Good morning A's fans!
We got our first bit of after-season Athletics news yesterday morning. Infielder Max Muncy has undergone surgery on his left knee, but he should be ready for Spring Training:
If we're being exact, it was a debridement to fix some damaged cartilage in that knee, which usually comes with a 6-8 week recovery timeline. It's a relatively small surgery so Muncy should have plenty of time to rehab and get ready for next season.
The former 1st-round pick hasn't quite figured it out in the big leagues yet. He made his major league debut in mid-2025 but struggled on both sides of the ball in his first taste. Not the best rookie debut but considering he was just 22 in his first year and getting sporadic playing time there was plenty of reason to believe he just needed more at bats in his second season.
That's what he got in 2026. After a strong spring training won him the starting third base job, Muncy failed to deliver for the second consecutive year. Injuries and ineffectiveness were the calling cards for the right-handed hitter. Overall he hit .230/.296/.387 with nine home runs. A bit better than the previous year but still not great. Add in the hugely negative reviews he got on defense and he was worth -1.2 WAR in 2026. Not what the A's were hoping for from a former high draft pick.
Entering next year, the pressure is going to increase for the now-24-year-old. Muncy has crushed Triple-A pitching but needs to figure out how to adjust to major leaguers. Even if Muncy does make the improvements needed in the batter's box, he'll also need to work on his defense. He was one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league last year so it's unlikely the A's are going to try that experiment again unless he arrives in February a different person in the field.
He got some very brief outfield work in the corners last year but the A's will presumably have everyday players at those spots, and there's just better backup options for those positions before Muncy anyway. There doesn't really seem to be an obvious clear role for him on next year's team if the A's are trying to improve.
He's entering his final option year so this coming season could be the final chance he gets with this organization. Hopefully the injury he suffered early in the year just threw him off for the whole season, and he can come back and start living up to his draft pedigree next year. The A's could use a boost like that.
Meanwhile the World Series continues tonight as the Brewers are just one win away from hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy. By the looks of things this series is all but sewn up. Even if they weren't up 3-0, the Brewers just look like the better team. The only question now is will the Brew Crew end it tonight, tomorrow, or in Game 6 in front of their home fans back in Milwaukee?
And remember, with the end of the World Series comes the beginning of the offseason. Luis Severino will have five days to decide on his club option for next year while the A's have to decide whether to bring Jeff McNeil and Jeffrey Springs back on expensive contracts. McNeil and Springs are seemingly easy calls to reject, and for a while it seemed Severino would obviously accept his option. But there's word going around that he may decline it simply because he hates Sutter Health Park that much. He's not getting any younger and this team still could be a year or two away from contention. We'll be finding out the answers soon enough.
First pitch is at 5:00 PST. Until then! Have a good Tuesday everyone.
AFL update!
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Still think he should have gotten some recognition for ROTY…
If I had to guess, it ends today:
