The A’s added back-end starter Aaron Civale on a $6MM free agent contract this week. He slots behind Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs as experienced arms in an otherwise young rotation. Manager Mark Kotsay suggested on Wednesday that while the three veterans were locked into starting spots, camp battles could decide the final two roles. “It’s definitely an open competition,” the fourth-year skipper told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. “I think we do have some depth this year that we haven’t had in the past.”
Of the A’s returning starters, only Springs and Severino got to 100 MLB innings last season. Jacob Lopez led the way with 92 2/3 frames across 21 appearances (17 starts). He was followed in MLB workload by J.T. Ginn, Luis Morales, Gunnar Hoglund, Mason Barnett and Jack Perkins. Morales and Lopez had the most success and enter camp as the presumptive favorites.
The 23-year-old Morales turned in a 3.14 earned run average over his first 48 2/3 MLB frames. His 21.6% strikeout percentage and 9% walk rate weren’t as impressive, and his fly-ball profile led to some home run trouble. The underlying numbers would suggest he’s a regression candidate, but he could certainly offset that by missing more bats in his first full season. Morales has a 97 mph average fastball and a potential plus breaking ball.
Lopez is a soft-tossing lefty who turns 28 during Spring Training. That points to a lower ceiling than Morales possesses, but he arguably showed more in his rookie season. Lopez punched out 28.3% of opponents behind an above-average 11.8% swinging strike rate. He finished the year with a 4.08 ERA that is skewed by a nine-run drubbing that he took in Seattle just before he went on the injured list with a season-ending flexor strain. He carried a 3.28 earned run average into that appearance.
It was a relatively small sample and it’s easy to see potential downside. Lopez is an extreme fly-ball pitcher who’ll spend the next two seasons in the most hitter-friendly home park outside Colorado. A 90-91 mph average fastball doesn’t give him much margin for error. Home runs are likely to be an issue, but Lopez has always missed more bats than his velocity might suggest thanks to a quality slider and plus command. Gallegos writes that Lopez is slightly behind schedule because of the late-season forearm issue but should have time to log a full Spring Training workload.
Ginn probably has the best chance to push one of Morales or Lopez for a season-opening rotation spot. He fanned a quarter of opponents against an 8% walk rate while getting ground-balls more than half the time. A lot of the fly balls that he did give up cleared the fences. Sutter Health Park did Ginn no favors, as 12 of his 17 home runs allowed came at home. He had a near-7.00 ERA in Sacramento compared to a 3.14 ERA on the road. The cumulative result was a 5.08 mark across 90 1/3 innings.
Barnett was called up late in the season. He was hit hard over five starts, posting a near-7.00 ERA through 22 1/3 innings. He has shown intriguing stuff, headlined by a mid-90s fastball and quality slider, but the command has been inconsistent throughout his minor league career. Hoglund is a former first-round pick whose prospect stock had tumbled after Tommy John surgery. He seemed to put himself back on the map with a strong six-start run in Triple-A, but major league opponents teed off over his first six career outings. He underwent season-ending hip surgery in June.
Perkins started four of 12 appearances after being called up in June. He suffered a season-ending shoulder strain in August. He sat around 96 mph on the fastball and got excellent results on a mid-80s breaking ball. Perkins’ minor league numbers suggest he might be better suited in the bullpen, however. He walked 11.3% of Triple-A opponents and has posted double digit walk rates in three straight seasons.
Luis Medina and Joey Estes have some MLB experience and hold 40-man roster spots. Medina is out of options and missed all of last season rehabbing Tommy John surgery. He’s probably ticketed for long relief to open the season, while Estes could be on the fringe of the 40-man roster. Medina is the only member of this group aside from the three veterans who cannot be optioned.
The highest-upside arms in the organization are still in the minor leagues. Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold are two of the top pitching prospects in the sport. Jump has an outside chance to break camp after posting a 3.64 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents over 20 Double-A appearances. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but each of Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang are. They’re solid prospects (Nett and Baez, in particular) who have Double-A experience and could get some consideration to break camp if they really impress during Spring Training.
Go, Sacramento A’s. The pitching is still suspect, but the batting lineup is quite good.
They will have a very sneaky good offense, health permitted. They don’t have the pitching to compete for a playoff spot but they’re not going to be fun to play against. They will put runs on the board.
Sacramento A’s were 41-34 in their last 75 games.
Take away a dreadful month of May, and they were 69-65 in all of the other months combined.
Every reason to believe that the A’s will at least be a 0.500 team in 2026.
Not sure what you mean by sneaky good. A lineup of butler, Wilson, Kurtz, Rooker, soderstrom, langeliers core with McNeil, Clarke added on is one of the better lineups in baseball plus boosted by favorable hitters park. Third base is uncertain. Although regression is possible but on paper the lineup is deep. It’ll come down to an iffy defense and pitching
Nobody’s picking the A’s to do anything, but if fans expect their matchups to be a cakewalk, the improvements they’ve made around the core and the firepower overall could absolutely “SNEAK UP” on folks.
Everything else you wrote, I appreciate.
Believe that the defense will be improved compared to last year. A full season of Clarke in CF & Soderstrom in LF, plus McNeil at 2B
Hopefully Clarke hits enough to stay in there everyday because he’s a lot of fun to watch in CF.
Ginn and Perkins could both be very good as high leverage relievers. Id like to see the A’s keep both pitchers on the team and make them constants in what could be a very good bullpen by midseason.
Luis Severino is going to be pitching for a trade out of town, he is the ace. Springs had a good season after a slow start in ’25 and could be steady this year. Lopez and Morales are a pair of good young starters behind the two veterans. Civale is a durable innings eater and a nice addition to a team that can score runs.
Jump is close and Arnold is going to move up quick.
A’s pitching isnt stacked with high probability but it does have significant potential.
@SODO
What’s “sneaky good” about a lineup with 5 guys that OPS’d over. 800?
lol. I don’t know bud, I guess I’m just stupid. You people are exhausting. Are you here to talk ball or over analyze users into trivial conversations about minute points or perceived hyperbole? What a complete waste of time.
I was impressed by what I saw of Morales last season. He deserves a chance to develop into a regular. I think the American League is primed for a surprise contender to make a run, but the A’s should stick to the plan and use this season to develop young arms even if they are contending.
Springs is the Ace of this staff and a #4 on most teams. Are they any better than the Rockies?
A’s should be trying to sign Littell, Scherzer, or Giolito. I doubt any of them want to play in Sacramento though. Exciting young lineup and just a rough looking rotation.
yes Virginia they are. road era last year A’s 4.42 (20th) Rockies 5.42 (30th). Bigger spread on home games.
idunno if he’s even a #4 guy on other teams tbf. He’s an ace one game, then a total disaster the next. Or all of that in one inning.
Wade
The A’s lineup is massively better than the Rockies.
The A’s won 33 more games than the Rockies last year. I expect it again for 2026.
I would predict the As to win 83 or 84 games in 2026. I would predict the Rockies to win 50 or 51.
Oh they are definitely a better team. May even be above .500. That rotation was specifically what I was talking about. Probably better than the Rockies but how much?
Neither home park is much fun for pitchers. I think both Spring and Severino are ok, same for Quintana. The difference is the A’s can outside opponents. Rockies’ lineup is really bad. Hunter Goodman, and a bunch of guys other teams don’t want. I guess Moniak was ok. Tovar and Doyle have potential.
They should’ve traded soderstrom to the reds /s, but seriously they need some pitching…
Sodastream?
It all looks lacking on “paper”, but you can never count them out. After one year in Sac, I wouldn’t be surprised if they figure it out and use that minor league stadium as a home advantage and learn to keep the ball on the ground more.
Soderstrom is a great ball player. The fact that he came up as a catcher and then moved from 1B to post above average grades in LF speaks to his ability in the field.
Great hitter and a leader on the team, Soderstrom far too important to the A’s to trade away.
I wouldn’t trade him for Hunter Greene. I wouldn’t trade him for Elly De La Cruz either.
Lopez and Morales should just get the nod, those guys showed promise last season.
2 spots available ? Great ! Go sign so pitchers to compete for those spots ! The value on the market is much better than the value in house. Giolito and littel both make sense !
Lopez is a reminder of a lefty pitcher from the A’s past, Mark Mulder.
Lopez has excellent command. The way he works inside against LHH is very effective. He can dot that slider on the inside corner and thats a hard pitch to hit.
Lefties hit .216/.301/.311 against Lopez and its because of his extension and his ability to control the inside of the plate.
Lopez may only sit 91 with the heater but with his extension and with a good changeup, he blows that pitch by RHH high and away.
Its a big reason for his high AIR rates, his approach against RHH, and that high fastball but it gets a lot of punch outs and is worth the gamble.
Lopez has the makings of a legitimate ace and of a guy who can pitch effectively late into his career. He throws well within his large frame. A lot of pitchers his size are all about velo. The fact that Lopez has so much swing and miss in his game without the big heater and without being wild is the right kind of makeup for a starter.
Lopez is certain to be in the rotation, you cant step him back after the success he had last season.
My guess is Lopez and Morales will win the last two spots in the rotation.
Question for the room. 5 years from now, if Jacob Wilson doesn’t develope much power (15 or less) and doesn’t draw walks is he going to be viewed the same as Luis Arraez with some defensive value?
Lopez and Morales deserve the inside track to the rotation. But not locks.
Wouldn’t mind some form of Perkins, Ginn and/or Medina in the bullpen where their stuff plays up even more.
the underrated pitchers in our staff are Hoglund and Perkins. Lopez is a legit starter.