The Athletics’ 2026 season has been a mess on the mound, and the reasons are hard to miss. Injuries have stripped away key pieces, Luis Severino has been sidelined since the end of May after his start against the New York Yankees, and two of the club’s offseason additions, Mark Leiter Jr. and Scott Barlow, are also gone from the picture. Leiter Jr. is done for the year after surgery, while Barlow was designated for assignment after a string of rough outings.
Even with a new GM search underway, the A’s already know pitching has to be a priority this offseason. If they want to push toward a playoff run in 2027, the staff needs major work. Still, there are two arms who have separated themselves as pieces worth building around: JT Ginn and Jacob Lopez.
Ginn’s rise has been one of the few real bright spots in this season. He entered the year as a fringe MLB arm, the kind of pitcher who might have spent time in Triple-A Las Vegas.
Instead, the A’s early rotation struggles forced him into action much sooner than expected, and he ran with the chance. Ginn has become the staff’s most trusted starter and, effectively, their ace.
He’ll still have to win a job again next spring, but what he’s done this season should put him in the Opening Day conversation.
Jacob Lopez’s path has looked different, but the finish has been familiar. His 2026 season got off to a rough start, which sent him down, but since returning to the majors he has looked like a different pitcher. That mirrors what happened in 2025, when he was one of Mark Kotsay’s most reliable starters late in the year, piling up quality innings and missing bats at a high clip.
This season, Lopez has settled back into that same groove. He’s throwing with the confidence he showed last year and has given the A’s another arm they can count on moving forward. There’s still uncertainty hanging over 2027 because of the incoming lockout, which could shorten the season, but if Ginn and Lopez are anchoring the rotation, the A’s have a real chance to make noise.
In Other News...
Jeffrey Springs Just Gave The A's Something They Desperately Needed
Jeffrey Springs gave the As exactly the kind of start they have been searching for, and he did it in a place where Seattle rarely makes things easy. At T-Mobile Park, Springs worked seven scoreless innings in Oaklands 6-2 win over the Mariners, allowing just two hits and two walks while the As offense jumped early behind home runs from Max Muncy and Lawrence Butler.
For a pitcher who has had his share of struggles earlier this season, it was the kind of outing that changes the tone of a series and, maybe, the conversation around him. It also came against a Mariners team and a ballpark that have been a favorable matchup for Springs before, which only adds to the intrigue about whether this was a one-night spark or the start of something steadier. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Face An Offseason Decision That Could Shape A Playoff Push
The Athletics have spent much of this season trying to piece together a roster that can survive the ups and downs of an inconsistent year, and the biggest issue has been the pitching side. Injuries have been part of the problem, but so have stretches where the staff simply has not held up long enough to support the rest of the roster. Even so, there have been enough promising individual performances to keep the bigger picture from feeling bleak, which is why the next step matters so much for a club trying to turn a rough season into real momentum.
As the offseason approaches, the As are expected to weigh roster moves that could help stabilize the rotation and give them a better chance to push forward next year. The broader question is how aggressively they choose to address those needs, especially with a few players drawing attention as possible trade pieces and others making a case to stay in the mix. For an Oakland team trying to move from frustration to progress, the answer could shape not just the winter, but the shape of a playoff push down the line. [Read more 🡒]
As Contention Hopes May Hinge On These Fast-Rising Prospects
The Athletics long-term picture keeps circling back to the same cluster of young talent, and the names are starting to move faster than the rebuild itself. Jamie Arnold, Drew Burress, Leo De Vries and Devin Taylor are all pushing through the minors with enough momentum to make 2027 a realistic marker for how much better this roster could look, whether that means shoring up the rotation or adding more impact bats around the lineup.
Arnold has been the most advanced of the group, while Burress has flashed enough in his debut to keep him on a quick track of his own, and Taylors steady production across multiple levels has only strengthened the case that he belongs in the conversation. De Vries remains the most fascinating variable in the mix, because the talent is obvious and the ranking is high, but the injuries he has already battled leave a key question hanging over how soon the Athletics can count on him to arrive. [Read more 🡒]