The Athletics cleared waivers and outrighted six men to Triple‑A Las Vegas: right‑handers Henry Baez, Joey Estes and Geoff Hartlieb, catcher Brian Serven, infielder Michael Stefanic and outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez. How will this shake up their depth?
As the offseason kicks off, clubs juggle roster limits. Free agency opens today, offering some breathing room, but the injured list vanishes five days after the World Series. RosterResource had the A’s at 46 players; after acquiring Nate Eaton from Boston, those six outright moves drop the total to 41.
Estes, 25, logged 127 2/3 innings for Oakland in 2024 with a 5.01 ERA. Since then he’s mostly been a minor‑league depth arm, tallying just five big‑league games in two seasons. His Triple‑A ERA hovered above 5.50 each year. With his final option used up, he’s now option‑less and will hit minor‑league free agency soon after seven seasons in the system.
Hartlieb, who turns 33 in December, began 2026 on a minor‑league deal. He earned three roster calls; the first two ended with a DFA after a few outings, since he’s out of options. After clearing waivers each time, he returned when a fresh arm was needed, staying through season’s end before being outrighted again. He can elect free agency and carries a 7.16 ERA over 110 2/3 career innings.
Serven, 32 in May, signed a minor‑league contract last offseason and joined the big‑league squad in July, appearing in 29 games. His glove work was solid, but he posted a .175/.224/.375 slash line, mirroring his career numbers of .184/.241/.312. Having been outrighted before, he retains the right to test free agency. For my money, the A’s should prioritize hitting over defensive depth.
Stefanic, 31 in February, entered the year on a minor‑league deal and saw two stints on the roster, playing in 19 games. In a tiny 29‑plate‑appearance sample he posted a .346/.414/.385 line, albeit with an unsustainable .450 BABIP. His career numbers sit at .238/.323/.278. Prior outrights grant him free‑agency eligibility.
Rodríguez, 27 in November, was claimed off waivers in August but remained in the minors, never appearing for Oakland at the major‑league level. He shines in Triple‑A with a .295/.386/.495 line from 2024‑2026, yet his major‑league stats over the same span slump to .177/.288/.301.
He bounced around waivers this year, exhausting his final option, which likely led to his recent clearance. With at least seven minor‑league seasons under his belt, he’ll qualify for minor‑league free agency.
This is Baez’s first outright and he lacks three years of service time, so his free‑agency status is unclear. He’s logged six minor‑league seasons from 2021‑2026 after signing as an amateur in 2019; the 2020 season, though cancelled, counts toward the seven‑season threshold per Baseball America. Will the A’s eventually grant him a chance to prove himself at the big‑league level?
This is the first outright of his career and he doesn’t have three years of service time. It’s unclear if he would qualify for minor league free agency. He has only played in six minor league seasons, from 2021 to 2026. The Padres signed him as an amateur in 2019. J.J. Cooper of Baseball America has previously reported that the 2020 campaign would count as a season for deciding if a player had participated in seven minor league seasons, even though it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Baez’s transactions tracker at MLB.com, though he was signed in 2019, he wasn’t assigned to a club until 2021.