The A’s are staring at a mess that no quick fix can clean up.
A 23-4 loss only sharpened the picture. It pushed the club deeper into a double-digit losing streak and left the front office with a decision that feels less like a fork in the road than a series of bad exits.
The numbers around this collapse are ugly enough on their own: a 6.63 home ERA, 97 home runs allowed in 48 games, a 15-27 mark in West Sacramento, a -125 run differential, and a 1-14 stretch over the last 15 games. Since July 1, the A’s have held a lead for six pitches.
That kind of slide forces the bigger question. The organization believed it had moved from rebuilding into being competitive, but instead it has landed with the third-worst record in the American League. So what now?
One path is to blame the injuries and wait. Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof are expected back at some point, and the hope would be that pitchers such as Jacob Lopez, Jeffrey Springs, and maybe eventually Luis Morales can look more like their 2025 versions or better.
But that route looks flimsy. Even getting healthier doesn’t make this a one-player fix or a one-pitcher fix. The bar has fallen so low that “much improved” would mean going 7-8 instead of 1-14, or allowing five runs in a game instead of the eight-plus the A’s give up 41.6% of the time at home, which has happened 20 times in 48 tries.
That leaves the trade deadline, and the A’s are in a tricky spot there too. Most of their players fall into one of two buckets: core pieces they probably need to keep, or players whose value is limited by contract or performance.
Shea Langeliers is the one name that fits a more realistic middle ground, and his name has started circulating in online trade chatter, though not from reliable inside sources. Even then, there’s a sense that if the A’s were going to move him, the offseason would make more sense than the deadline.
Still, with the club sitting at 41-56 and sliding fast, it would make sense for the A’s to at least listen if a strong offer showed up. A deal that brought back a capable catcher and a top young pitching prospect would be the type of return worth considering.
There are a few possible frameworks, even if there are not many clean fits. If the White Sox called with Kyle Teel and Hagen Smith, that would be a conversation worth having. The same goes for the Red Sox if they offered Carlos Narvaez and Connelly Early, though Early’s current IL stint with elbow inflammation makes him both riskier and more attainable.
Beyond that, the list of real trade chips is thin. Henry Bolte’s hot start has given way to a rough stretch on both sides of the ball.
Lawrence Butler is still hovering around the Mendoza line. Jacob Wilson has not stayed healthy.
Colby Thomas has had his shortcomings exposed.
That makes the most likely deadline outcome something far less dramatic: modest moves that don’t really change the team’s direction unless a prospect pops in a big way. Mark Leiter Jr. could draw interest, but the return would not be substantial. Jonah Heim might also be available, though his most recent move was a deal for cash.
The other option is broader and probably belongs more to the offseason now than the All-Star break: a real shake-up in the dugout and beyond, with more than one coaching change and new leadership for a talented group that has drifted badly off course. The A’s have looked undisciplined and fundamentally shaky, and the club’s tolerance for the current coaching setup is raising questions. Injuries have been the usual explanation, but it is mid-July and the quality of at-bats, pitch selection, execution, fundamentals, and the ability to stop a bad inning from becoming a disaster has not improved.
This would make 2026 the fifth straight season the A’s have fallen out of contention by the All-Star break. That is hard to ignore, especially when the AL West leader is just one game over .500 and 48-48 is enough for the third wild card spot.
The long-term plan is still supposed to point toward 2027. That makes the next few weeks important, because the decisions now will shape that path.
The August 3 trading deadline is the next real checkpoint, and the A’s have to choose a direction. Even doing nothing would be a choice.
In Other News...
A's May Be Pushing Max Muncy Into An Unexpected New Role
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One of the more interesting names in that mix is Max Muncy, who was recently sent to Triple-A and has been working mostly in the infield. But with his defensive issues and the A's depth chart pushing them to consider every available option, there is at least a path for him to work his way back into the big leagues in a different role than the one he has handled most often. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Let An Opposing Rookie Have The Night Every Fan Fears
What began as an injury replacement assignment quickly turned into one of those nights a visiting club never wants to see from a rookie. Harry Ford was pressed into the Washington lineup after Drew Millas went down with a left index finger injury, and the Nationals found themselves with a fresh face in the middle of a game that was already tilting hard in their direction against the Athletics.
Ford did more than just fill a spot, giving Washington a jolt in his first major league action and helping fuel a lopsided night at the plate. The bigger picture for Oakland was even rougher, with Washington piling on run after run in a game that featured big damage from Andres Chaparro and a final score that said plenty about how quickly things got away from the As. [Read more 🡒]