The A’s entered the offseason with just about no certainty of their rotation. Regardless of a number of trades aimed toward buying pitching assist all through the course of their most up-to-date rebuild, lefty JP Sears was the one prospect acquired who’s stepped up, stayed wholesome, and pitched nicely sufficient to lock down a rotation job. Sears has hardly been an ace, however 64 begins and 353 innings of 4.46 ERA ball over the previous two seasons will play. He’s not an thrilling arm, essentially, however Sears seems to be like a volume-based fourth starter with good command who’ll common 5 2/3 innings per outing and hold his membership within the sport most of the time. He’s a place to begin.
Within the months which have unfolded since, the Sacramento-bound A’s have made a pair of significant additions. Luis Severino signed a three-year, $67MM contract and instantly turned the staff’s prime rotation arm upon doing so. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs came visiting from the Rays not lengthy after, in a commerce sending righty Joe Boyle, minor leaguers Jacob Watters and Will Simpson, and a aggressive steadiness draft choose again to the Rays. There’s damage threat with each gamers — Severino averaged 42 innings per 12 months from 2019-23; Springs missed most of 2024 recovering from UCL surgical procedure — however each are high quality arms when wholesome. Springs, specifically, quietly turned in ace-caliber leads to Tampa Bay from 2021-24.
That pair of additives offers the A’s a set top-three within the rotation, albeit considerably by default in the mean time. Basic supervisor David Forst has mentioned he’s open to additional additions and is hopeful of including one other starter. That remark got here simply over a month in the past, nevertheless, and nothing has come to fruition (nor have there been any actual rumblings connecting the A’s to accessible pitchers).
The A’s very a lot ought to add to this group in the event that they’re intent on taking part in the position of a shock contender, as lots of their offseason dealings recommend. There are nonetheless a number of stable veteran arms accessible, each through free company and commerce. As issues stand, it appears likelier by the day that they persist with what they’ve in-house. Let’s run by the choices.
The Rule 5 Favourite
Mitch Spence, RHP: Spence won’t have turned many heads with final 12 months’s efficiency, however there aren’t too many Rule 5 picks who even make it by a complete season — not to mention put themselves into respectable competitors for a rotation job the next 12 months. Spence has completed simply that. The 26-year-old (27 in Could) opened the 2024 season in an extended reduction position however pushed his approach into rotation consideration with a pleasant begin. He wound up making 24 begins and 11 lengthy reduction outings, working a complete of 151 1/3 innings. Spence turned in a 4.58 ERA with a below-average 19.4% strikeout price however sturdy stroll and ground-ball charges of 6.8% and 48.4%, respectively.
Not like many rookie pitchers, Spence didn’t fade down the stretch; he acquired stronger. That’s absolutely due partly to the truth that he tossed a hearty 163 innings of Triple-A ball in 2023 previous to being taken by the A’s within the Rule 5. However Spence got here out sturdy within the second half of the 2024 season, wanting like a pitcher who’d discovered his footing. From July 20 by Sept. 17, Spence made 11 begins with a 3.66 ERA. His strikeout and stroll charges didn’t make any enormous features, however he was throwing extra sinkers and curveballs and getting way more grounders (and yielding fewer homers) in consequence. He allowed 9 runs in his last 9 innings — a bitter ending observe — however Spence in some ways seemed like a right-handed model of Spears.
What’s left of the Rebound Arms
Ryan Cusick, RHP: The A’s moved Cusick to the bullpen final 12 months and watched him rattle off a 1.73 ERA and 31-to-4 Okay/BB ratio over his last 26 innings of the season. He’s probably bullpen-bound once more, each because of that success and his struggles within the rotation. He’s unlikely to issue into the beginning combine this 12 months, however based mostly on his previous utilization, we’ll embody him in case they reverse course. Cusick had a 4.95 ERA, 20.9% strikeout price and dismal 15.2% stroll price in 100 innings as a starter in 2023.
Joey Estes, RHP: Estes held a rotation spot the overwhelming majority of the 2024 season, making 24 large league begins along with one reduction look. The outcomes weren’t nice, although. The previous Braves draftee (acquired alongside Cusick, Shea Langeliers and Cristian Pache for Matt Olson) logged a 5.01 ERA with below-average velocity and subpar strikeout, ground-ball and residential run charges. Homers have been an issue for Estes even within the minors, however he’s restricted walks properly and on the very least confirmed himself to be a fairly sturdy arm. He nonetheless has two minor league choices remaining.
J.T. Ginn, RHP: Ginn was the extra notable of the 2 prospects the Mets despatched to Oakland for Chris Bassitt a couple of years again. The previous second-rounder posted a 4.24 ERA in 34 innings throughout final 12 months’s MLB debut however has posted an ERA north of 5.00 in all three of his minor league seasons with the A’s. Ginn averaged what nowadays is a pedestrian 92.9 mph on his sinker and did log a stable 47.4% ground-ball price whereas displaying stable command. Even with the trio of tough minor league seasons an lackluster debut, Baseball America ranks him eleventh within the A’s system and calls him a possible back-end starter with a excessive ground however restricted ceiling.
Gunnar Hoglund, RHP: But to make his large league debut, Hoglund was the headline prospect within the commerce sending Matt Chapman to the Blue Jays. He solely has 5 begins above the Double-A stage, coming late final 12 months, and so they didn’t go that nicely. His Double-A piece was excellent, nevertheless. The previous first-rounder pitched 104 2/3 innings with a 2.84 earned run common, 23.4% strikeout price, 6.3% stroll price, 40% grounder price and 1.03 HR/9. His inventory is down fairly a methods since he was the No. 19 total choose, and he’s unlikely to be within the combine for an Opening Day job — however he might make his debut someday this summer season.
Others on the 40-Man Roster
Brady Basso, LHP: The Athletics’ Sixteenth-round choose in 2019, Basso signed for $75K and has by no means landed contained in the staff’s top-20 prospects at Baseball America. They rank him twenty fifth this 12 months after he debuted in 2024 and pitched 22 1/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA, sub-par strikeout numbers, sturdy command and a mean ground-ball price. Basso dominated Double-A opponents final 12 months earlier than being hit laborious in Triple-A and posting middle-of-the-road numbers in a quick MLB debut. Basso, who averaged 92.2 mph on his fastball this previous season, nonetheless has two minor league choice years remaining.
Osvaldo Bido, RHP: Bido made his large league debut as a 27-year-old with the 2023 Pirates and was reduce unfastened after logging a 5.86 ERA in 50 2/3 innings. The A’s signed him to a significant league contract final winter, and in 63 1/3 frames he logged a 3.41 ERA with an above-average 24.3% strikeout price however a rough-looking 10% stroll price. Bido misses bats and induces chases at decrease charges than his uncooked strikeout proportion would recommend. He posted a 4.50 ERA in 10 Triple-A outings final 12 months. He could possibly be a swingman or a fifth starter and has a minor league choice remaining.
Jacob Lopez, LHP: Acquired alongside Springs within the Athletics’ commerce with the Rays, Lopez will flip 27 in March. He’s a soft-tossing lefty a low arm slot who depends extra on deception than on energy stuff. Righties have hit him higher than lefties however haven’t precisely torched him (.218/.319/.391 in 2024; .197/.316/.343 in 2023). Baseball America ranked him twenty eighth amongst Rays prospects final 12 months and likened him to a Ryan Yarbrough kind of bulk pitcher (behind an opener) or multi-inning reliever.
Hogan Harris, LHP: The A’s took Harris with the No. 85 choose again in 2018. He’s pitched in three Triple-A seasons and posted an ERA north of 6.00 in every. He made his large league debut in 2023 and was equally rocked for a 7.14 ERA in 63 innings. Ouch. Las 12 months, nevertheless, Harris discovered his most success since he posted a sub-2.00 ERA between Excessive-A and Double-A again in 2022. The 6’3″, 230-pound southpaw posted a terrific 2.86 ERA in 21 large league appearances — 9 of them begins — totaling 72 1/3 frames. His 20% strikeout price, 10.8% stroll price and 37.3% grounder price have been all worse than common. Harris thrived partly because of some success on residence runs (8.5% HR/FB) and a 78.9% strand price he’s not prone to maintain.
Down-the-Highway Concerns
Mason Barnett, acquired from the Royals as a part of final summer season’s Lucas Erceg swap, was excellent in Double-A post-trade and has change into one of many system’s prime arms. He might debut this summer season however isn’t prone to break camp on the membership. Jack Perkins, the Athletics’ 2022 fifth-rounder, hasn’t superior past Double-A however posted a sub-3.00 ERA there final 12 months. He’s a fastball/slider-heavy right-hander with shaky command, evidenced by an enormous 32% strikeout price however 11% stroll price final 12 months.
Left-hander Ken Waldichuk and righty Luis Medina are each technically on the 40-man roster, however not for lengthy. They each had Tommy John surgical procedure midseason — Waldichuk in Could, Medina in August — and shall be on the 60-day IL when the A’s want roster spots. Waldichuk might make it again late this season. That’s unlikely for Medina.
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It’s not essentially a foul assortment of depth arms, and names like Barnett, Hoglund, Ginn and Perkins create various ranges of respectable MLB rotation upside. Nonetheless, the Athletics’ present contingent of massive league arms carries loads of damage threat, most notably in Severino and Springs, who each not too long ago had notable arm troubles. One damage within the prime three, and the group seems to be more and more questionable. Between that and the truth that quite a few the 40-man choices profile greatest as fifth starters, it’s comprehensible that the A’s are open to including some veteran stability and debatable that they need to be aggressively in search of it.
The free agent market nonetheless has Andrew Heaney, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, Jose Quintana, Spencer Turnbull, Cal Quantrill and — if the A’s can abdomen surrendering one other draft choose — Nick Pivetta. The commerce market consists of Marcus Stroman, Jordan Montgomery Taijuan Walker and (to a lesser extent) Steven Matz as wage dump candidates. Chris Paddack might maybe be had for a modest return.
