Former San Diego Padres top pick Leo De Vries has been promoted by the Sacramento A’s and is a promising future hopeful for the A’s (Sports Illustrated photo)

A’s: With this Offense, they deserve better Pitching –

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

I get it, the Sacramento A’s plan is to keep improving, so by the time they open their new digs in Las Vegas, they can be real contenders. My broadcast partner, Manolo Hernández-Douen, and I talked about that during the 2024 season, when the team had a legendary Spanish-language radio station in the Bay Area, and last season in Oakland. You might say, “Oh, that is disrespectful to Sacramento”, but there is no mystery theater here.

The A’s are leasing Sacramento for a couple of years (not counting 2027), with a possible owners’ lockout looming. They are playing well so far in their young 2026 season, with their manager, Mark Kotsay, who has continued to do a good job since he was hired in December 2021.

The team improved their pitching during the off-season and acquired Aaron Civale, and relievers Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr. to provide experience. Overall, this 2026 A’s club is a scrappy team with very young and exciting hitters like Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz. They are on the up and up, and could surprise a lot of people in baseball. I just wish they had a more settled, experienced pitching rotation and overall pitching to go along with that juicy lineup.

Yes, I like the A’s lineup; however, their rotation with these five starters, Severino, Springs, Civale, López, and Morales, is ranked #26 among the 30 MLB teams by Sports Illustrated. Ironically, the last “big pitcher: the A’s lost was not a starter, but a reliever, Mason Miller, the Rolls-Royce of closers, who is now with the Padres, however this was a trade that could bring very good dividends to the young Athletics in the future, especially young shortstop Leo De Vries among with three other players, all pitchers who came to the A’s in the trade. Leodalis “Leo” De Vries is a 20-year-old Dominican shortstop who was ranked No.4 prospect in baseball as recently as this month of April 2026.

A good friend of mine and ex-Oakland A’s fan asked me recently, “Are they going to trade a player for a good starting pitcher? I have no idea. Starters are not cheap; for example, Framber Valdéz signed a 3-year, $115 million contract with Detroit this year.

This version of the A’s is exciting and promising; they have a “maybe” chance of making the postseason. However, in my opinion, their pitching is still not at the level to be considered a real contender, because it is very simple; it all starts with pitching. If you are one of their fans, are you happy so far with the A’s?

Of course. Here is one reason: in April, the Athletics completed their first-ever series sweep of the New York Mets.

I will end with a quote from one of my favorite major league managers of all time, who happens to be my original favorite team as a kid, the Baltimore Orioles. It says a lot about pitching. . The reason you win or lose is darn near always the same – pitching.” — Earl Weaver

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame

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