The Athletics announced a brand new head of baseball operations to begin the week, with 31-year-old Taylor Smith taking over the role. Some of his first decisions to make will be whether or not to retain Mark Kotsay as manager of the A's, and who will be taking over as the club's pitching coach in 2027.

Longtime pitching coach Scott Emerson was fired during the All-Star break with the team holding a 5.23 ERA (4.95 FIP) during the first half of the campaign. Dan Hubbs was promoted to interim pitching coach for the second half, and the club held a 5.96 ERA (4.94 FIP) the rest of the way as the team searched for fresh arms. 

The interim tag was not removed from Hubbs at the end of the season, likely due to the team not having a head of baseball operations and wanting the decision left up to the incoming leader. Now that decision needs to be made, and if not Hubbs, then who?

One name that could be enticing would be San Diego Padres bullpen coach Ben Fritz, who reportedly received interest from other teams last offseason before the Padres gave him "a significant raise," according to The Athletic. 

Fritz was selected by the A's in the first round of the 2002 MLB Draft and remained with the franchise through 2007. He even pitched in Sacramento back in 2006 as a member of the River Cats, then an A's affiliate. He went 6-6 with a 5.83 ERA that season. The 2027 season will be the A's final expected year at Sutter Health Park before moving to Las Vegas.

He went to high school in San Jose and college in Fresno, and at 45 years old, he'd fit right in with the A's current coaching staff. Kotsay was part of the A's big-league teams during this time, while broadcaster Dallas Braden and Fritz were teammates for parts of three seasons in Stockton and Midland. 

Back in 2021, Fritz was promoted from bullpen coach to interim pitching coach with San Diego, and the club held a 5.25 ERA in those 35 games. Fritz was moved back to his bullpen coach role, and since 2022, San Diego has held a 3.59 ERA (3.72 FIP), ranking them sixth in MLB.

It's unclear how much of a role he's played in those results specifically, but the team's consistency in the bullpen and their unwillingness to let him go last offseason should be indicators of his value. 

Former Colorado Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said that the key for Smith to find success with the A's will be who he surrounds himself with as he gets going. Hiring a pitching coach like Fritz, who has connections to the team already and has had success elsewhere, would be one way to do that. If the pitching coach isn't going to be Dan Hubbs, Fritz would be worth a look.