Oakland Athletics — Rebuild With Patience

Oakland remains in rebuild mode, developing young bats and arms while embracing the long game. That being said, I’m a lot higher on the [city name omitted] Athletics than you might think. Results in 2025 showed promise, and they’ve already started locking up their young stars long-term, with Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson inking deals. I wouldn’t be surprised if AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz wasn’t far behind.

The offense was there in 2025. The A’s ranked in the top 5 in batting average, slugging percentage and hits. They trailed only the Boston Red Sox in doubles and hit 219 homers (7th).

Pitching was another story. The Athletics ranked in the bottom third of the league in ERA, quality starts, WHIP, opponents’ batting average, hits home runs and walks. They were also one of the worst defensive teams in baseball.

Biggest Needs
Pitching depth and defense.

Although the offseason hot stove is starting to cool off as Spring Training begins, there are still plenty of quality starters on the market. They did add Aaron Civale for rotation depth, but they need more to move the needle in that rotation. Walker Buehler, Jon Gray, Lucas Giolito, Nestor Cortes are just a few of the names still available that could help the A’s improve on their lackluster pitching numbers in 2025. They did add bullpen depth in the form of Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr.

They do appear to have some help on the way at some point this season as their #3 prospect, and LSU product Gage Jump is projected to join the fray. The lefty can hit the mid-90s with his fastball and has multiple off-speed pitches with plus movement. Whether Jump’s role is as a bullpen arm or as a starter, he throws a lot of strikes and the A’s could use the reinforcements.

In terms of defense, they’ll either have to hope their young players get better on that side of the ball or try to make a trade during the season, as the market for in impact defender in the infield (where they need the most help) who could contribute offensively is scarce. However, maybe the defensive versatility of former New York Met Jeff McNeil can prove to be an advantage.

Our Take
The team formerly known as Oakland’s journey is far from over, but I have them as a team to keep my eye on in 2026 as well as 2027. They’re young core is exciting, but they’ll need to combine it with the right veteran pieces and leadership if they truly want to compete in the near future.