DeRo returning but A's make coaching changes

In wake of disappointing end to season, A's make coaching changes

9.18.26

The Philadelphia Athletics once glorious 2026 season came to crashing down in an inglorious ending. The A's went winless over their final four regular season contests (0-3-1), losing their grip on the Owens/East Division lead that they had held for the entire year into the final month.

While a final 15-6-1 record looks great on paper, the fact that it had been 15-3 with a 1 1/2 game divisional lead with four remaining demonstrates just how far the team had fallen over that final month.

"No matter what we tried, nothing went our way," said manager Mark DeRosa after the season had concluded. "The guys played hard, we just couldn't produce. It was puzzling because there is so much talent here. We had a couple key injuries, sure. But that's not going to be our excuse. We played well for four months, much of that while battling through stuff. Just...perplexing."

Not only did the regular season end in disappointment, the postseason was no better. For the second straight year the club was eliminated in their opening game by a razor thin margin. The 7-5 defeat at the hands of the New York Knights left the Navy Yard home crowd stunned. The A's had numerous opportunities to win it and simply kept coming up short.

In the aftermath, there was some speculation in the local media that DeRosa's job might be in jeopardy. Rumors were flying that some in the organization felt that DeRosa was a good choice while the club was rebuilding, but that he might not be the right man to lead a more veteran club.

However, GM Matt Veasey put those rumors to rest in his season-ending press conference this morning from the club's corporate offices at the Navy Yard Complex. 

"Let's put an end to one piece of speculation right away," said the GM. "DeRo's job is not now, nor had it ever been, in jeopardy. Mark is our guy, he is the right man for this job, and he is going to be our leader on the field for years to come."

Veasey instead laid most of the blame at the feet of the players. "Let's face the facts, we had guys who simply did not play up to their potential, a few of them for most of this past season. Those players will have to look themselves in the mirror and decide what they want to do about that in preparation for next year." When asked which players he was referencing, Veasey refused to give them up: "I'm not naming names. I don't think that I need to give up any specific names. Look at the numbers...they tell the stories."

But while the manager is staying, Veasey did announce changes to his coaching staff. "Both hitting coach Chris Valaika and third base coach Dino Ebel will not be returning. We had those discussions and meetings last week and both men were informed of the decision."

The new hitting coach will be 17-year big leaguer Joey Votto. The 43-year-old Votto had a .294 career batting average and .920 career OPS. His communication and evaluation skills were mentioned by Veasey as key markers in the hiring. Votto was introduced at the presser.

"We have a lot of strong personalities here and sometimes those kinds of guys need to be spoken to a certain way," said Votto. "I'm looking forward to working with everyone and helping these guys be more productive. Everyone can improve. That is the mindset that I'm asking them to start with. What went right, what went wrong, where can you improve."

The club has also announced the hiring of Anthony Contreras as the new third base coach. The soon-to-be 43-year old has a lengthy minor league managerial and coaching resume that followed on the heels of a nine-year professional playing career.