Oakland Athletics: Examining free agent options to help team’s rotation

With camp fast approaching, the Oakland Athletics’ roster is taking shape, but another addition to the starting pitching rotation is needed.

The Oakland Athletics won 97 games in 2018 with a dicey rotation, and the outlook in 2019 shows circumstances may not be that different.

It also must be noted that, given the fickle nature of shoulder surgery on pitchers, the A’s will be without Sean Manaea — who made 27 starts last season — for much of 2019, if not all. Being without Manaea means that the A’s will be missing their most consistent starter of 2018.

Having Mike Fiers, who was re-signed to a two-year deal earlier in the offseason, for a full season should help, but even he is not entirely void of question marks. The A’s also recently agreed to a one-year deal with veteran right-hander Marco Estrada, who has at the very least been relatively durable the last few years.

But still, there is room for improvement. Before delving into what other outside solutions are in play for the Athletics, let us take a look at what in-house options are available.

Beginning with the likeliest starters for 2019 — in order — there is obviously Fiers and now Estrada, followed by Daniel Mengden, and then the finally healthy Chris Bassitt. Paul Blackburn could extend this group to four, but elbow/forearm issues last year leave cause for concern. It could be argued that Jesus Luzardo fits in with this crew as well, but Oakland’s plans for the young lefty remain unclear.

Additionally, there are the likes of Frankie Montas, Aaron Brooks, and the recent waiver claim Parker Bridwell, who represent the next tier of options to fill out the rotation. A side note — Montas does seem to have a higher ceiling than both Brooks and Bridwell, but he is still unproven.

Then of course, are the plethora of arms coming off of injuries. Andrew Triggs (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome), Jharel Cotton (TJ), AJ Puk (TJ), and the previously mentioned Manaea, could all become options at some point during the season, however it would be unwise to fully count on any of them.

All things considered, the Athletics could have quite a few cooks in the kitchen, but are lacking quality and/or battle-tested pieces, meaning another addition would be welcomed.

The issue is, besides Dallas Keuchel, the majority of the remaining free agent starters (assuming the A’s continue to look to free agency, which seems the likely route) that are in play for Oakland offer no guarantees.

So the question is, what available starters are worth the A’s taking a chance on? Well two that should immediately come to mind are Edwin Jackson and Brett Anderson, who of course both pitched for the team in 2018. Another former Athletic, Gio Gonzalez, could be a usable veteran capable of taking the ball every fifth day. Gonzalez, however, posted his worst walk and strikeout rates in 2018 since the 2009 and ’10 seasons, respectively.

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Moving on from pitchers who have donned the green and gold, Wade Miley and Clay Buchholz are easily the class of the remaining non-Keuchel starters, based on 2018 numbers.

Both Miley and Buchholz, however, made only 16 starts apiece due to injuries, with Buchholz’ (elbow) more concerning. The worry with Miley is less about health and more about regression, as the lefty posted a 5.48 ERA across 62 starts in 2016 and 2017.

The next best arm is Jeremy Hellickson, who posted solid numbers through 19 starts last season, but also dealt with injuries. James Shields, Francisco Liriano, Ervin Santana, Yovani Gallardo, and Doug Fister, among a couple of others, all represent relatively cheap veteran options who could at least compete for a job in the rotation.

But with the seemingly endless uncertainty surrounding the remaining starting pitchers, circling back to Jackson makes too much sense. While it would be somewhat anti-climatic, the A’s are familiar with Jackson. Not only was his performance solid in 2018, he was healthy, making 30 starts between AAA and the big leagues. It would be a low-cost move to re-sign Jackson, and an added bonus is that he seems to fit Oakland’s mold well.

Regardless, if the Athletics wants to keep pace in the AL West, signing one more starting pitcher would be the right step in making that a reality.