A's MLB Trade Deadline Could be Quieter Than Expected

In the days leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline, there have been plenty of rumors swirling around the Athletics, whether it's for Brent Rooker, Mason Miller, any of the team's starting pitchers, or a player on an expiring contract. The scope of these potential deals has been treating this deadline as though the A's are about to blow up the roster and start again, but that may not be what happens.

For starters, Brent Rooker said he's not going anywhere because he's where he wants to be. Mason Miller's name has been mentioned, but with the caveat that it would take a huge haul to get the A's to move him.

Outside of those two guys, the rest of the names mentioned are not necessarily irreplaceable. Still, their departures would have a younger player waiting in the wings at those positions. The big question would be just how ready those players would be to step into a role on a big-league roster.

The A's need pitching, and trading Luis Severino, who has struggled at home with a 6.68 ERA, could be a case for addition by subtraction. That said, he's switched up his pitch mix in the past couple of games, and he's seeing good results. If he has a good performance against the Seattle Mariners this week, could the A's look to keep him?

If the A's unlocked the Severino that pitches for them on the road to also be at Sutter Health Park, that would be better than any deadline deal they could make for next season.

JP Sears and Jeffrey Springs have been solid for the A's as well, though both have struggled at times. With the arrival of Jack Perkins in the big leagues, he could be in line for a rotation spot to finish out 2026 if the A's trade one of their starting pitchers.

Behind Perkins, the A's also have No. 1 prospect Gage Jump and No. 2 prospect Luis Morales fairly close to debuts of their own.

With the A's pitching staff struggling to a 5.14 ERA in 2025 as a group this season, there is some hope that a slightly different group of arms could end up improving those overall numbers by a big enough gap that the A's could be in contention with a largely similar roster in 2026. That could mean that moving Miller or any other big pieces--at least for right now--could be off the table.

While moving one starting pitcher could end up happening, they may just stick to their rental players (Miguel Andujar, Luis Urías, Sean Newcomb and Gio Urshela) as potential trade pieces while targeting guys that they see as bullpen arms. If they were able to grab a couple of effective relievers at the deadline, that could be all the club really needs to set themselves up for next season.

Obviously the A's 45-62 record isn't pretty, but they've shown that they have the offense to be at least a .500 club. They rank 7th in OPS, 7th in home runs, and 15th in runs scored, which are all indicators that they can keep up with most clubs. Nick Kurtz's July performance also raises expectations for not only the rest of this season, but for next year as well.

The most effective path for the club right now may be to largely keep the band together while targeting some bullpen pieces and seeing how that shakes out over the final two months of the regular season. Then, take that new data and what they have learned about playing at Sutter Health Park this season and devise a new plan of attack for next year.

This will include some of their top prospects being ready for the big leagues, and could also include ultimately trading a big piece of the club to get what they feel is missing. That type of deal may be better to pull off during the offseason, when you're theoretically shopping your best players to every team, which should maximize the return.

While it's unwise to make too much out of one series over the course of a season, the A's have looked really good against a short-handed Houston Astros team this weekend, including Kurtz's all-time performance and pinning a loss on Cy Young hopeful Hunter Brown over the past two days. Let this group play out the season, and make the any adjustments during the winter.