Three Starting Pitchers for the A's to Target in Free Agency

Each pitcher has their own upsides and drawbacks

Oct 24, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) celebrates after throwing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game one of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

At Tuesday's press conference to celebrate Tyler Soderstrom's extension in Las Vegas, A's GM David Forst revealed that the club hasn't been in talks with players in free agency that would have their contract extend into the club's time in Las Vegas, which is expected to be 2028. That would seemingly limit the A's to one and two year offers on the free agent market.

As we mentioned yesterday, the easy work around here would be to just trade for players with more service time available that could also be seen as an upgrade over their current rotation options.

For today, let's remove the trade market from the equation and focus more on some of the top options the A's could consider on a short-term deal over the next year or two.

Option #1

The first option for the A's to consider would be welcomed by the fans with open arms, and that would be a returning Chris Bassitt. He was acquired by the A's back in 2014 as part of the Jeff Samardzija deal, and would stick with the club from 2015-2021, becoming the ace of the A's staff those last three seasons.

The A's decided to trade him during the last fire sale, sending him to the New York Mets for J.T. Ginn, whom he could end up sharing a rotation with in Sacramento if things were to break a certain way.

Over at FanGraphs, their crowd source free agent contract for Bassitt is two years, $36 million, which is a solid number for a guy that would add some veteran experience to the A's rotation. He'll also be entering his age 37 season in 2026, and was dealing with lower back inflammation late in the year, which left him in a bullpen role for the postseason.

He ended up posting a 1.04 ERA across 8 2/3 innings in seven appearances out of the bullpen. Over the course of the full season, he put up a 3.96 ERA (4.01 FIP) in 32 games (31 starts), spanning 170 1/3 innings.

A league average ERA for a starter last year was 4.21, so he was a bit better than league average, but his real value is in those innings. A's fans can certainly remember that he may not have his best stuff every outing, but he's going to scratch and claw his way through as many innings as he can each time he takes the ball. That comes in handy over the course of a full season, and helps save the bullpen.

Luis Severino led the staff last season with 162 2/3 innings, though he made just 29 starts after missing some time after the break.

The big question for Bassitt would be whether or not he would welcome a reunion. He seemed to enjoy his time with the franchise his first time around in Oakland, but joining a different group of players as the team gets ready for Vegas—a trip he wouldn't be making—could come with enough drawbacks that he'd consider signing with a different franchise.

Option #2

The second option would be a doozy, but there is a pretty good fit here, and that would be one-time nemesis, Justin Verlander. The 42-year-old right-hander will be entering his age-43 campaign in 2026, and he's coming off a pretty decent season, albeit in a pitcher's park with the San Francisco Giants.

The reason that Verlander makes sense for the A's is that he's a veteran that can help bestow some wisdom upon their young group of arms over the course of the season. Having him around top prospects like Luis Morales, Gage Jump and Braden Nett, plus guys like Jacob Lopez, Ginn, and Gunnar Hoglund could have an impact of each of them.

The money isn't expected to be too bad, as he made $15 million last season, and is projected for roughly the same amount next year. He put up a 3.85 ERA (3.85 FIP) in 2025 as well, so he can still go.

The reason that this match works for Verlander is that the A's are a team that is hoping to be competitive in 2026, which is one box to check off, and they're also expected to have one of the better offenses in baseball next season, which should help him accrue more of those coveted career wins.

He's currently at 266 wins for his career, and the past two years he has put up five wins with the Houston Astros, and then four with the Giants. The A's would look like a good bet to get him to double digits, if he can reach the fifth inning consistently.

Option #3

Our final option is one that offers some versatility, and that's former Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez. This past season he racked up a 4.45 ERA (4.33 FIP) is 165 2/3 innings, serving as a roughly league average arm while also piling up innings. He also ended up moving to the bullpen full-time in September, and held a 1.93 ERA in his 14 innings of work.

Split between the two roles, he held a 4.72 ERA as a starter, and a 2.61 as a relief pitcher (20 2/3 innings). That versatility could be a nice addition for the A's, while his ability to eat innings would also be a nice inclusion as well. The club is hoping for guys like Jump and other top arms in the system to make the jump to the big leagues at some point in 2026, and Martinez's ablity to go to the 'pen could come in handy.

While Bassitt and Verlander would be terrific additions to the squad, there would be some questions surrounding them, and how they would end up pitching at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. With Martinez, he was already pitching in one of the most hitter-friendly parks out there, so just having that experience could be an added benefit.

For pitchers in Sacramento, it was difficult at times to rebound from a big home run that didn't seem like it was struck all that well. Hitters had the same problem, where one ball that was hit poorly would leave the yard, but one that was drilled would be pushed down by the wind. Martinez would be a little more familiar with explosive park factors after his time in Cincinnati.

The upside with going with one of these veteran options would be that the contract terms wouldn't be excessive, and they would allow the A's to make adjustments to the pitching staff as the pitching prospects either pan out, or flame out.