This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos' Athletics Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
On the surface, the 2026 season was a failure for the Athletics.
Entering Spring Training with serious playoff aspirations as they looked to build off momentum generated at the end of ‘25, the A’s instead went out and finished with a record of 64-98 – 12 fewer wins than the previous year – for yet another year near the bottom of the American League West.
The full story of the ‘26 A’s, though, can’t be told without the slew of injuries that defined their season. Five players who largely make up the core of this club – Brent Rooker, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson – combined to miss 368 games. Meanwhile, Opening Day starter Luis Severino went down with a right shoulder strain on May 30 and went on to miss the remainder of the season.
Through those injuries, the A’s were able to get a look at some of their top prospects at the big league level earlier than expected, such as Henry Bolte and Gage Jump, both of whom are now expected to be impact players on the 2027 club. But to achieve that goal of playoff contention, it’s going to take more than just getting players healthy again.
“We learned that we have a number of players who can be a really good part of this team,” interim general manager Dan Feinstein said. “We also have a much clearer understanding of where we need to get better. There is a talented core here that is young. Our job is to continue to develop that group, build around it and turn that talent into a winning team.”
Here are five questions the A’s must answer this offseason:
1. Who is running the front office?
The search for a new general manager has been underway since the A’s parted ways with David Forst – a longtime staple of the organization who had held the role of GM since 2015 – in early August.
The A’s are expected to make a hire before the start of the World Series, which begins Oct. 23. Names reportedly in the mix for the top executive job include former MLB GMs Mike Rizzo and James Click, current assistant A’s GM Billy Owens, and a group of several executives who would be first-time GMs, including Sam Fuld (Phillies), Jared Banner (Cubs) and Mike Groopman (Red Sox).
Whoever the A’s end up hiring, that person will have a large impact on the organization’s overall philosophy going forward, with freedom to make decisions on players and team personnel.
2. What does the rotation look like?
The A’s face the potential loss of two key rotation members from the past two seasons with the contract status of both Severino ($22 million player option for ‘27) and Jeffrey Springs ($15 million club option for ‘27) up in the air.
Given the overall inexperience of their other rotation options, the A’s may have no choice but to pursue a proven starter either via free agency or trade if one or both do not return next season.
3. Can the A’s lock up Nick Kurtz?
Despite ending this past season on the IL, the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year remains the main star of this franchise. He also remains without a long-term contract extension, something the A’s have already worked out in recent years with other stars from their core such as Rooker, Soderstrom, Wilson and Lawrence Butler.
It’s not exactly a pressing issue for the A’s to lock up Kurtz just yet. He remains under club control through the 2030 season and will not even become eligible for salary arbitration until 2028. But for a club looking to make some noise ahead of its relocation to Las Vegas in ‘28, ensuring their superstar is in green and gold for the long haul would qualify as a huge splash.
4. What do they do with Denzel Clarke?
Clarke’s outlook has changed drastically in a short amount of time. A former top prospect, he began 2026 as the A’s Opening Day center fielder and contender for a Gold Glove Award. But with injuries and underperformance at the plate a theme early in his career, along with Bolte emerging as a budding star in center, the A’s may not have room for Clarke as a starter in their outfield.
Do they roll with him as a fourth outfielder? Do they include him in a trade for pitching? Those appear to be the only two real options for him at this point.
5. Do they get a closer?
Since trading Mason Miller at the 2025 Trade Deadline, the A’s have chosen to take a closer-by-committee approach rather than have one pitcher fill the role. Hogan Harris led the team with 17 saves this year, though four relievers had four or more saves.
Harris, Luis Medina and Elvis Alvarado proved to be solid late-inning options down the stretch, but it still seems like the A’s are in need of a set closer to round out the bullpen next season.