Nick Kurtz

Fantasy baseball analyst Fred Zinkie previews the 1B position for the 2026 MLB season with sleeper picks and players to fade.

The deal includes an eighth-year club option. Wilson finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind his teammate Nick Kurtz, after hitting .311/.355/.444 with 13 home runs and five steals in 125 games this season. The 23-year-old is an elite contact hitter who has always sported high batting averages in the minors and flashed decent enough power last season. He has graded out as a below-average defender at shortstop in each of the last two seasons and may eventually need to move to second base, but this contract is fair value for a player with his hit tool. The A's now have Wilson, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, and Lawrence Butler under long-term contracts, with Nick Kurtz still on his rookie deal. That's a solid offensive foundation.