What if the A's Don't Make Another Addition to the Starting Rotation?

The A's have had a fairly quiet winter, so what happens if they don't make any more moves?

Sep 16, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

We're into January, and plenty of fanbases around the league are wondering when their team will do something this winter. Heck, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the clubs with the most rumors attached to them, and they've also made some bigger additions than usual as well.

The A's are one of those teams that has stayed fairly quiet, though they've somewhat addressed their main areas of need. The first being the addition of Jeff McNeil via trade with the New York Mets, and the other being the signing of Mark Leiter Jr., who'd last been with the New York Yankees.

Third base is another area of need for the club, but that is expected to be handled internally, with Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris being the main options at the hot corner.

That would leave a veteran starting pitcher as the final piece that the A's could need this offseason, though The Athletic is reporting that they've been having a difficult time finding someone either at the financial or prospect price they're looking to be at.

From Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon: "Ideally, the Athletics want to add an experienced starting pitcher to buy time for their young hurlers and provide insurance against possible injuries. Cost (in terms of dollars in free agency and prospect capital for a trade) is an issue, meaning there’s no guarantee they wind up adding to the rotation."

But what happens if the A's can't find a way to add that pitcher they're after?

Well, it wouldn't be the end of the world. While the goal is to buy time for those younger prospects like Gage Jump, Braden Nett, Kade Morris, Henry Baez and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, they also have a number of pitchers that could fit the bill in the interim, like Gunnar Hoglund, J.T. Ginn and Jack Perkins.

The main issue isn't necessarily a performance one, but instead, it's the attempt to build up innings and depth in case of injury or ineffectiveness. They need someone that will give them five innings consistently, keeping the A's bats in the game.

There is no guarantee that a free agent or trade piece that comes in will have loads of success in Sacramento. Last season Luis Severino signed the largest contract in A's history (at the time) and posted a 4.54 ERA (4.11 FIP). J.T. Ginn held a 5.08 ERA (4.62 FIP) and made the league minimum. They could always go with Mitch Spence or Joey Estes in a pinch as well.

The real problem here isn't that the A's are unwilling to make a big trade or spend a little more money. Instead, it's coupling that cost with the questions down the line of where they'll fit on the roster. The hope here is that Jump and Nett (and potentially more) are ready at some point that season.

If that point is around the All Star break, then the franchise would be spending real resources on a short-term fix to acquire a veteran starter during the offseason. While it's not always the easiest thing to be patient as a fan, in this specific regard, it may be worth the wait. If the prospects aren't ready and the A's are in contention, perhaps a small move is made at the deadline.

If the A's don't add someone on a multi-year deal, that makes it easier to clear space for those prospect pitchers when they're ready. That time will also allow the front office to assess what they have in their own system, and give them a better idea of what attributes they could use more of heading into the 2027 and 2028 campaigns, when they're really expecting to compete.

The reason the prospects are so important is because they could be high-end arms that under under team control for six seasons, and would be set to make the league minimum for the first three of those years. As the Jacob Wilsons and Nick Kurtz's get more expensive, having cost-controlled pitching would be a huge bonus for the payroll math a couple of years down the road.

If the A's were to trade away some of their prospect capital now, then they'd have less to work with down the line when they made be ready to make a big, splashy move. Patience isn't easy, but for right now it makes a little sense, as long as there is a payoff in the end.