The Athletics’ first notable offseason note arrived with Max Muncy going under the knife on his left knee, though the timing still points toward him being ready for Spring Training. The procedure was a debridement to clean up damaged cartilage, a surgery that typically carries a six-to-eight-week recovery window. In other words, this was a relatively small fix, not the kind of setback that should threaten his availability for next season.
It’s the kind of update the A’s can probably live with. Muncy’s first two seasons in the majors have been uneven, to put it mildly.
He reached the big leagues in mid-2025 and struggled offensively and defensively in limited playing time, then got a much bigger opportunity in 2026 after a strong spring training won him the starting job at third base. The production never really followed.
Over the course of last season, the right-handed hitter dealt with injuries and inconsistency and finished at .230/.296/.387 with nine home runs. That was a step forward from the year before, but it still wasn’t enough to justify the role he had been handed. The defense was even tougher to overlook, and the overall result came out to -1.2 WAR.
That puts him in a difficult spot heading into next year. Muncy has mashed Triple-A pitching, but he still has to prove he can make the jump against big-league arms.
And even if the bat comes around, the glove has to improve too. Last season he graded as one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league, which makes a repeat at that spot hard to imagine unless he shows up in February looking like a different player in the field.
He did get a tiny look in the outfield corners, but that doesn’t appear to open much of a lane. The A’s figure to have everyday players in those spots, and there are better backup options there already. Right now, there isn’t an obvious clean fit for him if the goal is to improve the roster.
That matters because Muncy is entering his final option year, so this could be the last real chance for him to lock in a future with the organization. The hope is that the knee issue that popped up early in the year was part of what knocked him off track, and that he can reset and start living up to his draft status in 2027. The A’s could certainly use that kind of rebound.
Elsewhere, the World Series rolls on tonight with the Brewers one win from the Commissioner’s Trophy. The way the series has gone, it looks all but finished. The real suspense now is whether Milwaukee closes it out tonight, tomorrow, or in Game 6 back home.
Once the World Series ends, the offseason officially begins in earnest. Luis Severino has five days to decide on his club option for next year, while the A’s also need to make calls on Jeff McNeil and Jeffrey Springs and their expensive contracts.
Those two have looked like straightforward declines for a while, while Severino had seemed like an easy bet to opt in. But there’s been chatter that he might turn it down because he hates Sutter Health Park that much.
He’s not getting any younger, and this team may still be a year or two from contending, so the answers are coming soon enough.
In Other News...
As Offseason Pressure Is Already Building Around One Big Pitching Question
With the World Series still hanging in the balance after an extra-inning Game 4 and a decisive Game 5 set for tonight, the offseason picture is already getting sharper for clubs that know they will have to shop carefully. For the Athletics, that means the spotlight is quickly turning to pitching, where payroll limits figure to keep them out of the top end of the free-agent market and force a more measured approach to roster building.
Even before the championship is decided, the broader labor climate is adding another layer of uncertainty. A potential owner-imposed lockout on Dec. 1, tied to disputes over salary-cap proposals, could spill into the schedule and affect the 2027 season as well as the normal flow of transactions. If the As are going to add arms, they may have to do it without getting into the kind of bidding war that has become routine elsewhere, and the names already floating around suggest a search for practical fits rather than marquee splashes. [Read more 🡒]
A's Rotation Need Could Make This Brewers Arm A Fascinating Gamble
Oaklands rotation picture has a way of making almost any viable arm look interesting, and Aaron Ashby fits that category as a left-hander with a track record that has held up in meaningful spots. The Brewers reliever put together a 3.12 ERA during the regular season and has also looked sharp in the postseason, which helps explain why his name comes up as a potential solution for a staff that could be losing pieces and has already had trouble finding consistent answers.
What makes Ashby especially intriguing is the possibility that a team willing to take the gamble could see more than just bullpen help. He has expressed interest in getting back to starting, and that kind of upside is hard to ignore for a club searching for rotation stability without much margin for error. The fit is still about projection as much as production, but for the As, that is often the kind of bet worth exploring. [Read more 🡒]