Game 4 of the World Series delivered the kind of chaos that keeps a baseball night humming long after midnight. Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt broke a 2-2 tie with a solo shot in the 12th inning to put the Brewers in front, only for the Rays to answer with two runs in the bottom of the frame and walk it off from there. That pushed the series to Game 5 tonight and kept the championship race alive for one more night.
It also keeps everyone else in baseball waiting on the offseason clock, and that clock has some real bite to it this year. An owner-imposed lockout is a possibility beginning Dec. 1, and the labor fight behind it centers on the idea of a salary cap and salary floor.
If that dispute drags on, it could stretch into the spring and even put the start of the 2027 season in jeopardy. During a lockout, MLB transactions and player-team contact would be limited, which gives teams an obvious reason to get moving in November before the sport’s economic landscape potentially changes underneath them.
For the Athletics, that urgency comes with a familiar caveat: money. They’re not expected to shop at the very top of the free-agent board, and they’re unlikely to chase the premier name in the class, elite left-hander Tarik Skubal, who grew up as a massive A’s fan. But there are still arms available who could make sense for this roster, whether through free agency or trade.
Clay Holmes and Nick Martinez fit that lane as possible targets for A’s president of baseball operations Taylor Smith. And if 2027 arrives on schedule, the A’s still haven’t bolstered the pitching staff, that could end up looking like a missed chance to take a step forward in what might be a wide-open American League West.
For now, though, the baseball world gets one more game. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. PT.
In Other News...
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 🡒]