The A's need to add pitching. It was clear when spring training started, and it has been clear all season long. They can be a competitive team most nights with an offense that's good enough to mask some of the pitching staff's flaws. But in order to be a postseason team, they're going to need to make some additions to the pitching staff. 

Since June 8, the A's losses have come in blowouts or when they allow the opposing team to earn a come-from-behind victory. This has been a microcosm of the problem. The bullpen hasn't been able to hold leads, and when the rotation gets hit early, the wheels completely fall off — see the 23-9 and 12-4 losses.

A's No. 4 prospect Wei-En Lin began the year in Double-A Midland and quickly pitched his way to Triple-A Las Vegas at the age of just 20. His first two outings in the Pacific Coast League haven't gone well, as the lefty has given up eight earned runs across just 1 2⁄3 innings, leading to an inflated 43.20 ERA. 

It has also been reported that he's dealing with a shoulder issue that landed him on the IL on June 14, and he's set to undergo an MRI. While the results are not yet known, shoulder issues are always a little worrisome. 

Regardless of what the MRI says, that will likely keep him out of the A's plans for this season, potentially as a lethal relief arm. It was obvious he needed some time to get up to speed in Triple-A after the aggressive promotion, but now that he's missing some time, that timeline to the big leagues may not end in 2026, which means that the front office will have to adjust its trade deadline plans accordingly. 

ESPN recently unveiled a list ranking their top-100 trade deadline candidates, with the first 25 getting full write-ups and teams that would be the "best fit" for their services. Nine players (eight pitchers) were floated for the A's. Matt Chapman was the only position player, and we made our argument for, and against, that move yesterday. 

The full list of the pitchers they named: Joe Ryan (Twins), Reid Detmers (Angels), Jose Soriano (Angels), Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), Freddy Peralta (Mets), Casey Mize (Tigers), Michael Wacha (Royals), and Seth Lugo (Royals).

Given the contracts attached to each, the most likely fits for the A's at this year's deadline would have to be Detmers, Wacha, or Peralta.

Both Detmers (3-5, 3.68) and Wacha (4-5, 3.64) have two more years of team control attached to them. Detmers, 26, will be in his second and third years of arbitration before hitting free agency following the 2028 campaign. Wacha, 35, is owed $14 million in 2027 and has a $14 million club option for 2028. 

The reason Wacha makes some sense here is that they could slot him into Jeffrey Springs' spot in the rotation and save $1 million in 2027 in the process. Springs has a $15 million team option for 2027 and would then become a free agent. Adding Wacha would provide some stability and veteran leadership for another year beyond Springs and into the Vegas residency. 

Detmers is younger and may have the higher ceiling, but given his lower salary cost, he could take more in prospect capital to pry loose. He's the type of pitcher the A's should be targeting — effective and under team control for a couple of years — but being in the same division as the Angels could make this one more difficult to complete. 

As for Peralta, he makes sense as a short-term solution to give it a go. He's a big name and would be a signal to the fanbase that the A's are making a push for this season. That counts for something. He'll also be owed around just $4 million for the remainder of the season.

The downside there is that the prospect cost would be a little higher too. Not quite as high as for Detmers, but enough that it may not make sense for the A's to give up that level of talent for a lottery ticket, unless they felt that they could sign him to an extension once he was exposed to the clubhouse atmosphere and shown the progress being made toward the Las Vegas move. 

The A's roster as a whole isn't quite in the World Series contender realm, but with a couple of key additions and some injury luck, they could be a team that causes some October headaches. 

The more fascinating piece of this deadline will be whether the A's do some of their offseason shopping early — targeting players with multiple years remaining — with the looming lockout. The A's are a team that needs to make a pitch to draw key additions, and if the offseason workflow is shortened, that time to pitch is also lessened. 

During the lockout, teams cannot contact any players — free agents or ones under contract. If it drags into spring, the offseason becomes a sprint straight into spring training and the regular season.

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