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The Oakland Athletics left-hander JP Sears once again proved his worth on the mound Wednesday, turning in a steady performance against the Texas Rangers amid increasing trade rumors. With the July 31, 2025, Trade Deadline nearing, Sears remains a hot name among teams in need of reliable starting pitching.
In a 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field, Sears limited Texas to just one run on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts over five innings. He threw 82 pitches (57 strikes) and retired the final seven batters he faced, including four via strikeout. The only damage came from Corey Seager, who doubled and homered. The rest of the lineup managed just 1-for-16 against him.
This outing was a bounce-back effort following a difficult start against the Cleveland Guardians, where Sears surrendered seven runs (six earned). On Wednesday, he held the Rangers to an average exit velocity of 90 mph on balls in play and looked locked in.
“As a baseball player, there are always a lot of outside factors that matter to you,” Sears said, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. “You’re always just trying to focus on what you can control, and that’s just every start that I have right now. … That’s my only focus right now.”
Sears' consistent dominance over the Rangers has been notable. Since the start of the 2024 season, he holds a 5-0 record with a 2.34 ERA across his last six starts against them. At Globe Life Field alone, his ERA stands at 1.13 over four starts.
“There’s nothing really that stands out too much,” Sears said of his strong track record against Texas. “I mean, I do like the look of the mound and the plate here, but that’s a lot of other stadiums, too. I was just trying to go out there with confidence tonight and fill up the zone.”
The 29-year-old has emerged as the Athletics' most reliable starter, making 85 starts since the beginning of the 2023 season, tied for fourth-most in Major League Baseball during that span. In 2023, Sears led Oakland in starts (32), innings pitched (172.1), and strikeouts (161), finishing with a 5–14 record and a 4.54 ERA.
Although he had a rocky start to 2024, when he allowed nine runs over 9.1 innings in his first two outings, Sears quickly rebounded. On April 11, he flirted with a no-hitter into the 7th inning against Texas, finishing with 6.1 innings and five strikeouts in a 1–0 win.
Sears is under team control through the 2028 season, set to enter arbitration in 2026. Given his durability and affordability, the Athletics may not feel pressured to move him, even as sellers.
