With a collection of young talent ready to make their mark on MLB, the Athletics seem to be a team on the rise. They ensured a key part of their future was locked up by signing left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to an $86 million contract.
He joins a core that features fellow burgeoning stars such as first baseman Nick Kurtz, shortstop Jacob Wilson and catcher Shea Langeliers. Furthermore, the Athletics have talented veterans such as Brent Rooker and the recently acquired Jeff McNeil in their lineup. On paper, the A's will be feared by starting pitchers across the league.
Where the Athletics can afford to improve is their pitching department though. They do have Luis Severino and Jeffery Springs in their rotation. However, the Athletics finished 27th in the league with their 4.70 ERA in 2025. Their .252 batting average against ranked seventh-highest in the league. Furthermore, they had the 11th-fewest strikeouts in the league at 1,323.
Currently playing at Sutter Health Park, it's going to be difficult for the A's to recruit many of the elite free agent pitchers. However, as evident by their Severino deal, it's not off the table entirely.
As it stands, there is one clear free agent that would be the perfect fit. The Athletics should sign right-hander Chris Bassitt to a short-term contract.
Athletics must sign Chris Bassitt
Bassitt began his career with the Athletics, spending six years with the franchise. He earned his lone All-Star appearance as an A in 2021. Whoever the right-hander is pitching for, Bassitt will be entering his age 37 season. As he winds down his career, he may want to end things where it all began. That'd certainly be beneficial for the Athletics.
Bassitt's biggest strength as of late has been his ability to eat innings. He has thrown at least 170 innings in each of his past four seasons. Springs was the only A's pitcher to hit the 170 inning mark in 2025. The rotation needs an innings eater to help them get through the season and allow their young pitchers to develop.
Still, Bassitt offers much more than just innings even at this stage of his career. In his most recent campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays, the right-hander put up a 3.96 ERA and a 166/52 K/BB ratio over his 32 outings. Bassitt would've led the Athletics in ERA amongst any pitcher with 100 innings thrown. Furthermore, he would've led the team in strikeouts.
The righty won't suddenly make the Athletics contenders, but the team is working their way back into prominence. With so much talent in the lineup, the only thing holding them back is their pitching. Adding a player like Bassitt gives the A's a dependable veteran they can rely on. He helps the team in the short-term, adding a strong middle of the rotation. Plus, he doesn't force any young pitchers into action due to lack of options.
The A's will still need to come through with a strong pitch, no pun intended, to get Bassitt on board. But if they team plans to go fishing in free agency, Bassitt would be a pretty impressive fish to catch.
