A 98-loss season doesn’t leave much room for comfort, and the Athletics are staring at an offseason where the margins matter. Even with a possible playoff push in 2027, the roster still has to be trimmed and sorted, and a few familiar names may be on the outside looking in when Opening Day arrives.
Jeffrey Springs is the clearest example. He turned in a season he’d probably rather erase, finishing 4-14 with a 6.18 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.
The upside is still there, which is why he lasted as long as he did in a rotation that lacked depth. Jack Perkins also struggled, but Springs has the higher ceiling.
Even so, the problems weren’t limited to Sutter Health’s ballpark. Springs has called himself a fly-ball pitcher, which helps explain some of the damage at home, but his road numbers were rough too: a 2-5 record in 13 starts, a 5.35 ERA, and a 1.31 WHIP.
That kind of production makes him a shaky bet to open the year on the roster.
Max Muncy is in a different spot, but the path is just as crowded. He finished 2026 strong before getting hurt, yet his role is no longer locked in.
Third base is his primary position, but he’d have to win a fight against Zack Gelof or Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, and Tommy White sits ahead of him on the depth chart as well. Gelof, in particular, looks out of reach.
The article makes it clear Muncy isn’t the answer if the Athletics are trying to fix their issues, even if he has been dependable when injuries pile up.
Denzel Clarke also looks like a tough fit for the Opening Day picture. His season went off the rails early after a high-grade hamstring strain and a bone bruise in his right foot.
But the bigger issue is the roster math. With Henry Bolte trending toward superstar status and more talent coming through the system, including Devin Taylor and first-round pick Drew Burress, there’s little reason to park Clarke on the bench to start the season.
A bounce-back would be welcome, but the odds of it happening in green and gold look slim.
In Other News...
A's Offseason Just Started Getting Uncomfortable
With the Wild Card round now in the books and the playoff field narrowed to the Yankees, White Sox, Padres and Braves, the Athletics have officially shifted into offseason mode, and it is already looking like a consequential one in Oakland. The club has moved quickly to shake up the coaching staff, parting ways with pitching coach Scott Emerson, assistant hitting coach Chris Cron and quality control coach Marcus Jensen, while keeping manager Mark Kotsay in place as the face of the dugout.
That leaves the A's with a clearer sense of who is steering the ship, but not much clarity beyond that. The bigger questions are financial and personnel-driven, with upcoming decisions looming on contract options for Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and Jeff McNeil as the front office starts sorting through what this roster should look like next season. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics 2027 Hype Comes Down To One Huge If
The Athletics 2026 season left plenty of room for optimism, but only if a few key pieces start holding up at the same time. A number of young and returning players could help lift the roster in 2027, and the clubs small-market reality means there is never much margin for error when it comes to building depth and keeping the core available.
What still stands out, though, is how much of the discussion comes back to the mound, where the staff needs to be steadier for the rest of the roster to matter. In a crowded American League, Oakland can dream about a real step forward if the lineup and health break right, but everything depends on whether the pitching can stop being the thing that keeps the team from turning a hopeful setup into a true contention window. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Enter An Offseason That Could Shape Their Vegas Timeline
The Athletics are heading into an offseason that already carries unusual weight, because so many of the franchises next steps tie directly into the larger question of how and when the move to Las Vegas keeps advancing. Before the club gets too far down that road, it still has a lot of standard baseball business to sort through, starting with a new general manager and then working through the usual calendar of contract decisions, winter meetings and the Rule 5 Draft.
There is also a sense that the schedule itself could become part of the story if a lockout changes how the winter unfolds. For a team trying to manage both baseball decisions and a bigger organizational transition, every date matters, from personnel choices to league gatherings, and the way the front office handles this stretch may say plenty about how prepared the As are for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]