The Oakland A’s have grown accustomed to finding year-by-year stopgaps to fill their starting rotation. Flyball pitchers fair well in the spacious dimensions of the Coliseum, and Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Billy Beane and General Manager David Forst apply their ballpark as an advantage by targeting under-market contact veterans like Mike Fiers, Homer Bailey, Brett Anderson, and Tanner Roark. They’re also one of the best in the game at making mid-year adjustments to keep the roster competitive.
For the first time in a while, however, they’re looking at a mostly-holdover rotation in 2021, writes Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Jesus Luzardo, and Chris Bassitt are all under contract, and all four should be guaranteed rotation roles, assuming good health. Daulton Jefferies also made his debut this year, and they hope to see A.J. Puk return healthy enough to threaten for a rotation role.
Given Puk’s injury history, they might prefer to go a year leaving him in the bullpen – especially considering that’s looking like a greater need at the moment. Along with lockdown closer Liam Hendriks, relievers Joakim Soria, Yusmeiro Petit, and T.J. McFarland are heading towards free agency. Leveraging a high-impact arm like Puk in relief could be a more economical way to backfill those bullpen departures. As we noted above, the A’s have a knack for finding back-end rotation types for a reasonable fee on the free agent market. They could easily look to bring Fiers back, for instance, if he were amenable to taking a pay cut from the $8.1MM full-scale contract he was set to earn in 2020.
A’s will still stick with their tradition of signing a old vet starter to eat up some innings.
Yep, and will be eliminated early in the postseason like usual.
just like the yankes?
Patches,
I never really understood why trolls come on threads about other teams and rip the team. Doesn’t your life have any meaning?
I would like to know what the A’s did to patches to make him so hateful. Here patches a A’s stomper doll show us where he touched you?
arc89, doubling down on hate.
Arc, It is an A’s thread. If patches is a Yankees fan, there is going to be push back.
I guess I shouldn’t assume he is a yanks fan. I find it strange why would you bash A’s for a article only about the A’s?
Lol, I don’t usually like bickering on here. But that was a great line arc89.
But he is not wrong, so how can you say he is ripping on the A’s? The A’s under Billy Beane have done well finding value players and being successful in the regular season despite the team’s financial constraints. But that success has not translated into playoff success.
He went into an A’s article to bash…the Yankees. And then he grossly pissed on Halos11Fan for matter-of-factly calling him out on it.
Tiger, the playoffs are tough, and if you knew anything about Beane, his goal is to put teams in position to win…. He has.
And he’s done it with a relatively low payroll.
where did I bash halo fan? My point is the Yanks has not done better than the A’s lately in the playoffs. Have they? Last 10 years they have not been to the world series and both teams lost in the playoffs in same round this year. So why only hate on the A’s?
Why take an A’s article and, out of left field, turn it into your personal moment to rip the Yanks? I mean, there are all kinds of insulting things that can be said about teams. Many of them are true. But why insert them into articles that have nothing to do with those teams, except to voice your own hate?
So you lied about me bashing a halo’s fan and you double down when I explained why I picked the yanks. I don’t hate the yanks. You sound very sensitive about somebody saying the same about the Yanks losing in the playoffs. Second explain why you came here about a article that has 0 to do with the yanks? Could it be your alias is patches? BUSTED.
No. I’m not patches. You’re paranoid. No one’s suggested people should be limited to articles about their own teams. What is being suggested is not to take an article about team A in which to bash team B. Is that so hard to understand? For some, perhaps…
No i am not paranoid calling you out. I did not say anything bad about halo fan. So admit you made a mistake or lied. Its one or the other. Second using Yanks as a example was because they lost in the playoffs too like the A’s. They also has not been to a WS in a decade. So next time don’t jump to conclusions about things and assume.
Patches giving us internet trolls a bad name. Smh….
Why are these same dogs never tossed at the Rays? Have they won the World Series? They have a low payroll and are often booted from the playoffs…why the different standard?
Well, the Rays did make it to the World Series this year, so they definitely have had some recent postseason success even if the Dodgers do end up winning
Nice reiteration!!
I really hope Puk health issues pass. He has a chance to be great.
Yes he does. Hope to see him stay healthy, he is absolutely filthy.
He’d make a nice tandem w Hendricks. Puk ceiling is one tiny step below Hader if he can get his control in order. Wish him well.
Fiers, Petit, and Soria showed their age this year. I expect a veteran stopgap or two in their places because Puk, Jefferies ,and Kap are not close to ready to provide the innings the A’s will need to replace.
I know this is about the rotation, but the A’s need someone spontaneous on the roster.. Puig can answer that call. They also need the greatest fielding SS of all time in Simmons.
Depth in the outfield would be amazing, the infield would be outrageous and whoever’s on the bump will feel more confident.
What the A’s need more than power is a very high OBA leadoff batter. They hit to many solo home runs. The OBA is very poor on this team.
The A’s will figure it out. They always seem to.
Are the pictures on Baseball Reference for Tanner Roark and Mike Fiers the SAME GUY?! Someone check and tell me if I’m crazy
Beane is leaving. We’re about to see what Forst can accomplish solo. His leash won’t be as long as Billy’s.
Jeff smardzija on the cheap, I could see as that veteran stop gap type. Not convinced on puk’s health, but if he comes back expecting it as reliever. Or dan straily who’s striking out a ton of batters in Korea might get some interest coming back to mlb
That’s not going to happen. Samardzija is a below league average starter for his career and has always been a thrower rather than a pitcher. He would be better off in the bullpen.
After the Tigers traded Fiers, their attempts to find a veteran to stay healthy and provide innings, Moore and Novoa, have both spent the season on the IL. If the A’s don’t want to pay Mike, I hope Detroit does.