Bear Sports News

As the Athletics head into their 126th season as a franchise and their second in Sacramento, one question hangs over everyone’s heads: Is the Athletics’ rebuild primed for Vegas yet? Is it time to start putting the Athletics into playoff conversations?

After a disappointing 2024 season, the Athletics improved their win total in 2025 to 76-86, outside of the playoffs but a seven-game improvement from 2024. Offensively, there is no question that this team should’ve made the playoffs as well: 733 runs, 2,388 total bases, 219 home runs, and a combined .253 batting average that placed them fifth overall in the league.

Unfortunately, it was the pitching department that really hurt them. In 2025, the Athletics recorded a combined team 4.71 ERA, with 1,323 strikeouts and 222 home runs allowed. Jeffrey Springs was the Athletics’ best pitcher, with Luis Severino often struggling at times. Severino was signed in the previous offseason to help the A’s and was never able to find his footing in Sacramento.

Severino recorded a 6.01 ERA pitching in Sacramento, while recording a 3.02 ERA in away games. That split combined for a 4.54 ERA in 2025, marking his worst season since 2016, with a minimum of 20 games started.

The Athletics weren’t quiet this offseason, completing some trades and getting some free agents on the squad. But is all that enough to put the Athletics into playoff conversations? Well, let’s break down their 2026 offseason and what to expect from this team, and we will make a decision together.

Offseason Losses and Gains

The Athletics weren’t ever going to go out and garner the market for Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette. The offensive part of the team is already covered, well, in my opinion. It was the pitching department that they had to work on. Unfortunately, one of their biggest pieces, LHP Sean Newcomb, elected free agency. After being traded from the Red Sox in May, Newcomb turned into the key reliever for the Athletics. In 36 appearances with the Athletics, Newcomb recorded a 1.75 ERA, striking out 50 out of the 201 batters he faced. Yes, he struck out at least 25% of the batters he faced in 2025 with the Athletics. The rest of the Athletics’ losses this offseason are down below.

• CF J.J. Bleday
• RHP Scott McGough
• RHP Jose Leclerc

The Athletics were also active in the trade department, making a huge splash with 2B Jeff McNeil from the Mets. It cost the Athletics RHP Yordan Rodriguez; he posted a 2.93 ERA in Athletics rookie ball in 2025. Now, Rodriguez is only 18, but in a few years’ time, he’s expected to be a solid relief pitcher with the potential of being a starter. Yordan is ranked amongst the top-20 Dominican Summer League prospects and has a fastball that tops out at 97 mph. He also has an incredible breaking ball that can make batters jump out of their shoes.

McNeil is here to help the Athletics now, though, and not four to five years down the line. McNeil posted a .243 batting average last season in 399 plate appearances. His glove is the primary reason he will be well received in Sacramento, though.

McNeil is primarily used as a second baseman, but can be slotted around the outfield as well. His fielding percentages across all four positions are above .973, which is absolutely very solid.

Fielding Percentages By Position

2B – .986

LF – .979

CF – .984

RF – .973

OF (combined) – .978

Below are the remaining trades that the Athletics made this offseason. You can tell from these trades that the scouting department definitely had some say in some of these, especially in the pitcher-for-pitcher trade department.

• Athletics traded 2B Max Schuemann to the Yankees, in exchange for RHP Luis Burgos
• Athletics traded RHP Mitch Spence to the Royals, in exchange for RHP A.J. Causey
• Athletics traded RHP Ryan Watson to the Red Sox, in exchange for 2B Justin Reimer and cash considerations

RHP Luis Burgos is expected to fill the prospect role that Yordan Rodriguez held in the Athletics’ rookie ball department. Last season, Burgos posted a 2.24 ERA across 51.2 innings with 48 strikeouts. He has a career 3.39 ERA with 71 strikeouts across rookie ball.

RHP A.J. Causey is definitely a prospect you want to keep your eye on if you’re an Athletics fan. Across High-A and Double-A, Causey posted an impressive 1.72 ERA season. He is primarily used as a relief pitcher. He doesn’t have the fastest arm in the Athletics’ prospect department, but he does have an interesting delivery. Causey pitches from a sidearm delivery, which allows the pitches in his arsenal to get some crazy movement, including his fastball. Below are his very impressive stats from his first pro season to get you that much more excited about Causey, who should 100% crack the Athletics’ top-30 prospect list.

W-L: 11-5

IP: 73.1

APP: 48

SV: 9

SO: 75

ER: 14

WHIP: 0.90

BAA: .186

In the final trade, the Athletics received 2B Justin Riemer, who is currently working his way through the pro ball grind. He spent some time in High-A and Double-A last season and posted a .231 batting average with a .981 fielding percentage at second base. He had 52 hits and 18 RBIs in 225 at-bats.

Sox Prospects mentioned that Riemer has the potential to be a solid “emergency up-and-down middle infielder” and will need to work on his strength to help exit velocity and his throw from SS to 1B. If he isn’t able to do that, then it’s likely that the A’s will keep him at 2B. Make sure you guys go visit Sox Prospects full report on Riemer to see what he can become!

In free agency, the Athletics went out and got themselves three right-handed pitchers, costing them only 11.85m. Below are the three one-year deals that the Athletics made this offseason.

• RHP Mark Leiter Jr – 6m
• RHP Scott Barlow – 2m
• RHP Aaron Civale – 2.85m

Mark Leiter Jr. is entering his seventh year in the league and after posting a 4.84 ERA, the Athletics and Leiter Jr. will be looking for him to replicate his 3.50 ERA season in 2023. Leiter primarily relies on his sinker and split-finger and occasionally throws in his curveball about 25% of the time. His split-finger pitch is his strikeout pitch, while his sinker struggled to sink at times in 2025, and batters posted a .373 batting average against it. I’m excited to see what Leiter can do with the Athletics and if he can replicate his 2023 season.

Scott Barlow was the second addition to the Athletics’ bullpen. Barlow posted a 4.85 ERA in 2025, but is projected to lower that to a 4.57 ERA across more innings of work for the A’s. He’s projected to pitch 134 innings and have 115 K’s. Now, that would be above the league-average 4.15 ERA in 2025, but I am very confident in Barlow exceeding these numbers and doing better than projections show.

If Civale is able to work out for the Athletics the way they believe, well, for the price, this could have huge upside potential for the A’s. Civale’s veteran presence is surely going to excel in a young clubhouse like the A’s currently have. He spoke with MLB.com about why he chose the A’s.

“The position player core that they have here is definitely a big draw. It’s an awesome young group. It seems to be up-and-coming, for sure. Last year was a breakout year for a lot of the guys, and they’re going to continue to bond with each other and continue to grow on their own. The opportunity side from a pitching standpoint, a chance to come in here and be a starter with this team and provide some quality innings and compete with some of the guys that are in this clubhouse. The best pitching staffs I’ve been a part of have been friendly competitions amongst ourselves. There’s a couple of friendly faces I’ve played with in the past. End of the day, there’s a lot of positives and a lot of things to look forward to with this team.”

Now, Civale does rely more on fly balls and pop-ups than most pitchers, which could be a problem in a hitter-friendly park like the A’s play at. But the A’s hope that the weak contact he produces will work out in their favor. Civale made his first career relief appearances last season with the White Sox, appearing in five games and recording a 2.02 ERA with 13 strikeouts across 14 innings of work. He is expected to solidify the A’s back end of the rotation, so a role as a reliever is pretty much out of the question. But a move to the bullpen isn’t exactly out of the question now compared to when he was on the Brewers.

Overall, the Athletics made a number of moves that not only solidified their pitching prospects but also added some well-needed depth pieces to the bullpen. Another move that one can’t forget about is the addition of Jeff McNeil. His veteran presence around Nick Kurtz, Lawrence Butler, and Jacob Wilson is going to be exceptional as the season goes on. It’s going to be interesting to see these moves translate to play on the field, but it feels like the Athletics were able to add all the pieces needed.

If the bullpen is able to carry its weight this season, then I don’t see any reason that this squad isn’t postseason ready.

Final Grade of Offseason: A

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2026 Goals + Aspirations + Odds

The name of the game is simple this season: just improve on last season. Keep those numbers up, keep winning games, and use this season to learn. The new Las Vegas stadium isn’t too far away from reality, and this season could be a very impressive test for that. Last season, the young guys showed up.

Five of the A’s players showed up in Real’s top-100 players of the MLB season, with Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz putting the A’s on the map. The Athletics want to keep showing their fans and the rest of the league that they are here. They are ready for the postseason; they are ready to perform when the moments get big.

Now, is the pitching staff ready to answer the call? We can both agree that the A’s aren’t exactly in a position to make a deep postseason run with the arms they currently have. But this season will be very important to see what moves the A’s will make, with postseason aspirations in the air.

The A’s have already locked up their shortstop, left field, right field, and designated hitter spots to long-term contracts, so this season will show one thing: What are the Athletics truly working with?

If the Athletics like what they are working with, is it time to start cleaning out the prospect house? Maybe start preparing for Vegas and getting the boys some postseason experience and start building a long-term pitching staff? Tons of questions that me and you will both just have to wait and watch them get answered.

WS Odds: +8000

Odds to win AL West: +1300

Odds to make Playoffs: +380

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What Will the A’s Opening Day Roster Look Like?

The Athletics are expected to headline their rotation with Springs and Severino, followed by Lopez and Morales, with Civale closing out the fifth spot. The A’s will likely choose a closer once the time gets closer, but as of now, it seems like Leiter Jr. and Barlow will be the key late-inning pieces, with Alvarado and Ferguson. Perkins spent most of his time in the minors as a starter, but after some injuries, he has turned into a relief pitcher. He showed some promise in the majors last season and is expected to have another upward season.

An infield headlined by Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Jeff McNeil is just a recipe for success. Throw in Max Muncy or Hernaiz, and the Athletics could quietly be the most fun infield to watch this season. Ibañez was claimed off of waivers from the Dodgers and is expected to slot into the outfield when needed, as well as the infield.

The outfield will mainly be manned by Soderstrom, Butler, Clarke, and Cortes, with Rooker making the occasional appearance but expected to work most of his time out of the DH role.

After a career year last year by Langeliers, the A’s will be hoping he can re-create some of that magic, as well as getting him to agree to a long-term deal. Now, if Langeliers has another career year, he will likely be asking for more money come arbitration. But the A’s would like to avoid that completely and lock him down for his market value today rather than next season. Austin Wynns is expected to cover Langeliers on his off days.

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What Does Bear Sports News Expect From The Athletics?

I don’t think there is one person in this world that expects the Athletics to win it all this season. But there is definitely something to watch this season with this young team. With questions still looming in the pitching department in a very hitter-friendly park, what can you expect from them?

Well, I’m expecting the Athletics to put their name in the postseason battle. I’m not saying to run and place a bet on them to win the AL pennant or their division. But after what I watched from this team last season, if they can fire on all cylinders, there is nothing stopping them from making a run for postseason glory.

Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, and Tyler Soderstrom are all expected to have massive seasons. All three of them are projected to combine for 83 HRs and 228 RBIs. That’s about a third of what the Athletics scored last season. All of these projections show the A’s to have another top-10 offensive season.

Unfortunately, though, the projections aren’t being too friendly toward the pitching staff. Now, I’m not one to over-obsess about preseason projections, since most of the time they are wrong.

But with all the questions that everyone still has about the pitching staff, it leaves me with one thought in mind: If this team gets to the postseason, they are another team with nothing to lose. They will be ready to swing the bats and put runs on the board, and sometimes in baseball, it’s not about having the best bullpen—while it obviously helps. The name of the game is scoring more than your opponent. If the offense is able to have an even better season than last year, then they will definitely be one to watch.

I’m not expecting a 100-win season out of this squad at all, but I am expecting a vast improvement from 2024 and 2025. This team has all the pieces to make a championship-ready team. While there are some questions emerging, I would not be surprised to see this team make the Wild Card. I am expecting them to finish this season at or above .500, placing them in a prime position for the playoffs and to keep the Vegas fans wanting them in Nevada as soon as possible.

Bear Sports News Prediction: At or above .500 + Wild Card berth