ESNY’s MLB Preview 2026: Are the Athletics actually on the up-and-up?

Don’t look now, baseball fans, but amidst all the relocation noise, the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics might have something special brewing in their temporary home of Sacramento.

It’s been almost too easy to make a joke out of the A’s in recent years. The front office continually leaning on the cost-efficient Moneyball model established by Billy Beane 25 years ago. Owner John Fisher up and abandoning Oakland in favor of Las Vegas, a move that’s looking more and more like a desert mirage fantasy. Where they’ll call home in the future is anybody’s guess.

The upside amidst the relocation mess is that amidst the drama, a strong core group is emerging. Better yet, Athletics management has been more than happy to sign some of these players to team-friendly extensions.

The Athletics? Paying their best players to stay long-term? And the players are actually good? Finishing ten games under .500 last season and improving by seven wins sure indicates such.

Greatest Addition: Jeff McNeil. The New York Mets’ loss proved to be the Athletics’ gain as the veteran McNeil, who turns 34 in April will finish out his contract year donning the green, white, and gold. He hit .243 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in 2025, with injuries limiting him to 122 games. McNeil did, however, post a career-best walk rate (BB%) of 10.6%.

But with his expiring contract and an ongoing beef with shortstop Francisco Lindor, trading McNeil made almost too much sense for the Mets. He figures to be the A’s everyday second baseman, his most effective position among many. If he plays well enough to be a viable trade chip at the deadline, all the better.

Greatest Loss: JJ Bleday. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one because, well, it just plain doesn’t make sense. Bleday debuted in 2022 and broke out in his first full season in 2024, batting .243 with 20 home runs and a 120 wRC+. Cue regressing to .212 in just 98 games last year, and not even 14 homers kept Bleday on the roster. He was so bad, particularly with the strikeouts, that he was sent to the minors in June and non-tendered at the end of the year.

Now with the Reds, JJ Bleday figures to be the everyday left fielder and be less of a net negative with his glove. He has a career -38 defensive runs saved (DRS) in center, so maybe that’s why the Athletics ultimately let him go. Regardless, Bleday still has some raw power in that swing and now calls the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark home. Here’s hoping Colby Thomas or Denzel Clarke suddenly have breakout years.

Greatest Strength: Fun & talented core. Not only do the Athletics have a great young core of players, but they’re actually paying them to stick around. Slugger Brent Rooker is the elder statesman at 31, has three consecutive 30-home run seasons, and inked a five-year, $60 million extension a year ago. Five-tool outfielder Lawrence Butler, who has serious 30-30 potential, is 25 and playing on a seven-year, $65.5 million deal.

Who is this team and what have they done with the squad formally known as the Oakland Moneyballers–sorry, Athletics? Tyler Soderstrom getting seven years and $86 million after breaking out with 25 homers in 2025? Rookie of the Year runner-up Jacob Wilson getting $70 million over seven years?

Oh, and they still haven’t extended Nick Kurtz, who hit .290 with 36 homers in just 117 games en route to being named Rookie of the Year.

Maybe it’s the front office turning over a new leaf. Perhaps Fisher sees the writing on the wall and knows he needs a marketable team if he wants to make any progress building a stadium in Las Vegas. One way or the other, it’s nice to see the Athletics actually investing in their players again.

Greatest Weakness: Unreliable rotation. We’ve already discussed Severino’s issues pitching at home, but what hurts worse is the Athletics don’t have much of a staff behind him. Jeffrey Springs is on the downswing and all but a lock to be traded at the deadline, while Aaron Civale has declined to the point of pitching for five teams in the last three years. That leaves Luis Morales and Jacob Lopez on the back end, so maybe the fans and Kotsay cross their fingers and hope for a breakout season?

There aren’t any minor league arms coming to the rescue anytime soon. For the time being, the pitching staff will have to improve the old-fashioned way: Putting in the work.

Just what can we expect from these exciting Athletics? Kotsay let this team hit a bottom with 112 losses in 2023, and it’s been onward and upward since. The lineup is fairly set from top to bottom. The pitching staff, not so much.

So what can we say about these Athletics? What kind of team is coming together? We’ve established the Mariners are the division favorites, so the A’s won’t win the West.

However, if guys like Soderstrom and Wilson can build off of strong breakout seasons? There’s just enough of a runway to maybe steal a Wild Card berth. They’re a lighter version of the Braves in that now, they’re only as good as the support the lineup provides.

Which, compared to recent rebuilding A’s teams? That’s almost an early Christmas gift.