The Athletics are stumbling into the All-Star break in rough shape, and the picture around them has gotten a lot bleaker in a hurry. They’ve dropped nine straight, the longest skid in baseball, and they’re set to finish the first half by getting swept in three consecutive series.
That kind of slide changes everything. A month ago, the conversation looked very different. Now, the A’s are headed toward a much more cautious deadline approach, and the idea of pushing for a late-season run feels a lot less realistic.
The problems are stacked on top of each other. The bullpen hasn’t been reliable.
The offense has been too inconsistent. The starting rotation has been brutal.
Put it all together, and this stretch of losses starts to make a little too much sense.
There’s also the bigger issue of where the Athletics sit in the standings. They were first in the A.L West with a sizeable lead, but as of July 13, they’re eight games behind the Mariners and sitting fourth in the division. At that point, the path back gets awfully narrow.
That’s why the deadline conversation has shifted so sharply. The Athletics are now sellers, and if they want to change the direction of the roster, it would take a heavy wave of trades. That would come at a cost, too, since moving that many pieces would leave a sizeable dent in the farm system - something the organization would prefer to keep stocked for the next few seasons.
Shea Langeliers and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer are among the names that could draw interest in the coming weeks. Both have had excellent seasons, and that kind of production creates a market. Trading them would create obvious holes in the lineup, but it could also help the A’s piece together a better pitching staff if they handle the cards right.
Injuries have only made the slide worse. Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz are both on the injured list, and that has played a major role in the team’s recent struggles. If the Athletics can’t find a series win quickly, there’s a real chance this losing streak carries right into the second half.
That’s the danger now. A bad first half is one thing.
Letting it spill over into the second half would make the selling talk impossible to ignore. The A’s could still, in theory, catch fire and get back into the mix.
But if the losses keep piling up, the season starts looking a lot more finished than hopeful.
In Other News...
Injuries Cant Hide Whats Really Sunk The As Season
The Athletics reached the All-Star break at 41-55, and the reasons for the slide go well beyond the usual midseason injury excuses. Yes, the club has spent stretches without important pieces, but the deeper problem has been an offense that never found enough consistency to support the rest of the roster, especially away from home.
Oaklands road struggles have been so severe that they have become the defining feature of the season, and they have left Mark Kotsay and his staff searching for answers they have not found. Even in a division where other clubs have hovered around .500, the As have fallen behind in a way that suggests the issue is bigger than who is or is not available on a given night. [Read more 🡒]
A's Make A Pitching Shakeup Fans Saw Coming
The Athletics moved on from pitching coach Scott Emerson after a season in which the staff never found much stability, a decision that had been building for weeks as the clubs run prevention continued to unravel. Oaklands pitching issues have been impossible to ignore, with the staff sitting last in the American League in ERA and the rotation repeatedly unable to give the team consistent innings or dependable results.
Dan Hubbs will take over as interim pitching coach for the rest of the 2026 season, giving the As a new voice in a department that has been under pressure from the start. Emersons exit ends a long run in the organization that stretched back to 2003 and included time as the major league pitching coach since 2017, but the larger question now is whether a change on the staff can help a group that has spent most of the year chasing answers. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Rumors Hint Another A's Veteran Could Be Trade Bait
The Yankees search for a right-handed bat behind the plate has put a few familiar names into the deadline mix, and Jonah Heim is one of the catchers drawing attention. A former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, Heim still carries the kind of defensive reputation that tends to travel well in July, especially for a contender trying to stabilize a position that has become a concern.
For Oakland, the wrinkle is that Heim has not been getting the same steady catching workload he once did. Shea Langeliers breakout has pushed him more toward first base or designated hitter duties, which gives the As a veteran with some flexibility but also makes him a player other clubs can picture in a different role. If the market keeps heating up, that kind of profile is the sort of thing that can turn a useful piece into a trade conversation. [Read more 🡒]