Welcome to Wednesday!
Last night, the Athletics’ struggles at home continued as they lost a second straight game to the Tampa Bay Rays. A’s pitchers allowed six home runs, while Rays’ starter Nick Martinez twirled his second career complete game.
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With only a little over 40 games remaining in this season, the A’s once again find themselves looking toward the future. As a result, it is imperative that the team finishes this season strong while continuing to evaluate its players to determine who to keep and who to move on from.
If the 2027 season does not get wiped out due to this offseason’s looming lockout, it will usher in a wave of change, from a new league-wide CBA agreement to the A’s new general manager and potentially a new manager. That last part depends on whether owner John Fisher and the new head of baseball operations keep Mark Kotsay around for another season or make a change to better position the club for success.
Regardless of that decision, the A’s need to put more resources into upgrading their pitching staff, specifically the bullpen, which has been one of the biggest factors behind this disappointing campaign. At the moment, left-hander Hogan Harris and right-hander Luis Medina are the only two current relievers who deserve a spot in the bullpen moving forward.
Right-handers Elvis Alvarado and Seth Johnson have the stuff to pitch in high-leverage situations, but neither has fully harnessed his ability. Johnson began the A’s eighth-inning bullpen implosion on Monday night.
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The A’s also must not forget about the rotation, which will be led by J.T. Ginn and Gage Jump. Luis Severino, who has missed most of this season with an injury, can opt out of his contract and enter free agency or accept a $22 million player option to remain with the A’s. In addition, the team needs to invest in more pitching coaches and support systems to foster better pitching development throughout the organization.
Alternatively, its offensive core is mostly in place. Top prospect Leo De Vries, who if healthy should join Triple-A Las Vegas for its playoff run, could join Jacob Wilson, Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz on the infield sometime next season. Designated hitter Brent Rooker will return after undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Last but not least, the current starting outfield trio could carry over, with center field being a spring training battle between Henry Bolte and Denzel Clarke.
Mason Barnett, Jack Perkins, Tommy White and Max Muncy have the rest of this season to prove they deserve to remain key contributors for the A’s. Will they make the most of this opportunity or prove overmatched? What else are you looking forward to as the club plays out the rest of this season?
A’s Coverage:
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MLB News and Interest:
Best of X:
Sounds like the team smoothed over the nature of the decision to part ways with former general manager David Forst.
An update on the A’s Las Vegas stadium construction:
Is Maddux a good fit to be the Athletics’ next pitching coach?
Are you excited for Thursday’s Field of Dreams Game? The third MLB game at the nostalgic baseball field will pit the Philadelphia Phillies against the Minnesota Twins. What is your favorite baseball movie of all time?
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