Which path will the A’s end up choosing this winter?
With the Athletics set to play in West Sacramento yet again in 2026 and 2027, they could have difficulty landing free agents this winter. It likely doesn’t help that the big fish they attracted last winter spent part of the season speaking ill of the minor-league ballpark.
This puts the A’s in a tough spot, since they could use some upgrades to their roster, but the type of upgrades they need will be players with other options to choose from. That’s why the team will likely have more success when taking the choice out of the equation and just hitting the trade market for the needed upgrades.
Yet, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, opposing teams seem willing to give the A’s what they’re after, but the asking price isn’t one that the green and gold seems ready to pay.
“Teams are trying to get a young bat from the Athletics for controllable starting pitching. They aren’t particularly inclined to mess with one of the best lineups in baseball and will focus on the free agent market.”
This does make things somewhat interesting moving forward this winter. The A’s don’t seem likely to go out and convince one of the big-name pitchers to sign with them over the next six-or-seven seasons, so that would presumably leave the short-term options in the starting rotation.
As luck would have it, there are two former A’s on the free agent market now in Frankie Montas (DFA’d by Mets this week) and Chris Bassitt that could be fits for the team once more. They’re likely to skew this caliber of starter—mainly the one they think can give them the best 2026 season—on a short-term deal.
One option that would be absolutely wild would be 43-year-old Justin Verlander, a noted nemesis of the A’s over the years. The club could use a veteran, and he could use a team that has a spot for him and can get him more career wins. He earned just four with the Giants last season, despite holding a 3.85 ERA.
The A’s have one of the better offenses in baseball, and they’re expected to be even better next year. The bullpen was the second-best group over the final two months of the season with a 2.99 ERA. There is an argument to be made that the A’s would be a good fit for Verlander, if he could get past the whole minor-league park thing.
If the A’s wanted to make a splash on the trade market, acquiring Kodai Senga would be an interesting move to make. Passan is also reporting that he’s “widely available” this winter. He’s set to make $14 million each of the next two seasons and has an option for 2028. While his stuff has suffered due to injuries he’s faced, the results have still been solid.
In 113 1/3 innings this past season, Senga put up a 3.02 ERA (4.12 FIP).
The options available to the A’s all seem to have some fairly big questions marks, but unless their stance changes on moving a big bat, like Tyler Soderstrom, then they’ll have to figure out a way to improve the pitching staff another way. That may involve taking a chance.
