Looking through 2026 MLB Predictions around the league, not too many people are putting their faith in one of baseball’s most storied franchises. Due to recent history, it is hard to blame them. Over the last four seasons, the words “Athletics” and “playoffs” would never be found anywhere near each other in a sentence. This year, however, the prospect of postseason baseball in West Sacramento will be nothing to scoff at. The young A’s are hungry and primed to make their return to October. For the first time since the days with the core of Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, and Sean Murphy, there is legitimate optimism surrounding the ball club’s postseason aspirations.
The schedule makers certainly did not do the future Las Vegas residents any favors to start the campaign. They open this Friday in Toronto against the defending American League champions, followed by a series at Atlanta, home against Houston, then at the Yankees, and at the Mets. That is an absolutely brutal stretch to start the year against five teams that certainly expect to still be playing come playoff time. That being said, it will be an opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the season and send a message to the rest of the league that these are not the same old A’s.
Stars On Offense Shine Bright
The average baseball fan might not be too familiar with what the Athletics have been building over the last few seasons. Despite the lack of national attention, they have quietly constructed an impressive young core of players on the offensive side of the ball in particular. Their projected Opening Day lineup consists of six homegrown players they have drafted and developed. This is becoming more and more uncommon in the age of mega contracts and deferred payments, but the A’s will be striving to prove that small-market teams can still compete.
Playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark in West Sacramento for the next two seasons, the approach to team building has been clear. Find as many guys who can swing the bat with authority as possible, and the A’s lineup has no shortage of them. Players like Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, and Lawrence Butler, who all had success last year, will be looking to carry that into 2026. Then there are also guys looking to prove themselves early in their careers, like Max Muncy and Denzel Clarke. Not to be forgotten about, there is the lone starting position player to be acquired this offseason, the former batting champion, Jeff McNeil.
Kurtz is most likely the biggest name of the bunch after his monstrous rookie season, which earned him a unanimous AL Rookie of the Year award. The 2024 fourth overall pick wasted no time asserting himself as a force at the Major League level in 2025. He posted a dazzling stat line, which included a .290 average with 36 home runs and 86 RBI over just 117 games. It will be a treat to watch the former Demon Deacon over a full season, and he could even be a sleeper MVP candidate in 2026.
Wilson was the runner-up to his teammate in the AL ROY race and the all-star starter for the American League at shortstop. For the first half of the season, it seemed like he would run away with the award, but then the man known as “The Big Amish” burst onto the scene. Wilson still had an incredibly impressive rookie year, hitting .311 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI. At a time when batting average is all but ignored in terms of importance, it is refreshing to see a player whose whole approach at the plate is to put the ball in play. The GCU product is still adding muscle, and as he continues to mature at the plate, he could end up being a 20+ home run threat as well as a perennial .300 hitter.
Rooker, Soderstrom, Langeliers, and Butler are all in a similar situation going into this season. Even though their ages somewhat vary, they all have experienced success at this level and are expected to be key components for this team for years to come. Rooker and Langeliers do have the advantage, as they are a bit older and have put together three straight impressive seasons for the A’s. In the case of Soderstrom and Butler, they are a few years younger, and for that reason, they still have more to prove.
Last year was Soderstrom’s first full MLB season, and he responded to that challenge by leading the club in RBI. He was rewarded with a long-term extension already, but will he be able to build on that momentum and take his game to another level as his career goes on? Butler finished 2024 on fire, and expectations were high for him in 2025. He didn’t quite meet those expectations, but that can be attributed to a nagging knee injury that stuck with him through most of the season. He still produced a 21 home run, 63 RBI, and 22 stolen base season, which would be a career year for a large percentage of players, so that goes to show the caliber of player Butler has the potential to be.
Muncy and Clarke are going to be supremely interesting to watch, especially at the beginning of the season, because they are the only position players not cemented in their roles. These are both young players whom the A’s would love nothing more than to see succeed. They are going to be given a chance to lock down their respective positions, and with the supporting cast around them, they aren’t going to be asked to do anything crazy as the projected eight and nine hitters in the lineup. Muncy, a former first-round pick, only played in 63 games and struggled with strikeouts, but still muscled out nine home runs. Only 23 years old, if he can cut down on his swing and miss rate, he has the power to be another 20+ home run guy in an already potent lineup.
Clarke’s situation is a bit different because of his ridiculous defensive ability in centerfield. He only played in 47 games last year, but in that time, he had numerous insane, highlight-reel catches. These immediately made it obvious he is already one of the best defensive centerfielders in the game. His rare defensive prowess makes his offensive ability less prominent, but he will still be expected to develop into a respectable threat at the plate if he wants to be an everyday MLB player.
McNeil could end up being the biggest wildcard for the Athletics this season. He is expected to be the everyday starter at second base, but he is also able to play the outfield if needed. The trade for the former Met during the offseason seemed like it almost made too much sense for the A’s. The organization was looking to upgrade at second base, and McNeil didn’t require a big haul, nor did he have a large contract to absorb. Couple that with his contact-first approach at the plate and versatility on defense, and he sounds like the quintessential A’s player. He could be one of those under-the-radar acquisitions where, at the end of the year, people around baseball look back and realize what a key addition he turned out to be.
A bonus player to keep an eye on, who isn’t starting the year in the big leagues, is top prospect Leo De Vries. He dominated in Spring Training, hitting over .400 through 17 games, and impressing those within the organization and throughout baseball. Like fellow 19-year-old sensation Konnor Griffin, their organizations aren’t rushing them to the bright lights of the major leagues. Talents like these can only be kept down for so long, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both teenagers playing MLB baseball as soon as this season.
Undervalued Pitchers Overachieve
The sentiment around baseball seems to be that the A’s have an unquestionably talented and impressive offensive core; however, their lack of pitching will prevent them from making a postseason run. While that may be a widespread opinion, that doesn’t mean it’s true. This rotation and bullpen are being criminally undervalued.
The projected rotation of Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Luis Morales, Jacob Lopez, and Aaron Civale is actually extremely solid on paper. The A’s have a great balance of three veteran starters who have experienced success in the big leagues and can mentor the young guys while providing quality starting pitching themselves. The two young arms in Lopez and Morales had dominant stretches in 2025 but will look to carry that success over a full season in 2026. Reinforcements could also be arriving at some point during the year in the form of top pitching prospects, Gage Jump, and Jamie Arnold.
Concerning the bullpen, it is true the A’s still don’t wield a top-of-the-line closer, but that didn’t appear to hurt them last season post-Mason Miller trade. Miller is obviously one of the best closers in baseball, but the bullpen actually improved in the second half of the season. The closer by committee approach seemed to galvanize the bullpen arms because they all knew they could be called on to close a game out any given night. The loss of Sean Newcomb in free agency is definitely a blow because of how effective he was in a variety of roles out of the pen last year. The A’s will hope that the under-the-radar additions of Mark Leiter Jr. and Scott Barlow can fill the gap Newcomb leaves in the back end of the bullpen. They give Mark Kotsay two more arms to utilize, along with Hogan Harris, Michael Kelly, Elvis Alvarado, and Justin Sterner in the closer-by-committee role.
The 2026 Athletics are not going to consistently win games by outpitching teams. The offense is going to be the driving force, and if the pitching can just be league average, or maybe even slightly below average, this will be a team nobody wants to play.
2026 MLB Predictions: Turning Point For Athletics Franchise
The A’s making the playoffs while calling a minor league stadium home, and without a city in their name, would be an incredible story that may be worthy of a sequel to Moneyball. In all seriousness, a playoff berth in 2026 would be a monumental boost to morale throughout the organization. This is a fanbase that has been through so much over the last several years. They’ve had to suffer through yet another fire sale in 2021, years of rebuilding and losing, culminating in having to watch their team leave their long-term home in Oakland. For a community that has endured so much, it’s hard not to feel like the baseball gods have something special in store for the Athletics and their fans coming sooner rather than later.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
