"It's not same as Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr." - Brent Rooker fires back at negativity surrounding his $60,000,000 Athletics extension

Athletics slugger Brent Rooker faced backlash after signing a $60 million extension in the offseason. Rooker explained the reason behind his deal as fans failed to understand the dynamics surrounding his extension.

On Tuesday, Rooker appeared on the "Diggin' Deep Show" to set the record straight, clearing the doubts of many who feel he could have waited for a better deal.

“I kept my mouth shut for the most part, but the negative tweets after I signed my extension got to me a little bit," Rooker said (2:58 onwards). "Just because it's like, ‘You took a bad deal.’ I'm like, ‘No, you guys don't understand what's happening.’

"I'm not a free agent. I have three more years to get to free agency. I'm going to walk into free agency at age 33. Like, it's not the same as walking into free agency at 26 like Juan Soto just did, or even like Vlad Jr. is about to do, or even like Anthony Santander just did.”

Rooker explained that he was not in the same spot as other big leaguers who signed lucrative deals in the offseason. This includes Juan Soto, who signed a record $765 million contract with the New York Mets.

He also named Anthony Santander, who signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. After the season started, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. inked a $500 million extension to stay in Toronto for 14 more years.

Brent Rooker excited for what's to come with the A's

After waiting in the wings to get a good shot in MLB, Brent Rooker had a breakout year in 2023 after the Athletics claimed him off waivers in Nov. 2022. That season, he led the club in home runs (30), RBIs (69) and total bases (226).

This was the kind of year that set Rooker apart and he is grateful to the A's for giving him the opportunity. During the same podcast segment, Rooker said:

“The A’s are the team that was willing to do that, which I’m incredibly thankful for."

The slugger also expressed optimism about what's to come in the coming years for the team

"And it’s also... I think our next few years — we’re really optimistic about the kind of team we can put out there," Rooker added. "We’ve got some really good young talent. We made some good additions. We’re trending in the right direction, and the opportunity to be a part of that moving forward was exciting as well.”

Rooker is leading the A's from the front, having hit 15 home runs and 41 RBIs while batting .276.