rookie season was followed up by an injury-plagued 2026 campaign, as the Athletics’ shortstop hit only .266/.298/.388 over 337 plate appearances. Wilson sprained his left shoulder in May while diving for a Gunnar Henderson grounder, and while he missed only a month on the injured list, renewed shoulder discomfort sent him back to the IL for good in late August, and Wilson underwent a season-ending surgery on his troublesome shoulder in early September. Despite this rough sophomore year and the $66MM remaining on Wilson’s contract, the shortstop has been drawing trade interest, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. This could just be some due diligence from rival clubs, or explorations to see if the A’s would bite on a lowball offer. There isn’t any indication that the A’s are even considering moving Wilson, and a trade would be pretty surprising given that Wilson signed his long-term extension with the club just last January. It should be noted that Wilson’s extension was signed under former GM David Forst, so new president of baseball operations Taylor Smith could have a different view of Wilson as a long-term cornerstone. There haven’t been any updates on Wilson’s recovery timeline, so if he will miss a decent chunk of the 2027 season, that also might impact the Athletics’ willingness to consider trade possibilities. That said, one would also imagine clubs wouldn’t be willing to trade for Wilson without a long look at his medicals in the wake of his surgery. The sixth overall pick of the 2023 draft, Wilson made his big league debut barely over a year after his draft date, and played in 28 games for the A’s during the 2024 campaign. He then broke out by hitting .311/.355/.444 with 13 homers over 523 PA in 2025, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting and also earning some down-ballot MVP votes. Luis Arraez is the most frequent comp for Wilson’s game, as Wilson rarely strikes out and makes a ton of contact, even if he doesn’t often make hard contact. Defensively, Wilson’s glovework drew below-average grades in 2025, and the Defensive Runs Saved gave him a -6 mark in 2026. The Outs Above Average metric was much more favorable, as Wilson went from -3 OAA in 2025 (over 1053 2/3 innings at shortstop) to +9 (over 637 1/3 innings) in 2026. These defensive questions could be a moot point if top shortstop prospect Leo De Vries lives up to expectations and Wilson is shifted over to second or third base, though De Vries’ timeline has been delayed by a shoulder surgery of his own, and is expected to be out until at least May 2027. Moving Wilson would create another hole in the A’s infield and less of a safety net for De Vries’ eventual arrival in the majors. That said, Smith could acquire a veteran shortstop as a stopgap, or use an internal option like Joshua Kuroda-Grauer or Alika Williams. Offering Wilson could potentially help the Athletics land a much-needed dose of young pitching help, and maybe also a veteran pitcher on a larger salary to offset part of Wilson’s $66MM price tag. It isn’t exactly a “bad contract swap” situation given Wilson’s youth and future potential, though his salary does create another obstacle in any trade talks the A’s could explore. While a Wilson trade seems unlikely, Smith may have to resort to creative tactics in order to upgrade the Athletics’ pitching in both the short and long term. Free agents obviously aren’t exactly rushing to spend time in Sacramento’s hitter-friendly ballpark, and it remains to be seen if the Athletics’ new home in Las Vegas might also favor batters.