![\"Athletics](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/3871_20250928_HR_AsRoyals.JPG\" "\\"Athletics")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Athletics first base Nick Kurtz (16) and Athletics outfielder Colby Thomas (32) high five after Kurtz\u2019s home run during a game between the Athletics and the Kansas City Royals at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.<\/p>\n
HANNAH RUHOFF<\/p>\n
hruhoff@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
As the Athletics open their 2026 season<\/a> on the road Friday against the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, two questions spring to mind as they do for any pro sports team: How many games can they win, and will it be enough to make the postseason?<\/p>\n The A\u2019s begin this season with a six-game road trip in Toronto and Atlanta before hosting their home opener next Friday, April 3, against the Houston Astros. That game versus Houston will mark the start of the second Major League Baseball season ever played in West Sacramento \u2014 the A\u2019s temporary home after the team departed Oakland following the 2024 season and before its planned move to a new ballpark on the Las Vegas strip in 2028.<\/p>\n The A\u2019s finished 2025 with a win-loss record of 76-86. A May-to-June stretch, in which they lost 20 out of 21 games, torpedoed any chance of making the playoffs<\/a> \u2014 which the A\u2019s ultimately missed by 11 wins. They ended the year with baseball\u2019s third-worst home record at 36-45, ahead of only the Chicago White Sox (33-48) and Colorado Rockies (25-56).<\/p>\n But the A\u2019s played much better in the second half of last season, going 35-29 after July\u2019s All-Star break. They also boasted a unanimous American League Rookie of the Year winner in Nick Kurtz<\/a>, the power-hitting first baseman, who at 23 years old, headlines a crop of young talent at the plate.<\/p>\n So what are pundits, baseball followers and stat freaks saying about the A\u2019s chances in 2026?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a roundup of how the Athletics figure into major news and sports outlets\u2019 preseason power rankings, as well as baseball statistics websites\u2019 projections of their expected win total and playoff probability.<\/p>\n A\u2019s placement in power rankings<\/p>\n Most major sports outlets in the lead-up to the 2026 regular season ranked the A\u2019s in the lower half of MLB\u2019s 30 teams. The most optimistic forecast put them middle-of-the-pack at 15th while most others placed them somewhere in the 20s.<\/p>\n Many of the preseason rankings\u2019 write-ups summed up the A\u2019s strengths and weaknesses succinctly: They\u2019ve got a powerful lineup full of young stars who are fun to watch, but a lackluster pitching staff will probably keep them out of the playoff hunt.<\/p>\n CBS Sports<\/p>\n Ranking: 15th out of 30<\/p>\n What they said: \u201cOne of the most fun offenses in baseball. Do they have enough in the rotation?\u201d the full blurb from CBS Sports\u2019 Matt Snyder<\/a> said.<\/p>\n ESPN<\/p>\n Ranking: 23rd<\/p>\n What they said: \u201cThey\u2019ll score plenty of runs at Sutter Health Park, a Triple-A hitter\u2019s haven. But will they prevent enough?\u201d wrote ESPN\u2019s Jorge Castillo<\/a>. \u201cThe front office made minor moves \u2026 but the pitching must improve to make noise.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n Ranking: 24th out of 30<\/p>\n What they said: Sports Illustrated\u2019s Nick Selbe wrote up the \u201cSneaky X-Factor\u201d<\/a> for each of the league\u2019s 30 teams. For the A\u2019s, Selbe bestowed that honor upon starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs, writing that he had a \u201chealthy and relatively productive campaign\u201d with a \u201crespectable\u201d 4.11 earned run average.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll need him to replicate that to give what should be a high-scoring offense enough support.\u201d<\/p>\n Ranking: 25th<\/p>\n What they said: \u201cThere\u2019s a second Max Muncy starting at third base in the big leagues, and he\u2019ll call Yolo County home,\u201d wrote Gabe Lacques<\/a>. The other Max Muncy plays for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.<\/p>\n (Kudos to Lacques are in order for correctly noting West Sacramento as being both a separate city and in a separate county from California\u2019s capital.)<\/p>\n The Athletic \/ New York Times<\/p>\n Ranking: 21st<\/p>\n What they said: \u201cThe emergence of Nick Kurtz as one of the best hitters in baseball enhanced the excitement surrounding this team\u2019s offense,\u201d the Athletic\u2019s Andy McCullough wrote of the Athletics<\/a>, in part.<\/p>\n McCullough categorized the A\u2019s pitching situation as \u201cworrisome\u201d before lauding A\u2019s hitters again: \u201cThey might not be good enough to make the postseason, but their offense should be dangerous enough to wreck some folks.\u201d<\/p>\n MLB.com<\/p>\n Ranking: 22nd<\/p>\n What they said: \u201cThe pitching is, well, not so hot just yet, but there legitimately may be no more exciting batch of young hitters on any team in the Majors,\u201d wrote MLB.com\u2019s Will Leitch<\/a>. \u201cNick Kurtz leads a gaggle of bats that will become your favorite late-night MLB.TV tune-in.\u201d<\/p>\n Odds and projectionsBaseball Reference<\/a><\/p>\n Playoff probability: 44.7%<\/p>\n Projected win-loss record: 84-78<\/p>\n Baseball Prospectus<\/a><\/p>\n Playoff probability: 9.9%<\/p>\n Projected win-loss record: 77-85<\/p>\n FanGraphs<\/a><\/p>\n Playoff probability: 21.4%<\/p>\n Projected win-loss record: 78-84<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 3:41 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"Athletics](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAC_2413_HA_250616_AsVsAtros.JPG\" "\\"SAC_2413_HA_250616_AsVsAtros.JPG\\"")
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz celebrates his walk-off home run for a 3-1 victory against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park on Monday, June 16. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Athletics](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1094_250708_JV_A\u2019s_Braves.jpg\" "\\"1094_250708_JV_A\u2019s_Braves.jpg\\"")
Athletics pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) pitches against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning on Tuesday, July 8, at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com USA Today<\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/McGough_Michael.JPG\")