No Noise, Big Problem? A's Lack of Rumors Raises Red Flags For Fans

The A's haven't been mentioned in a single rumor this winter, other than who they may trade away

Aug 3, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) watches the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The Athletics are grabbing all sorts of headlines these days, from Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson finishing first and second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, to Denzel Clarke winning Catch of the Year, and the team saying they're on schedule to finish their Las Vegas ballpark in time for the beginning of the 2028 season.

Heading into the offseason, there was plenty of talk about how this team is going to be pushing for a postseason berth in 2026, and after watching them in 2025, you can certainly see why they're making that argument.

At the same time, they need pitching after finishing ranked No. 27 in the league in team ERA. The problem is, the A's haven't even been hinted at as a suitor for a free agent or trade target this winter. None of the national baseball insiders are linking the A's to any moves, except for whether or not they're going to trade Luis Severino, who was their big signing last winter.

Signing Severino was supposed to signal that times had changed for the A's franchise, with his deal (3 years, $67 million) being the most expensive in team history.

For A's fans, this has to be confusing. On the one hand, the team has spent some money for the first time seemingly ever. They were told that when the team gets a new ballpark that ownership would begin spending money to make them a middle-of-the-pack spending club.

But on the other hand, they're not supplementing the roster they have right now. This roster is also cheaper right now, with a number of big bats a year or two away from arbitration. If there was a time to take a chance on a short-term deal to maximize the teams competitive window, this would be it.

The complaint here isn't that the A's haven't made their big additions to the roster yet. The market is moving fairly slowly at this point, and some of the top names have to be signed before we reach the market that the A's play in. That's to be expected.

At the same time, the utter lack of rumors surrounding the club is very reminiscent of when the team was in Oakland and the front office would complain about how hard it is to get people to play at the Coliseum.

It's likely pretty hard to convince a free agent to come play in a minor-league park, no matter how good the team is expected to be. That's understandable. But A's fans are tired of the excuses. They've endured the rebuild. They're enduring the relocation process. They can see the finish line and the promise of the roster. They just want to be shown once and for all that ownership cares.

So far that has not been the case at all.

If the A's are going to be waiting to sign guys, then they're not necessarily going to be upgrades to the roster, which is a bit worrisome. The players they could sign would be in the "veteran on their last legs" market, which is not where the green and gold should be shopping right now.

So far this winter, the A's have added Joey Meneses and Michael Stefanic on minor-league deals, while putting Osvaldo Bido, Michel Otañez and Willie MacIver on waivers. They've also non-tendered JJ Bleday and lost Sean Newcomb to free agency.

One reason for fans to exercise some patience this winter could be because the team has some decent internal options in Darell Hernaiz at second base, and either Max Muncy or Brett Harris at third. If they stand pat at those spots, that basically leaves pitchers that they'd need to add, and those can be found a little later in the offseason.

The reasoning here could be that instead of splurging on a free agent, they can roll with the guys they have on the infield for now, and then more or less expect Leo De Vries to be in the big leagues at either third, shortstop (with Wilson moving) or second base. That's likely not the future they're dependent on in 2026, but it's certainly the one that's on the way and should be accounted for.

The one issue with waiting on a reliever is that the A's could use someone with some closing experience, and those players tend to be free agents or trade pieces. It could serve the green and gold well to move quickly to secure their ninth inning option, and then let the rest of the chips fall where they may.