Miguel Andujar’s crucial season concluded poorly and left some uncertainty. On Wednesday, Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay revealed that Andujar, who is now playing as a left fielder, will need to have season-ending core muscle surgery. The question remains: did he do enough to earn a spot on the A’s roster for next season?
Despite an early end to the season, Andujar can still view the year as a modest success, as he reaffirmed his status as a major-league player, even if he’s considered average and might not have a guaranteed everyday role.
In 2024, Andujar racked up 320 plate appearances, the highest since his rookie year in 2018 with the New York Yankees, when he had 606. In comparison, he had 140 plate appearances in 2022 and 90 in 2023.
With the A’s, Andujar showed his best performance against left-handed pitchers, hitting .404/.452/.526 with a home run over 62 plate appearances. Overall, he posted a .285/.320/.377 line (102 OPS+) with four home runs and 30 RBIs.
Andujar earned $1.7 million this year and has one more arbitration offseason before he hits free agency. The question now is whether the A’s will consider him for their 2025 roster and, more critically, whether the lowest-budget MLB team will be willing to keep him.
Andujar has now exceeded five years of major league service, which means he would be entitled to a modest salary increase if the A’s choose to keep him for his final arbitration year. The A’s currently have no guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season. Their only notable arbitration-eligible player is Brent Rooker, who is undergoing the arbitration process for the first time. Given the A’s typical financial flexibility, they have the room in their payroll to retain Andujar if they believe he still has potential to perform better at the plate.
Andujar was originally signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in July 2011 and developed within their system as a third baseman. His time with the Yankees concluded after six MLB seasons, and in 2022, he was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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