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Aug 1, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Luis Morales (58) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

A's Show Glimpse of the Future Against Baltimore Orioles

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Athletics team ERA on the year still ranks No. 28 in all of baseball, but they've dropped that ERA down to 4.91 overall in recent weeks, after it was sitting at 5.20 entering the All Star break. Since the Midsummer Classic, they hold a 3.57 team ERA across 22 games. That also ranks them No. 8 in the game and has helped them to a 12-10 record.

While the A's overall record of 53-67 still leads people to think this team is years away from contention, they're still ahead of the same pace they set last year when they won 69 games, and that is with a fluky 1-20 stretch in May and June. Without that stretch, they're on an 85-win pace.

Obviously those games still count towards the team's record this season, but looking ahead to next year, it should also provide A's fans with some hope that they'll be in the mix for a postseason berth.

This past weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, fans also got a glimpse of some arms that could be vital to the team's success next year. Those games were started by J.T. Ginn, Jack Perkins, and Luis Morales. Perkins is a former top-5 prospect in the system, while Morales currently ranks No. 3.

Ginn has been battling injuries this season, but he still holds a 4.39 ERA across 53 1/3 innings and has shown glimpses of being a dominant starter at times. He may end up being a fourth or fifth starter down the line, similar to a JP Sears type, where he'll be roughly league average on the year, but can go out on any given day and completely shut down an offense.

That's a solid starter in any rotation. In his four starts since returning to the rotation on July 22, Ginn has allowed eight earned runs in 20 1/3 innings of work, good for a 3.58 ERA, and has a cumulative 3.29 ERA on the road this season. He's certainly an arm to watch out for in 2026.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jack Perkins, who started Saturday's game against the Orioles, is all of two starts into his big league career, but after giving up three earned runs in the top of the first against the Orioles, he still managed to go six innings while essentially shutting down the opposition. He's a pitcher that everyone is excited to see more from, and will certainly be in the mix for a starting spot next spring.

Perkins hasn't even been fully unleashed yet, as his pitch count has been monitored carefully in his first two big league starts. He could have been good for a seventh inning the way he was rolling on Saturday, but he was sitting at 84 pitches after six, following 62 pitches against Arizona, so he was pretty much maxed out for the day.

Look for him to get a few more darts his next time out against the Los Angeles Angels.

Finally, we saw just our second glimpse of Morales in the big leagues, and our first as a starter on Sunday. In the first inning, he walked the bases loaded before striking out Jeremiah Jackson to escape the threat. Given that this was his first start, nerves were likely a part of that first frame, but he was still able to lock in when he needed to to keep Baltimore off the board.

Morales would allow a walk in both the second and third innings, but didn't give up a hit to the Orioles in his 2 2/3 innings either, striking out four. Still just 22, he'll be in the process of figuring out what big-league bats are willing to swing at in the coming weeks, and that should set him up nicely for 2026.

This trio of starters has loads of potential, and paired Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, and Jacob Lopez, as well as the A's offense, this team should be right where they want to be heading into next season.

It's also worth mentioning that the A's have two more top pitching prospects in Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold, along with Braden Nett, whom they acquired in the Mason Miller deal, that could all potentially serve as depth options for the A's next year.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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