3 Free Agent Starting Pitchers for the A's to Target
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The Athletics could use another veteran starting pitcher to help supplement a relatively youthful group of pitchers that they currently have on the 40-man roster. They finished last season ranked No. 27 in ERA, and this year they have some inexperienced options with plenty of upside projected to either be on the team or knocking on the door early in 2026.
As things stand, the A's will be rocking with veterans Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs as the locks in the rotation. Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales are another two arms that are seen as the favorites to land spots in the rotation after impressive stints in 2025.
That will leave one rotation spot wide open. That could go to someone like J.T. Ginn, who is projected well in 2026, or Jack Perkins, who may have the highest ceiling of the internal candidates that are ready for the big leagues.
They could also choose to look outside of the organization for a veteran option, which could serve them well as the club looks to ascend to the postseason in 2026. Here are three options for the A's to consider, all at different tiers in the free agent market.
The A's top tier option
While Framber Valdez is the best pitcher left on the market, he's likely to command more than the A's are willing to commit. That would leave the second-best remaining option, Zac Gallen, as the top tier option for the green and gold to pursue.
He's projected for 191 innings and a 4.02 ERA (4.05 FIP) along with 2.4 fWAR, making him one of the few free agents on the market that would have a substantial impact on the A's roster. In addition to the projections, Gallen has also been a solid pitcher for most of his career. From 2021-24, he held a cumulative 3.41 ERA while notching close to 166 innings per season.
This past season was a bit of an anomaly, with the righty holding a 4.83 ERA (4.50 FIP) in his launch season. The A's could take a chance on him being closer to the pitcher that he showed for every season up until the last one, and it could be a risk worth taking.
While Gallen could be at the top of the A's market, they won't be along in their pursuit. According to Jon Heyman, the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks are three of the seven teams showing interest in Gallen.
Of course the A's are at a bit of a disadvantage, with their home games coming in a minor-league park for the next two seasons, which will make any negotiations a little more difficult. The way for the A's to come out ahead would likely to be offer him more security than the other clubs, who will likely be looking to give him a pillow contract for 2026.
A's middle tier option
While most A's fans are hoping that Chris Bassitt will choose to sign with Sacramento, he's another one of the better options on the market which could make a reunion difficult.
Not too far down the free agent list is right-hander Aaron Civale, who is projected for the same fWAR total as Lucas Giolito, and just a touch behind Max Scherzer (1.4 to 1.3). Depth Charts at FanGraphs has him tossing 137 innings this season while holding a 4.58 ERA (4.53 FIP).
He has been a regular starter the past three years and holds a cumulative 4.14 ERA in his career. Last season he began with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Chicago White Sox for Andrew Vaughn. Civale was then claimed off waivers by the Cubs at the end of August. Amid all that travel, he held a 4.85 ERA (4.63 FIP).
While the ERA and FIP don't stand out as glowing beacons of optimism, one stat does indicate that he could be in for a decent year, and that's his K-BB rate. This past season, even with an ERA close to five, he held a K-BB of 12.6%. This is an indication that he should be able to be a quality big-league pitcher at the very least.
It also shouldn't take much to land Civale, which could make him an interesting option for the A's to pursue.
Lower tier option
With the addition of former Colorado Rockies GM Bill Schmidt to the A's scouting department, it wouldn't be surprising to see some overlap between the A's and Rockies rosters at some point. One player that has pitched well for the Rockies at times is Germán Márquez, who holds a career 4.67 ERA (4.19 FIP) while playing his whole career with Colorado.
Back in 2023 he underwent Tommy John surgery, and upon his return in 2024 he landed back on the IL with elbow inflammation. He missed a little time last year with right shoulder tenderness, but he ended up making 26 starts for Colorado and held a 6.70 ERA (5.47 FIP). His velocity was about a tick below where it had been before the injuries began.
He's not the best option on the board for the A's to consider, but they could perhaps take a flier on him with a minor-league deal in the hopes that he will get some of his "stuff" back another year removed from injury.
The connection with Schmidt has this one making sense, as he could look to do a favor for someone that meant a lot to his former team of two decades. This is a deal that could work out, given that he'd be getting an opportunity to pitch outside of Coors Field. It could also completely flop as the injuries have caught up to him.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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