The Arizona Fall League is underway, and the Athletics already have a few names getting extra run in the desert. For a club still deep in offseason mode, these early reps matter for prospects trying to climb the ladder and force their way into the conversation.
Davis Diaz made the loudest first impression. The catcher, a 2024 eighth-round pick who reached Triple-A last season and is viewed as a top-20 prospect in the system, opened his AFL stint with a two-run home run. It was the kind of start that turns heads fast.
Grant Richardson also gave the A’s something to like on the mound. The left-hander worked two strong innings in his first AFL outing, struck out five, and allowed one run. The run blemished the line a bit, but the punchouts were the real takeaway.
The rest of the A’s contingent had a productive day as well. Outfielder Breyson Guedez, another highly regarded prospect, went 2-for-3 with a walk. Lefty Tucker Novotny turned in three shutout innings and gave up just one hit in a scoreless appearance.
None of those players are expected to factor into next year’s major league roster, but they are all trying to build toward bigger opportunities down the road. Guedez stands out in that group; MLB.com ranked him No. 9 among the A’s top prospects, and the 19-year-old is 2-for-8 so far with a likely assignment to Double-A next year.
While the prospect pipeline is getting some attention, the GM search remains stuck in the background. The team has presumably moved through at least the first round of interviews and trimmed its list, but there has been no leak, no buzz, no real hint about who is next in line to run the baseball operations side.
The deadline for an end-of-season decision has passed, but the club still appears to be moving on its own timetable. Could drop at any moment.
For now, the first game is only a few hours away, and that’s enough to keep the week moving.
In Other News...
A's Offseason Pitching Search Could Bring Back A Familiar Debate
Pitching is going to sit near the top of the Athletics offseason checklist, and the front office figures to attack it from a few different angles. The bullpen gave the club some encouraging signs in 2025, but the rotation never found a steady rhythm, and the realities of playing at a minor league site only sharpen the need for more dependable arms. Trades and free-agent signings are both expected to be in the mix as the As try to raise the floor of a staff that spent too much of the year in flux.
One familiar name likely to surface is Sean Newcomb, whose previous stint with Oakland showed how useful a veteran reliever can be in the right role. AJ Puk is another possible addition, though the appeal there would be tied as much to patience as upside, with the As weighing low-risk options that could pay off if the health cooperates. It leaves Oakland back in a conversation it knows well: how much certainty it can buy this winter, and how much it will have to hope comes with time. [Read more 🡒]
A's Las Vegas Push Just Sent Another Strong Message
Interest around the Athletics future Las Vegas ballpark keeps building well before a first pitch is ever thrown there. The Athletic Club, the premium hospitality space designed to give fans an intimate dining-and-baseball experience, has already drawn enough attention to sell out, giving the franchise another sign that its move is resonating in the market. Built with a speakeasy-inspired aesthetic and developed with Will Guidara and Aramark Sports + Entertainment, the club was supposed to help define the feel of the new park.
The early response also offers a useful snapshot of where that enthusiasm is coming from. A large share of the buyers are from Southern Nevada, which suggests the club is not just appealing as a novelty tied to the relocation story but as a local offering with real pull. For a ballpark that is still years from opening, the demand says plenty about the As efforts to establish a foothold in Las Vegas, even as plenty of the bigger questions around the project remain ahead. [Read more 🡒]
A's Prospect Davis Diaz Is Forcing A Bigger Catcher Conversation
Davis Diaz was never supposed to arrive in the catcher conversation this quickly. Drafted by the Athletics in the eighth round in 2024 as an infielder out of Vanderbilt, he was converted behind the plate despite limited experience there, and the early returns have given Oakland something to think about. Diaz kept moving through the system, spent time in the Arizona Fall League, and kept sharpening both the defensive and offensive sides of his game as the organization worked to see how far the experiment could go.
By 2026, he had pushed all the way to Triple-A, a sign that the As believed the transition was still on track even after the usual bumps that come with learning one of the games hardest positions. Diaz has dealt with setbacks along the way, including a concussion and a rough Triple-A stretch, but he has framed those moments as part of the process rather than detours. For Oakland, the bigger question now is how much more runway he needs before his upside at catcher starts turning into a real roster discussion. [Read more 🡒]