With six weeks left in the 2026 season, the Athletics are holding open auditions for their 2027 roster. After beginning the season with a lack of left-handed relief options, the A's have brought in Drew Rom for the big-league roster and Joe Rock for the Triple-A bullpen just this week. 

Brady Basso has been a solid left-hander in relief since rejoining the club on July 15, holding a team-leading 2.20 ERA (2.29 FIP) across 16 ⅓ innings. Hogan Harris has taken to closing games for the team more consistently as well, notching his 12th save of the season on Sunday. 

While the bullpen isn't exactly thriving in the second half, it is starting to come together and pitch more consistently.

The key question heading into this final stretch of games is which arms the A's will retain and lean on heading into 2027, and which will prompt changes to be made. 

Both Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs have contract options that will have to be sorted out before the offseason really begins. Springs has a team option valued at $15 million for 2027, while Severino has a player option for $22 million.

Given that Springs holds a 6.17 ERA (6.10 FIP) and has been visibly frustrated by pitching in Sacramento at times, the A's will likely decline his option. That $15 million could be reinvested elsewhere on the roster next season — either on a relief arm or two, or on a different rotation option. 

Severino has the control in his situation, and while he has been critical of pitching in Sacramento as well, he has also been on the IL since May 30 and is likely done for the season at this point. Does he risk finding a similar deal on the open market — perhaps even a two-year, $30 million or something similar — or does he return to Sacramento for one more season?

Severino is the type of pitcher the A's need in this rotation when he's healthy. While he hasn't been an ace, posting a 4.43 ERA in 41 starts with the club, he has shown that he can go at least five innings when he's on the mound, even without his best stuff. That is a skill that the A's need more of in their rotation.

If the team's starters can consistently go five innings, then the bullpen wouldn't be overworked when June arrives.

The A's will likely need one, if not two starters to fill those spots next season. 

The 2027 rotation, if we had to pick right now, would be J.T. Ginn, Gage Jump, and Jacob Lopez, with two spots up for grabs. Slotting Severino into one of those openings would make this group look pretty good. 

Right now the A's are running with Jack Perkins (2-9, 7.27 ERA) and Mason Barnett (1-3, 6.16 ERA). Perkins hasn't had the results he's after, but his FIP has been a decent 4.80. His struggles stem from a high home run rate and a low left-on-base rate of 57.5%.

When he allows baserunners, he gets in his head a bit and allows the issues to compound on one another. His hurdle is mental.

Barnett, on the other hand, has a FIP that's higher than his ERA, sitting at 6.69. The underlying stats aren't as high on the righty either, with his .245 BABIP suggesting he's been a bit lucky on batted balls, while Perkins' BABIP is all the way at .336. 

If we were going to give one of these two an edge, it would be Perkins. 

Down in the minors, the A's still have Kade Morris, who owns an 11.70 ERA in his brief stints with the club, and Luis Morales, who started this season in the rotation but pitched his way out of it pretty quickly. In 21 outings with Las Vegas, Morales holds a 7.56 ERA. 

The rest of the season for each of these players will be about leaving a good final impression on the 2026 campaign, because strong finishes tend to carry weight when camp opens up the following season.

If Severino opts in for 2027, the A's would be set up nicely with options to consider in the rotation. Perkins could serve as the fifth starter, while the front office could target up-and-coming options via trade. Those targets would be arms in Double-A and Triple-A who need just a little more development time before they're ready. 

Of course, the A's have 2025 first-round pick Jamie Arnold in Double-A with a 5-5 record and a 3.88 ERA across 102 innings of work in his first pro season. He could get a taste of Vegas before the end of the season, and be another option for the A's next year.

What the A's need is reliable depth with big-league experience. That has been lacking this season, and the club's 49-75 record is the proof. Sure, there have been plenty of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but the pitching staff has the second-worst ERA in MLB at 5.45, only ahead of the Colorado Rockies (5.47).

Having five quality starting options is the first step to building out the rotation for next season, while bolstering the team's depth is the second part. If they don't make meaningful improvements to both of those departments, then next year will be more of the same.