Three A's Pitchers Who Could Make the Opening Day Roster

With Super Bowl LIX now over, ending the NFL season, it is officially baseball season. A's pitchers and catchers report today, and they have some exciting new pitchers joining their team this season. The A's made their two big splashes, signing Luis Severino and trading for Jeffrey Springs, early in free agency but have continued to add some interesting arms since then.

The A's rotation is mostly set, barring any injuries, breakout performances, or subpar performances from anyone during Spring Training. Severino and Springs will presumably be followed by J.P. Sears, Joey Estes, and Mitch Spence or Osvaldo Bido, in some order.

The same can't be said for the A's bullpen; Mason Miller will be the club's closer, with new addition José Leclerc as his set-up man. Tyler Ferguson and Michel Otañez will for sure be a part of the bullpen, but beyond that, it's hard to tell exactly what roles the other rotation members will hold.

T.J. McFarland will most likely be in the bullpen as one of the team's few lefties. The A's will probably want to have a long-relief option as well, and that could very well end up being whomever loses the fifth rotation spot between Spence and Bido.

Noah Murdock, the A's most recent Rule 5 pick, is a wild card. The assumption is he will be a part of the A's bullpen, but there is always some uncertainty, and Murdock will have to prove himself in camp, though he'll have a leg-up since missing out on the roster would mean sending him back to the Kansas City Royals.

This leaves one bullpen spot, and there are three guys who all could have a case to be given that spot.

Hogan Harris

Hogan Harris may be the front-runner for the final bullpen spot as Spring Training fast approaches. Harris had his best season as a pro in 2024, bouncing between a starter and a reliever, displaying a 2.86 ERA over 72.1 innings. Strictly as a reliever, Harris had a 3.04 ERA in 26.2 innings with 27 strikeouts.

The 28-year-old would give the A's another lefty option in the bullpen and could be another long-relief option as well. Harris only has one MiLB option left, meaning starting him with the A's club may be the best use of resources.

Justin Sterner

The A's claimed Justin Sterner off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on November 4th, and he could have a legit chance to make the roster. He debuted with Tampa Bay last season, pitching only four innings, striking out four, and allowing a 2.25 ERA.

In those four innings, Sterner threw only two pitches: a four-seam fastball that sat around 93 mph and a cutter that sat around 85 mph, according to Baseball Savant.

In the minors with Triple-A Durham Bulls, Sterner threw 46.2 innings and struck out 60 batters. Over that span, he allowed a 3.28 ERA and a .208 batting average against him.

With a good Spring Training showing, Sterner may earn himself a spot in the A's bullpen.

Jacob Lopez

Similar to Harris, Jacob Lopez only has one MiLB option left and the A's may want Lopez to start the year in the big leagues to see what he could be. They have an idea of the type of pitcher Harris can be, but potentially not so much with Lopez since he is new to the organization after coming over in the Springs trade.

The jury is still out on what Lopez can be at the major league level, and he has a chance to showcase that in Spring Training. Again, similarly to Harris, Lopez can be a long-relief option for the A's and could fit very well in their lefty-needy bullpen. That said, GM David Forst mentioned when he was aquired that the A's see him as a starter, though with only one left-hander in the bullpen (McFarland), plans could change.

The A's are projected to have a pretty solid bullpen heading into the 2025 season. Miller was lights out last season, Leclerc brings valuable post-season experience, and Ferguson and Otañez are looking to build on their rookie campaigns. The right mix of guys can take this bullpen to the next level and could end up being the most important part of the 2025 Athletics of Sacramento.