With a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, the future Las Vegas Athletics have won 70 games—thereby improving their win total for the second season in a row now after hitting “rock bottom” with just 50 victories in 2023. Today on MLB Monday, we’re going to examine this pattern once more for the long-standing franchise, as it rebuilds on its way to a Sin City debut in 2028. It’s history repeating itself, yo.

We’ve covered this before, of course, but even back in the Philadelphia days, the Athletics franchise would build itself a winner and then break it down once it got to be too expensive to maintain. In Oakland, the A’s did this repeatedly in cycles, winning five AL West titles in a row (1971–1975) before rebuilding, and then doing it again (1981) and again (1988–1992) and again (2000–2006). Nothing has changed despite the years.

The Athletics replicated the pattern from 2012–2014 and again from 2018-2021 before this most recent rebuild which is in progress now. After winning those mere 50 times two seasons ago, the A’s improved last year to 69 victories, and with 12 games left this season, there’s a good chance the vagabond franchise will end up with around 76 wins this time around. The next logical step for 2026 dictates .500 baseball, really.

A lot of improvements still need to happen for that to occur next year, however:

  • Offense: The A’s need a real second baseman and a real third baseman, still. The rest of the lineup is somewhat sound, although center fielder also could use an upgrade. Zach Gelof was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2023, but he’s regressed, thoroughly, although still just in his age-25 season. Third base has been a relative hole since the team traded Matt Chapman away after the 2021 campaign. At age 30 now, Miguel Andujar is a temporary solution, at best. The team has a few viable options still in CF, but either J.J. Bleday (age 27) or Denzel Clarke (25) need to step up and take control of the spot.
  • Pitching: With a 4.79 team ERA this season, everyone knows the Athletics won’t be a true postseason contender until the staff improves in both talent level and actual performance. There are middling “bright spots” here and there, but overall, the staff needs a makeover, both in the rotation (4.89 ERA) and the bullpen (4.66). There are a few keepers in there, perhaps, but with no pitcher compiling more than 1.7 WAR this season, there’s not a lot to work with, in general. Yet … seven different members of the staff have accrued at least 1.0 WAR this year. So there is depth to the mediocrity, if that’s logical.
  • Defense: No one on the team has surpassed 1.0 dWAR in 2025, and that’s a minor problem, too. In fact, only one regular—left fielder and first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (0.1 dWAR)—is a positive defender … and then only barely so. On the flip side, no one except designated hitter Brent Rooker (-1.7 dWAR) is that bad on defense. And there’s a reason he’s the DH, obviously. Bleday is the worst regular with -0.9 dWAR right now, so he’s offering a moderately below-average glove right now. This could improve, of course, but it’s the lowest priority of these three categories. We can live with that.

The A’s need to market themselves as an up-and-coming team that is close to arriving next October, and that can attract free agents willing to work hard and take a risk with the team, knowing there are possibly two more seasons of limbo in Sacramento. This includes veterans wanting to extend their careers, younger free agents looking for their big break, and former top prospects looking for another chance to prove it all.

Either way, the Athletics are trending in the right direction, so y’all may want to buy in for 2026 and beyond.