Here are some A's rotation options beyond the locks

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The A’s rotation was anything but stable in 2023, with their 24 different starting pitchers used tying the Major League record for most in a season.

Entering 2024, the A’s hope to solidify that situation. As it currently stands, right-hander Paul Blackburn and left-hander JP Sears figure to be rotation locks. Identifying a steadier group of starters beyond those two is a process that will get underway next month during Spring Training.

Ken Waldichuk would likely follow Blackburn and Sears under normal circumstances, but he remains sidelined from throwing this offseason with no timetable for a return after being diagnosed with a flexor tendon strain and UCL ligament sprain in his left elbow in October.

There will be no shortage of options in big league camp, including Luis Medina, who flashed his big arm through an up-and-down rookie campaign last season. Right-handed prospects Joey Estes (Oakland’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline) and Joe Boyle (No. 20) should also be considered strong candidates based on what the A’s saw in their Major League debuts last season. Freddy Tarnok (No. 13) is another prospect who will get a look. Mason Miller, Oakland’s top pitching prospect, is likely to pitch out of the bullpen as the A’s look for him to prove he can stay healthy over a full season.

Topping the list of newcomers to the organization with a chance to earn a rotation spot is right-hander Mitch Spence, whom the A’s selected first overall in last month’s Rule 5 Draft. Spence, 25, posted a 4.47 ERA in 29 starts with 153 strikeouts and 53 walks in 163 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre in 2023.

Right-handers Adrián Martínez and Osvaldo Bido and left-handers Kyle Muller, Sean Newcomb and Hogan Harris represent a hybrid group of potential starters or relievers, with all five having performed both roles in the Majors last season.

Finally, the A’s adding another arm via trade or free agency before the start of Spring Training remains a real possibility.

“I’d like that,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said when asked during the Winter Meetings if he’d like to see the club bring in a veteran starter. “But if it doesn’t happen, I’m still excited about the guys we have. Paul Blackburn has grown a lot. … I do feel like he can be a veteran that leads these young guys, and the excitement behind the young guys should bring some momentum.”