Sam made the predictions. Now it’s time to open the receipts.

What did he get right about the 2026 A’s — what did he completely whiff on — and what did this season teach us about where this organization is really headed?

This is the SEASON FINALE of WHERE STATS MEET INSTINCT on The House Always Wins Media Network, and this isn’t your typical season recap.

Sam entered 2026 believing the A’s had a path toward roughly .500 baseball if enough things broke their way. Instead, injuries piled up, the pitching staff struggled, the bullpen became the weakness he feared, the defense exposed roster-construction problems, and pitching in Sacramento proved even more punishing than he anticipated.

But Sam also got some things right — and got some things wrong in ways he’s pretty happy about.

We’re revisiting his preseason evaluations of Jacob Lopez, Colby Thomas, Zack Gelof, Henry Bolte, Luis Severino, Nick Kurtz and Jack Perkins, along with the bullpen, outfield defense and the biggest question facing the entire organization:

WHERE IS THE PITCHING COMING FROM?

Because the A’s may have their skill players. They may have young bats worth building around. They may even have a franchise cornerstone in Nick Kurtz.

But Sam compares the pitching staff to the quarterback of a football team: until you solve that position, everything else becomes secondary.

And now comes an offseason filled with uncertainty — a GM search, a potentially changing front-office philosophy, major pitching decisions, roster construction questions, the final Sacramento season and the organization's eventual move toward Las Vegas.

Most importantly, this finale is about accountability.

Anybody can sound like a genius after the season is over. The challenge is putting your analysis on the record beforehand and coming back later willing to say:

I nailed this. I completely missed this. Here’s why. And here’s what I learned.

That’s where statistics actually meet instinct.

👇 YOUR TURN: What did YOU get most wrong about the 2026 A’s?

Drop it in the comments, subscribe to The House Always Wins Media Network, and join us as we head into one of the most unpredictable A’s offseasons in years.