A’s Pursuit of Lefty Help Points to Possible Marlins Swap

Obviously the A's play in a hitter-friendly park, which could present an issue, but if the coaching staff can get him under control just a little bit, then he may be able to make a few more mistakes that don't end up getting drilled a long way. His profile seems to suggest that he was behind in some counts, and when the count is in the hitter's favor, they're able to sit back and wait for a pitch.

That leads to less than ideal results.

The A's could also hide him from right-handers initially, if needed, and deploy him as more of a lefty specialist. Manager Mark Kotsay showed over the final two months that he can pull the right strings in the bullpen to get everyone in favorable matchups. Left-handers went just 12-for-72 (.207) against Simpson in 2025, which is certainly playable.

The A's had the second best bullpen ERA (2.99) in baseball after trading Mason Miller.

The problem was that he also issued 11 walks in that span, which led to a .352 OBP, which could make those outings a little more adventurous.

His home and road splits also suggest that a change of scenery could be beneficial. At home, he held a 10.00 ERA in 18 innings of work, while on the road he posted a 3.55 in 12 2/3 innings. This is a small sample size, but it's what we have to work with.

The Factor the A's Need More Of

While the A's were seemingly after ground ball pitchers last offseason, the club ended up ranking last in ground ball rate at just 37.4%. Simpson was up at 53.9% (part of the reason for the high HR/FB rate was he kept the ball on the ground), and with an improving A's defense, he could have the makings of a useful arm in their bullpen.

While his ERA was over seven, his FIP was a couple of runs lower, primarily because his left on base rate sat at just 59.6%. This is something we mentioned as a potential red flag for Mason Barnett earlier this week, but in this circumstance, it could also present a hidden value on the trade block, along with some risk.

His third-most used pitch, the sinker, was also the one that hitters did a lot of damage on in his brief time in the big leagues, batting .348 against it with a .609 SLG. He also utilized that pitch 22.2% of the time, with his sweeper and curveball leading the way. Perhaps a different third pitch could be in the works in 2026, or some different pitch sequencing.

He doesn't throw terribly hard, averaging 94 miles per hour with the sinker and 94.3 with his four-seamer, but he has solid whiff rates on his sweeper (40.3%) and curve (29.3%) and seems to be a work in progress with plenty of tools to build with.

Current Bullpen Options Options

Hogan Harris is the main left-handed option for the A's bullpen entering 2026, but he could be the team's closer, or even multi-inning reliever next season, and those are completely different roles than we're trying to fill. We're after a depth option with upside, with the hope that he can be the team's second bullpen lefty.

Brady Basso missed most of the 2025 campaign, but finished out the year in relief to get some work in. He could be a long-man, or even work his way back into a depth starter.

Jared Shuster was claimed off waivers by the A's before the final month of the season, but he posted an 8.53 ERA (5.55 FIP) in Triple-A and never got a look on the main roster. He may not make it through the winter on the 40-man given that he's out of options.

That means he would have to be on the A's 26-man roster all season or be subjected to waivers, and he may not have done enough to inspire that confidence.

31-year-old Ben Bowden is the only other left-handed bullpen arm on the 40-man, and he landed on the IL on August 22 with a strained left lat after 11 appearances in the big leagues. They could roster him this winter, but they could just as easily look elsewhere. He still has one option remaining, which could be key for him.