The Athletics spent much of the first half looking like a team that could stay in the mix. They opened the season strong, sat in first place in the AL West longer than plenty of people around the game expected, and did it with a lineup that carried the load while the pitching gave them enough early support to keep things moving.
That picture has changed fast. June and July knocked the A’s out of any realistic shot at meaningful September baseball, and this slide feels different only in length.
Last year it was about a 20-game stretch that dragged them down; this time it has been a longer spell of bad breaks and bad baseball. Now the A’s are only two games ahead of the Angels for the worst record in the American League, and avoiding the bottom of the standings has to be the immediate focus the rest of the way.
Injuries have been a big part of the story, and the A’s have taken more than their share. Still, every club gets hit.
What separates the better ones is how they adjust. The A’s believe they have the kind of position-player core that can be built around, but the next step is obvious: they need pitching.
That is where the offseason comes in. The starting rotation has only three clear spots right now with Ginn, Jump, and Severino.
There are depth arms in the mix - Jacob Lopez, Mason Barnett, and Jack Perkins - and the hope is that one or more of them force their way into starting consideration for next year. But for planning purposes, those names have to be treated as depth first.
The club is not going to be shopping at the very top of the free-agent market for pitchers like Skubal, Mize, Peralta, or King. A trade is more likely to be the route they explore.
Still, there are lower-tier free-agent starters who could fit, including Robbie Ray, Brady Singer, and even Sonny Gray. However they go about it, the A’s need at least one starter, probably two, and that doesn’t even account for a bullpen that needs a full reset.
So the question now is simple: which free-agent starters should the A’s target this offseason?
In Other News...
Athletics Pitching Prospect May Be Building Something Oakland Needs
Nathan Dettmer took another step forward for Midland on a night when the Athletics farm system had plenty of activity to sort through. The right-hander worked deep into the game and kept Frisco quiet, while Luke Mann supplied the offense with a home run and two RBIs in support of a sharp RockHounds effort.
For Oakland, outings like this matter because the organization has been looking for more reliable pitching depth to emerge from the lower levels. Dettmers mix of strikeout stuff and efficiency stood out in a system report that also included action across the Pacific Coast League, Midwest League and California League, but the bigger question is whether this kind of start is a sign of something more durable coming together. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Just Made A Front Office Change At A Brutal Time
The Athletics are making a front office shift at an awkward moment, with general manager David Forst and the organization mutually agreeing to part ways. Forst had been with the club since 2000 and had served as GM since 2015, so this is a significant change for a franchise already juggling a difficult season and a looming move to Las Vegas for 2028.
Dan Feinstein will step in as interim GM for the rest of the 2026 season, giving the Athletics a new voice at a time when the current roster is sitting at 45-70. The timing only adds to the sense of transition around the club, which now has to keep moving forward on the field while its baseball operations leadership takes on a different look. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Just Changed The One Job That Shapes Their Next Era
The Athletics are entering another reset in a front office that has already defined much of their recent identity, parting ways with David Forst after an extended run that stretched across a quarter-century with the organization. Forst had been the clubs general manager since 2015, and his departure lands at a moment when every decision around the roster and the business of rebuilding carries extra weight for a team still trying to chart a steadier path forward.
Assistant GM Dan Feinstein has moved into the interim role while the search for a permanent replacement gets underway, putting a familiar internal voice in charge during a transition that could shape the next era of the franchise. For the Athletics, the bigger question now is not just who fills the job, but what kind of direction the next hire will bring to a club that has spent years searching for something closer to stability. [Read more 🡒]