LAS VEGAS -- For 29 other clubs, the GM Meetings are a stopover. For the Athletics’ new front office, it’s closer to a working neighborhood.
President of baseball operations Taylor Smith and general manager Cam Castro have stayed in Las Vegas since taking over, and this week’s gathering at the Aria Resort and Casino has only made the transition feel more immediate. Castro, hired as GM last week, has already turned the hotel into something of a temporary office.
“At some point,” Castro said with a laugh. “I need to get back [to Wisconsin] to see the people in my actual own house.”
The A’s have plenty to sort through, and Smith said the meetings are giving the club a chance to tackle both roster business and organizational housekeeping at the same time. That includes hiring, planning and simply getting everyone in the same room.
“We brought Cam in, which was a very big item on the to-do list,” Smith said. “There’s still a lot of hiring to do.
… Thinking through roster decisions, we had to make the first wave of those while also developing some of our strategies for the offseason. Part of it is just getting to know a bunch of people, which takes a lot of time and energy just connecting with everyone.”
Smith has already made one move, though it was a small one. On Oct. 29, the A’s picked up outfielder Nate Eaton from the Red Sox for Minor League right-hander Jareth Rayo.
That deal came with a familiar connection. Smith had spent the previous two seasons in Boston under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and he said that shared background helped make the trade easier to complete.
“It’s easy to make trades with people you know, especially when you have a shared understanding of the player and their roster situation,” said Smith, who praised Eaton’s defense and baserunning. “It’s easy to come to an agreement on that when you are operating on a lot of the same information and context there.”
Most of Castro’s early conversations have centered on staffing. The front office still has openings to fill, and the player development group also needs support. One of the biggest unresolved spots is Minor League pitching coordinator, a position that has not had a full-time leader since Barry Enright left the organization in June 2026.
Castro, who once served as a pitching coordinator with the Brewers, said he understands how important that job can be.
“It can be a really impactful role,” Castro said. “We have to do the very best that we can to get the best people, arm them with the best stuff and do the best for the players that we can, because you never know who you’re going to have to turn to on any given night.
… The pitching stuff and pitching development is certainly a focus. I’m looking for great people to come in and join this group.”
Smith also addressed the pitching picture, which many around the game would naturally circle as the A’s biggest offseason need. He said he doesn’t view it as as bleak as outsiders might, pointing to the fact that Sutter Health Park, the team’s home for one more season before the move to Las Vegas, inflates offense. Even so, he said the A’s staff performed close to league average on the road.
Smith also believes there was some bad luck baked into the numbers, and that the rotation -- currently projected to include Luis Severino, J.T. Ginn, Jacob Lopez, Gage Jump and Jack Perkins -- could be in line for a better 2027.
“I think some of the narratives on the pitching side get slightly blown out of proportion,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for guys to take a step forward.
Some of it was that some guys were just a little unlucky on batted-ball luck and things like that last year. That was something that really stood out to me as I was going through the process.
It was like, ‘Man, everyone talks about the position players. But some of these young arms like Perkins and Jump are really exciting.’”
In Other News...
As Aggressive Talk Puts Pressure On This Offseason Plan
The Athletics new front office has spent the early part of the offseason trying to set a more assertive tone, talking openly about building a winning team and suggesting the club may have more flexibility than it has in recent years. Around the organization, there is a sense that the coming months will be judged not just by the moves made, but by how boldly the As choose to operate as they try to reshape the roster.
Still, the word aggressive can mean a lot of different things in this context, and that is where the intrigue begins. There is skepticism about whether the current pitching group is ready to support a true step forward, and the front offices comments have only heightened the question of how far it is willing to go when the market opens up. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Enter An Offseason That Could Define Their Next Step
MLBs awards calendar is rolling on, with Will Venable taking the American League Manager of the Year honor and Pat Murphy winning the National League award for the third straight season, while Cy Young and MVP announcements are still to come. For the Athletics, though, the more important business is just getting started, as their new front-office pairing of Taylor Smith and Carlos Castro begins its first round of offseason conversations at the general managers meetings.
So far, the market has been quiet, with no major free-agent signings or trades to speak of, which leaves plenty of room for a team trying to shape its next step. The Athletics enter the winter with obvious areas to address, and the early tone of these meetings could say a lot about how aggressively they plan to move once the rest of the league starts making its own decisions. [Read more 🡒]
A's Infield Plans Could Force Cam Castro Into Tough Calls
The Athletics are heading into an offseason that figures to center on two clear needs: pitching and the infield. With Luis Severino set to return for the 2027 season after exercising his player option, the front office has at least one familiar arm locked in, but there is still plenty of work to do around him as new GM Cam Castro begins shaping the roster for the next phase.
Castros challenge is that the fixes may not be simple. The club is expected to look at ways to add infield help, and there is already talk of a possible pursuit of Gleyber Torres to bolster the lineup. At the same time, the As could have to weigh difficult trade decisions involving some of their more prominent young pieces as they try to retool the roster without losing sight of the long-term picture. [Read more 🡒]