Do the A's Have an Ace Up Their Sleeves?
Acquiring starting pitchers seemed to be a clear initiative for Oakland this offseason; the A’s had so little confidence in last year’s rotation that they let the bullpen handle the AL Wild Card game. For the many who expected the green and gold to actively pursue coveted pitching targets, this offseason has been somewhat puzzling thus far. There may be a simple reason for Oakland’s passive strategy in free agency—Billy Beane, David Forst, and the rest of the A’s front office may believe they have an ace or two up their sleeves.
Much has been said and written about Jesús Luzardo. Widely recognized as the top LHP prospect in all of baseball, Luzardo throws 98 MPH and pitched his way from rookie ball all the way to triple-A Nashville last year. The A’s have openly stated that Luzardo will compete for a starting spot right out of the gate. Even if he’s not in Tokyo for the A’s first regular season game, he will likely be up sooner rather than later.
The lefty that’s been forgotten with all the talk about Luzardo is A.J. Puk. At the beginning of last year, Puk was the second-ranked LHP prospect according to MLB Pipeline, but Tommy John surgery shut Puk down for the rest of 2018. However, there have been no setbacks with his rehab and this week he began throwing at Spring Training. Puk should be ready to go in just a few months—midseason would be a conservative estimate.
Apart from the headliners (Luzardo and Puk), the A’s have a number of other wild card pitchers. Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas, and Parker Bridwell are three healthy pitchers who have all shown flashes of success at the big league level. Daniel Mengden, who is almost a lock for the starting rotation, seems poised to have a breakout year, and Jharel Cotton is another rehabbing pitcher who’s expected back around midseason.
It’s not likely that all of these pitchers pan out, but if even one or two become reliable starters it may be enough for the A’s to make a push for the division championship. Oakland’s front office is likely banking that veterans Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada, and Brett Anderson can keep the ship afloat until some of the unknowns make their mark.
Undoubtedly, the status of the current rotation is not ideal, but A’s fans should not despair. Oakland’s loaded bullpen, stellar defense, and prolific offense will help offset some of the pitching woes that may arise. The 2019 squad could look a lot like the 2012 team that won the AL West. The rotation was a big question mark at the beginning of that season, but unexpected contributions from guys like Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, and AJ Griffin gave the A’s just enough to make the playoffs; that team also relied heavily on its bullpen.
From Zito, Mulder, and Hudson, to Rich Harden, to Parker and Griffin, to Sonny Gray—most of Oakland’s great pitchers in the last 20 years have either come up through the A’s farm system or have had their breakout season with the A’s. Saving shekels in free agency and gambling on young pitchers has been a successful strategy in Oakland and the front office seems to be sticking to it.
With the pitcher-friendly Coliseum, a bullpen anchored by the unhittable Blake Treinen, and arguably the best defense in the big leagues, no situation could be more conducive to the development of young aces than the situation in Oakland. For those wondering why the front office chose to fold on free agency, wait a couple months and see how things play out—Beane and Forst might have a stronger hand than you think.