By: Eric He

The Oakland A’s wrapped up a disappointing 2015 campaign with a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon on the road, and it went just like many of their games this season — a promising start only to be erased by a sputtering bullpen and a one-run loss as a result.

Seth Smith’s solo shot to center field off Ryan Dull in the eighth inning was the difference in this one, as the A’s went down quietly in the ninth off Mariners closer Tom Wilhelmsen.

The A’s struck first with two run in the third inning — one on a sacrifice fly by Bryan Anderson and the other on Mark Canha’s 16th homer of the season.

But the Mariners responded with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings of A’s starter Chris Bassitt, who finished with a no-decision.

Oakland finishes with the worst record in the American League at 68-94, its worst record since 1993. It has been a forgettable season for the A’s, who were hampered by a revolving roster, injuries, and an unreliable bullpen. For a team coming off three consecutive playoff appearances, they certainly took a huge step back and shook up the roster in every which way.

The many trades last offseason — Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, and Derek Norris were sent packing — netted the A’s many young prospects, but also resulted in poor clubhouse chemistry, per a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Yet, the A’s could be setting themselves up to shock the baseball world again next season. They were better than their record, which consisted of a high amount of one-run losses. Billy Burns, Mark Canha, Marcus Semien and Josh Phegley all showed promise in 2015 and could make up the future core of the A’s. Danny Valencia impressed after being acquired by the A’s midseason. Add that to established veterans in Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt and that’s a half-decent lineup.

A’s fans are surely tired of their team coming up short year after year, whether it’s an early playoff exit or a non-competitive regular season campaign. What awaits them could either be a bounce back season or the start of a painful rebuild that seems to keep recurring in Oakland.