Forst addresses state of A's, possible Deadline approach ahead of second half

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Amid what has been a brutal stretch for the Athletics over the past few weeks, general manager David Forst met with reporters on Thursday to address the state of the team ahead of its return from the All-Star break.

With the A’s finishing the unofficial first half on a nine-game losing streak and having dropped 17 of their last 20, notable changes are already taking place. Earlier this week, Scott Emerson, the A’s pitching coach since 2017 and a longtime staple of the organization, was dismissed. During his call Thursday, Forst also confirmed the flurry of roster moves coming on Friday before the A’s begin a three-game series against the Nationals at Sutter Health Park. Those moves include veteran right-hander Aaron Civale getting designated for assignment and the promotion of top prospects Tommy White (A’s No. 7) and Yunior Tur (No. 27).

Here are some highlights from what was nearly a half-hour session with Forst.

Emerson and the pitching coach role going forward

Many things have gone wrong for the A’s during this dreadful stretch. One major issue throughout the season has been pitching. The combined 5.20 ERA by A’s pitchers is the worst in the American League, trailing only the Rockies (5.44) for the highest mark in the Majors. As a starting staff, the 5.30 ERA posted by the A’s rotation also ranks 29th in MLB.

A’s bullpen coach Dan Hubbs will replace Emerson for the remainder of the season

“We needed a different voice for that group,” Forst said. “We haven’t performed the way we’ve hoped and expected to as a pitching staff. We’ve put a difficult task in front of them pitching in [West] Sacramento in that ballpark. It doesn’t just end there. When we go on the road, we feel the effects of having pitched in that park. … I just felt like I wanted to give Dan Hubbs a chance to set the direction for the pitching for the last two and a half months of the season.”

Joining the A’s big league coaching staff will be Double-A Midland pitching coach Javy Guerra, a former Major League reliever who won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019. Guerra will serve as the A’s bullpen coach.

“Someone who’s not that far removed from being in a bullpen himself and having incredible success as a closer and serving every role in the bullpen,” Forst said. “We’re excited to have Javy here. He and Dan have already spent a lot of time together the last few days trying to figure out how to prepare [for the rest of the season].”

First-half assessment

The A’s have been bitten by the injury bug hard. Key players such as Nick Kurtz, Zack Gelof, Denzel Clarke and Luis Severino remain on the injured list, while All-Star slugger Brent Rooker is out for the season due to a left knee injury that required surgery. Other players who entered the year with high expectations such as Lawrence Butler, Jeffrey Springs, Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales have performed well below those expectations to this point.

“It’s colored a lot by the way we’ve played the last three weeks,” Forst said. “Much of the first half, we did a nice job. We were in first place for quite some time and hung with the Mariners and Rangers until June. I thought we had better baseball ahead of us. Similar to 2025, we hit a rut that we haven’t quite been able to get out of. Everyone has injuries. Everyone has underperformance. Those aren’t excuses. But certainly, that’s part of our story right now.

“I’m hopeful we’re going to get Nick and Zack back in short time. But we obviously need to start playing better baseball in a hurry.”

Deadline approach

We are less than three weeks away from the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. Though the A’s (41-55) are reeling, they are not totally out of playoff contention, trailing the first-place Rangers by eight games in the AL West and 6 1/2 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

This is a season in which the A’s expected to contend for a playoff spot. Whether or not they become serious buyers or perhaps decide to sell, however, will be determined in these next couple of weeks.

“This is a critical time,” Forst said. “It’s not unrealistic to say, if we play really well over the next three or four weeks, we could get back into the Wild Card or even division race. The conversation about the Deadline will evolve over the next two weeks.”