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.
