Good morning and happy Wednesday.
MLB’s award season kept rolling yesterday with the announcement of the 2026 Managers of the Year, and Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was nowhere in the mix. Chicago White Sox skipper Will Venable took home the American League honor after guiding a club that had dropped 100 or more games in each of the previous three seasons to 84 wins and an AL Division Series berth. He finished ahead of Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash and Boston’s Chad Tracy.
In the National League, Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy kept making history. He became the first manager ever to win the award three straight times, earning more votes than Philadelphia’s Don Mattingly and Atlanta’s Walt Weiss.
For Kotsay, the omission is another reminder of where things stand. Since replacing Bob Melvin in 2022, he has yet to deliver a winning record or a playoff trip.
If the 2027 season opens on schedule and the A’s climb from fourth to first in the American League West, he’ll probably be in the award conversation. Another losing year, though, could leave his future with the organization in serious jeopardy.
The spotlight now turns to the pitchers. Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is the favorite for the National League Cy Young after his record-setting season, while Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler is the front-runner in the American League.
Then comes the final act of MLB award season tomorrow, when the Most Valuable Player announcements are made. Those races look pretty straightforward too, with Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez expected to land their first MVP trophies.
Away from the awards, the general managers meetings in Las Vegas are moving into day three, and that’s where the offseason conversation is starting to heat up. Trade and free-agent talks are beginning to take shape, giving the A’s new front-office pairing of Taylor Smith and Carlos Castro their first real chance to sit down with league executives and start mapping out possible additions for the 2027 roster.
The market is still quiet for now. No major free-agent deals or trades have broken yet, even with the looming lockout hanging over everything. That leaves the obvious question for the A’s: should they be the team to break the ice in free agency, and which players would fit best if they do?
In Other News...
As New Front Office Is Already Shaping A Crucial Vegas Transition
The Athletics new baseball leadership is already spending plenty of time on the move, with president of baseball operations Taylor Smith and general manager Cam Castro staying in Las Vegas during the MLB GM Meetings to keep working through roster needs and organizational hires. The club has also made an early transaction under the new regime, adding outfielder Nate Eaton from the Red Sox as part of a swap that helps set the tone for how this front office wants to operate while the franchise continues its transition toward Vegas.
Beyond the trade market, the bigger work right now is in the structure around the roster. Castro is focused on filling key openings, including the vacant Minor League pitching coordinator role, while Smith has been publicly upbeat about the pitching staff heading into next season. For an organization trying to build stability in a new market, those behind-the-scenes decisions may matter just as much as the next deal. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]
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 🡒]