A Former LA Dodgers Arm Could Be the Answer to the A's Closer Problem

Jun 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech (45) delivers to the plate in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The A's are still on the hunt for a full-time closer this winter, with their most experienced option currently being free agent signing Mark Leiter Jr., who has nine career saves. The A's have a history of targeting talent over experience when it comes to finding their closers, and that could be the direction they choose to go this winter.

After missing most of the 2025 season, former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech could be the perfect fit for the A's to consider as their closer in 2026. Since making the move to being a full-time bullpen arm in 2024, the 29-year-old righty has put up a 3.32 ERA in 78 2/3 innings and shut the door on 15 games, including six contests for the World Series-winning Dodgers in 2024.

This past season he suffered from a right shoulder impingement early in the year, and then some right knee inflammation in late June that kept him out until September. He'd return for six appearances, but would end up back on the IL with the knee issue before the end of the regular season.

While he has been a terrific relief pitcher, he just wasn't the healthiest option for his team last year. That could present a huge opening and a big opportunity for the A's to secure his services this winter.

Why the A's make sense

The A's have some money left to spend this offseason, and one of their big holes is solidifying the ninth inning. They have pitchers that could turn into the team's closer, like Jack Perkins, but the front office has said that they'd prefer to keep him in the rotation if possible, where he's more valuable. Perhaps this is the year where they try to keep Perkins in the starting five before a potential transition.

With Kopech being 29, he's still young enough that taking a pillow contract for the 2026 season is certainly an option, given his injury history last year. A team like the A's could be able to swoop in and land him on a one-year, high AAV (average annual value) deal, while taking a chance that he'll be healthy for them for one season.

They could also go for a one year deal with a vesting option or even a player option for a lucrative second year as well, which would provide some financial security for Kopech. This is the type of contract that it could take for the A's to secure someone of his caliber for the next year or two.

Since joining the Dodgers, Kopech put up a 1.13 ERA in 24 innings back in 2024, and gained some valuable postseason experience with LA that season, pitching all the way through October. This past season he racked up just 11 innings, but held a 2.45 ERA (4.50 FIP).

Who do you have closing for the A’s if the season started tomorrow?

— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) January 11, 2026

The one worry with Kopech is that even though his ERA was solid last year, he held an 84.2% left-on-base rate, which is extremely high. He also walked more batters (13) than he struck out (12), leading to a free base rate of 24.5%.

Even so, his heater sits at 97.5 miles per hour, gets plenty of swings and misses, and has a solid second pitch in his cutter, which held a 53.3% whiff rate in the small sample he provided last year.

If the A's are still looking for an outside arm to take over the ninth inning, Kopech has enough question marks about his health that could make him an option for them to actually have a chance at signing, while his upside makes him a target that could be worthwhile.