One Oakland Pitcher Looks Like a Near Certainty to Get Traded Before the Deadline

The Athletics went into 2026 with a lot of buzz. Young hitters all over the place. A lineup that felt like it could grow into something real. Then the season started, and baseball happened.

After Monday’s games the A’s are sitting at 42-57, eight games back in the AL West and 8.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. That’s not impossible to fix if you believe in a historic run, but the smart money says this team is selling. Not blowing it up. Just selling around the edges.

That’s the read from Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, who laid out a pretty clear picture of where this front office’s head is at. The A’s have a young core they still believe in. Guys like Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson are under team control and signed to extensions. Shea Langeliers, the All-Star catcher, is the one notable exception. He doesn’t have an extension yet, and teams are absolutely calling about him.

But the A’s aren’t looking to dismantle everything. They’ve got a 5.33 team ERA, second worst in baseball. Pitching is the obvious hole. Trading a hitter like Langeliers could theoretically bring back a haul of arms. It could also wreck what they’re building on offense. That’s a decision they might punt to the winter.

For now, the more likely outcome is a series of smaller moves. The club already got started by shipping Aaron Civale to the Cubs. The next name to watch is Mark Leiter Jr.

Leiter’s run makes him the easy call

Leiter is a free agent after this season. He has no future in Oakland beyond August. That alone makes him the most obvious trade chip on the roster.

The right-hander has a 4.28 ERA over 36 appearances with the A’s, with 38 strikeouts against 11 walks. The raw numbers are fine. The recent trend is better. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last six outings and has given up more than one earned run in any single appearance just once over his last 18 games.

He’s also been around. Seven seasons, 306 big league games. That kind of veteran presence matters to a contender looking for a reliable bullpen arm down the stretch. His career 4.57 ERA and 434-to-142 strikeout-to-walk ratio won’t blow anyone away, but he profiles as a solid middle-relief addition for a team that needs innings.

The A’s will get calls on plenty of players before the deadline hits. Langeliers will draw real interest. But in terms of who actually wears a different uniform by August, Leiter is the safest bet. He’s performing, he’s on an expiring deal, and there’s no reason for Oakland to hold him.