One Phillies Player That Could Transform the A's Future

Over three big league seasons, Kerkering holds a 2.79 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP, and this past season he racked up 19 holds and four saves for the Phillies while touting a 3.30 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. He's a hard-throwing bullpen piece that has three pitches (sweeper, four-seamer, sinker) that he can roll with, and given the A's potential need for a back-end arm, he could be an appealing option.

As we wrote about earlier this week, the A's have had a knack for going out and grabbing guys that don't necessarily have a ton of closing experience and then turning to them in the ninth inning. If the A's were to go after him and give him the ninth, that could be a huge confidence boost for him moving forward in his career.

Not only would a team trade for him, but to immediately be trusted in an even bigger role? That would have to feel good. He would also give the A's an arm out there with some postseason experience. While they have plenty of arms that have had success so far in the big leagues, their group of guys is fairly inexperienced.

Tyler Ferguson, while 32, debuted in 2024. Elvis Alvarado debuted this past season. Hogan Harris debuted in 2023, but he was also still starting games up until this season. Michael Kelly had just over 20 innings in the big leagues before he joined the A's, and because of his suspension, has yet to pitch a complete season in the big leagues.

All four of those guys are talented, and any of them could step up and earn the closer role in 2026, but the A's will presumably want to bake a little more certainty into their analysis of the roster this winter, so adding a relief pitcher like Kerkering and throwing him into that mix could be a franchise-altering acquisition if it works out.

Heading into 2026, Kerkering will be pre-arb for one final year before beginning the arbitration process in 2027. He won't reach free agency until the 2029 campaign. Because of that level of team control—coupled with the stats he's put up—the asking price wouldn't be cheap.

That said, with a number of key Phillies set to reach free agency this winter including Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez and J.T. Realmuto as the main cogs, perhaps the A's could include someone like former first rounder Daniel Susac to get the ball rolling. Susac is a catcher that's getting close to making his MLB debut.

Susac could be used as a sweetener in a deal like this this winter, as it would appear as though Shea Langeliers has the full-time catcher job locked down for the foreseeable future. From there, they could figure out which pieces would be the most appealing to the Phillies and attempt to strike a deal.