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.

OAKLAND -- The A’s hope to take a big step forward as they enter the second year of a rebuild, and that process begins next week with the start of Spring Training.

Looking to find established Major League contributors who can help the club improve now, the A’s added several free agents, including slugging first baseman Jesús Aguilar, infielders Jace Peterson and Aledmys Díaz, reliever Trevor May and starting pitchers Drew Rucinski and Shintaro Fujinami.

• What to know about A's Spring Training

In addition to the new signings, the A’s will get a glimpse of the future this spring with top prospects such as Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof, Max Muncy, Lawrence Butler and Denzel Clarke invited to big league camp.

With so many new faces and question marks throughout the roster, there will be no shortage of storylines to follow this spring. Here’s a look at three as the A’s open up camp:

1. How will the A’s construct their starting rotation?

Heading into the offseason, Cole Irvin was viewed as the only real lock to begin the 2023 season in the rotation. With the left-hander getting traded to the Orioles last month, there is uncertainty as to which five starting pitchers the A’s will break camp with, let alone who their Opening Day starter will be.

The group of candidates includes left-handers Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, Kyle Muller and A.J. Puk, along with right-handers Paul Blackburn, James Kaprielian, Rucinski, Fujinami and Adrián Martínez. 

Following the signings of Rucinski and Fujinami this winter, A’s general manager David Forst indicated that he expects both to be included in the rotation to begin the season. Blackburn, Oakland’s 2022 All-Star, finished the campaign on the injured list with a right middle finger issue, while Kaprielian underwent right shoulder surgery early in the offseason, though the A’s are optimistic that both will be close to full-go at the start of camp. Waldichuk -- Oakland’s No. 2 prospect -- and Sears were part of the A’s rotation to end the ‘22 season and pitched well.

Muller, another top prospect acquired from the Braves in the Sean Murphy deal this offseason, already has some Major League experience under his belt. Puk, once the club’s top overall prospect, put together a solid year out of the A’s bullpen last season and will get a chance to transition back into starting this spring.

“I really like the talent that’s here,” Forst said of the rotation options. “I think we’re going to see some competition in the spring and then, as the season goes along, we’re going to see guys competing for spots. I think that’s healthy. These guys will push each other. We have seen historically here that when starters compete with one another and push one another, that’s when things go really well. 

“I’m excited to see that dynamic. We’re aware we need to be flexible. Fuji has not pitched in a five-man rotation, and also with some young arms that we need to protect, we’ll definitely be flexible.”

2. Who’s on first?

In the aftermath of trading away star first baseman Matt Olson last spring, the A’s went through an astonishing 12 first basemen in 2022 without identifying a long-term regular at the position. This year, the list of options at first base is at least a bit more defined, headlined by new acquisition Aguilar along with Seth Brown, Ryan Noda and Dermis Garcia.

Aguilar signed a one-year contract with Oakland last month as he looks to rebound from a down year. A former All-Star with 109 home runs over nine big league seasons, the veteran slugger certainly brings the best track record of the group. Brown is coming off a career year with 25 homers and 73 RBIs, though his versatility could lead to him getting more time in the outfield. Noda, who was acquired in the Rule 5 Draft back in December, is a player the A’s have coveted dating back to 2020 for his power and high on-base percentage in the Dodgers’ Minor League system. Garcia ended '22 getting consistent playing time at first and flashed some of the raw power that once made him a top prospect with the Yankees.

With the A’s often choosing to play the matchups at different positions, expect the solution to be some sort of left-right platoon, sometimes alternating between first base and designated hitter.

3. Is Cristian Pache still a part of the future?

It has been a steep fall for Pache over the past year. Just last spring, he was a key prospect acquired from Atlanta in the Olson deal, earning his way onto the A’s Opening Day roster and tabbed as their center fielder of the future, even prompting the club to move Ramón Laureano from center to right to accommodate Pache’s elite defensive skills.

One year later, that once-bright future has turned extremely murky. Pache is coming off a rough season at the plate in which he finished with a .459 OPS, which was worst among qualified Major League rookies. His offensive numbers in the Dominican Winter League weren’t much better, as he slashed .218/.308/.291 in 17 games for Estrellas de Oriente. The most telling sign of his standing with the A’s, however, came after they acquired outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz as part of a three-team, nine-player deal with the Braves and Brewers on Dec. 12.

Asked about where Pache fits with the club following the trade, Forst said, “We’ll need to figure that out. Cristian is out of [Minor League] options, so it’ll be an important spring for him. We’ll deal with that in Spring Training.”

With several intriguing outfielders in addition to Ruiz coming into camp, Pache will need to show signs of improvements to his offensive game in order to keep his spot on Oakland’s roster.