Elephant Rumblings: A’s Struggling Early in Arizona

Happy Wednesday, A’s fans.

There is no Athletics baseball today, as the team has a day off to right the ship and regroup. The A’s have been outscored 33-4 through their first four spring games — all losses by sizable margins. Last season, the A’s offense was one of the best in the league, yet this year they have not scored in half their games and have yet to hit a home run.

That said, it is far too early to panic. It is still February, and spring training results are always taken with a grain of salt. Starting position players only play half the game if at all before sitting to let the youngsters play. The pitching staffs are like turnstiles with new pitchers entering the game every inning to showcase their abilities against opposing hitters. Those factors make this part of the MLB calendar a more relaxing atmosphere for players and spectators alike.

However, that does not mean teams and fans cannot evaluate players during preseason action to see who has improved over the offseason and who looks ready for Opening Day. For instance, has a pitcher decided to use a new pitch and if so, how does it look against hitters? Pitching will be the focus of camp. The offense is strong, but the staff must improve for the team to take the next step. So far, the A’s have not had many positive pitching performances aside from J.T. Ginn and Luis Severino’s stellar spring debuts against the San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Guardians.

At the moment, the A’s offense is lagging behind, but that could be due to the likes of Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom needing to get their timing back and shake off any offseason rust. Fortunately, the A’s have nearly a full month of spring training remaining to sort out any kinks, get the offense rolling and prepare for what they hope will be a successful 2026 campaign.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics Drop Fourth Straight Spring Contest, Fall To Brewers 10-0
• Prospect Wei-En Lin Making an Impression at A’s Spring Training
• 1st results for Ginn’s new windup? 3 K’s over 2 perfect frames
• A’s Make First Cut of Camp
• A’s Top Pitching Prospect Jamie Arnold Set to Debut Later This Week
• Circa Las Vegas bringing in A’s legend for baseball opening day festitivies
• A’s spending on $2B Vegas stadium passes $300m mark, is Fisher’s folly really happening?
• Bob Melvin opens up: A Giants firing, an A’s hiring, and what comes next
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Morii Voted As 17th-Best
• Athletics Drop Third Straight Spring Contest, Fall To Giants 6-2
• Athletics Drop Second Spring Contest, Fall To Guardians 6-0
• A’s Drop Spring Opener To White Sox 11-2
• Meaningless Stats Begin Today!
• See you later, soda: A’s Perkins ditches sugar for science
• Can The A’s Young Core Turn Defense Into a Strength?
• Pesky Drawback Of “Closer By Committee” (It Never Really Works)
• Can Kurtz get his glove to match his monster bat?
• Zack Gelof: Outfielder?
• “Relievers Are Volatile”… But Why?
• Are The Final Two Rotation Spots Really Up For Grabs?
• Story Lines To Watch As Spring Training Unfolds

MLB News and Interest:

• Tarik Skubal Explains Role on USA’s 2026 WBC Roster
• Angels Players ‘Took Notice’ of Arte Moreno’s Remarks About Winning, Fans, MLBPA Director Says
• Ex-MLB Player Dan Serafini Called a ‘Liar’ and ‘Manipulator’ by Judge as His Bid for New Murder Trial Is Denied
• Braves sign Chris Sale to one-year contract extension with option for 2028 season
• Braves launching own network to air 140 games
• Guardians reportedly sign first baseman Rhys Hoskins to minor league pact
• Twins’ starter Joe Ryan has lower back inflammation
• Red Sox interested in left-handed bullpen depth
• 2 for 1! MLB’s top prospect clears Monster twice for 1st spring HRs
• Cardinals sign veteran infielder Ramon Urias to major league deal for 2026
• Ron DeSantis, Florida cabinet approve land for Rays ballpark
• Yankees’ Gerrit Cole reaches 96.9 MPH in 1st session versus hitters
• Freddie Freeman hopes to retire with Dodgers
• Honus Wagner card sells for $5.124 million, third-largest for T206 Wagner card
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X

Not a great day at the office for the A’s yesterday.

Jamie Arnold will make his A’s debut on Friday. Can he quickly ascend to the Majors like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson did or will the left-hander need more time to develop in the minor leagues?

Luis Severino is one of many A’s players representing their countries in the World Baseball Classic, which starts March 5. He will toe the rubber for the Dominican Republic when they play Netherlands.