The Athletics are staring at another lost season, and that reality is making one offseason call look painfully straightforward.
One loss, or a Houston Astros win, will officially knock the A’s out of postseason contention. That’s the backdrop for a year that has gone sideways in West Sacramento, with one more season there still to come before the move to Las Vegas.
Pitching has been a major reason things have unraveled. The A’s simply have not had enough quality arms to build a roster that can hang night after night, and the rotation figures to need two to three additions in 2027. That means some of this year’s starters are almost certain to be on the way out.
Jeffrey Springs looks like one of them.
FanSided’s Zachary Rotman pointed to Springs as a pitcher the A’s should not bring back, and the case is hard to ignore. As Rotman wrote, "Jeffrey Springs had a solid year for the A's last season, and the team hoped he'd be a serviceable innings eater once again in 2026, but after a great start, the southpaw has been one of the worst pitchers in the sport."
The numbers back that up. Springs opened with a 1.46 ERA across his first four starts, but since then he has posted a 7.09 ERA in 22 starts. His 6.02 ERA overall is the worst among the 82 pitchers with at least 130 innings of work this season, according to Rotman.
That kind of production leaves the A’s with little reason to consider keeping him around. The club needs fewer arms like that, not more, especially if the goal is to give the offense any chance to stay in range on a given night.
Springs has a $15 million club option for 2027, and it would be a major surprise if the A’s chose to exercise it. Based on this season alone, he has not shown he is anywhere near worth that price.
In Other News...
A's Got An Unlikely Hero In A Wild Win Over Seattle
The Athletics opened their series against Seattle with a 6-5 extra-innings win that had just about everything, from a steady start on the mound to late drama that kept the night hanging in the balance. Jeffrey Springs gave Oakland a solid foundation, working five innings and limiting the Mariners to two runs, which gave the A's a chance to stay in it while the game turned into a bullpen fight.
Oakland had to keep answering as Seattle pushed the game past regulation, and the matchup never really felt settled once the lead changed hands. The clubs will be back at it with Gage Jump set to start for the Athletics against Bryan Woo for the Mariners, and after a finish like this, the next game already feels like it has more weight than a typical early-series matchup. [Read more 🡒]
A's Prospect Pipeline Just Took A Brutal Hit With Leo De Vries
The Athletics rebuild already has enough moving parts, and now another major one has gone quiet. Leo De Vries, the former top Padres prospect who came to Oakland last year in the deal involving Mason Miller and JP Sears, is facing a long stretch away from the field after a shoulder issue surfaced.
De Vries is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery on Sept. 13, a procedure that will push his recovery deep into next season. For a club trying to stockpile young talent and find some stability in its pipeline, losing a player with his pedigree for roughly eight months is a painful interruption, even before the broader impact on the roster comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]