Elephant Rumblings: Without Langeliers, Where Do The A’s Go?

Jul 24, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Athletics pitcher Hogan Harris (36) and catcher Shea Langeliers (23) react after defeating the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Welcome to a brand new week A’s fans! The club had a

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What is the story about?

Welcome to a brand new week A’s fans!

The club had a tough road trip, going 2-4 in six games in Arizona and Minnesota. That’s dropped them to 44-61 heading home. That’s the second-worst record in the American League (ahead of only the Los Angeles Angeles) and tied for fifth-worst in the entire sport. Such a letdown considering how the season started.

Perhaps worse than that, the club announced that All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and is headed for surgery,

which will almost certainly keep him on the shelf for the rest of 2026 and ending his terrific season on a sour note. He’ll finish with a .263/.332/.497 slash line with 23 long balls and his first career All-Star appearance.

Now that he’s on the shelf, the A’s will turn to Plan B. That means everyone moves up the pecking order a spot, making Jonah Heim the presumptive new everyday starter with the 31-year-old Brian Serven serving as his backup behind the plate. In a lost season that’s fine enough to finish out the final two months and Langeliers will presumably be healthy and ready to go when pitchers and catchers report next spring. Heim has performed well when in the lineup and as a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner he has a solid track record.

But will he even remain with the Athletics during the winter? There were already rumors swirling about his availability this trade deadline season and those are likely to pop back up this offseason. Langeliers only has two more years of club control remaining and he’s one of the major notable players who hasn’t reportedly had extension talks yet with the front office. Is that possibly because the front office doesn’t see a long-term future with our star catcher?

If the A’s are planning for life post-Langeliers, they’re not doing a great job of it. The club left former first-round pick Daniel Susac unprotected in the off-season’s Rule 5 Draft and he’s no longer an option. The club’s farm system is completely devoid of catching talent with no catcher ranking among the system’s top 30 prospects. If there is a trade coming eventually, they could do the same thing with Langeliers as they did with Sean Murphy: trading for your immediate replacement behind the dish.

By the time Langeliers hits free agency he’ll be 31 years old. Would the A’s really shell out another massive contract for an aging backstop, or would they return to an old and familiar formula of trading assets at their highest value? It’s something the A’s were considering before the injury and it’s one that they’ll certainly entertain all winter long as they prepare for the last season in Sacramento before the move to Las Vegas.

Have a great start to your week everyone.