What We're Actually Learning About the A's Pitching Staff So Far
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How a team uses their players in spring training can tell you a lot about the club's thought process and how they plan to approach the upcoming season.
For instance, to begin camp, the A's have been running Max Muncy primarily at third base, even with a presumed three-way competition taking place for that role come Opening Day. Then you add in manager Mark Kotsay's comments about the expectations for Muncy and the type of trajectory he envisions for the youngster, and you get the sense he's by far the favorite to land that role.
The same is true for the pitching staff. The A's have given some glimpses for how they plan to use some guys moving forward, and those implications could lead to some big roster shake-ups.
The starting rotation
The starting rotation is going to play a big role in determining what kind of a season the A's have in 2026. Luis Severino will be the one that people talk about needing to turn things around, but Jeffrey Springs also showed some growth once the calendar flipped to May that could be encouraging for a better season ahead as well.
We've also seen some very encouraging outings from right-hander J.T. Ginn his first two times out, allowing just one hit and two walks across five scoreless innings. He's also notched five strikeouts. The question for him entering this season will be if he can get left-handers out and if he can pitch better in Sacramento. Only one of those questions can be answered this spring, and so far, so good.
The A's are also showing us which pitchers are in the mix in the starting rotation by who has been starting games of late. This last turn through the rotation it has been Luis Morales, Jeffrey Springs, Aaron Civale, Mason Barnett and J.T. Ginn.
Barnett has been getting an extra look with Luis Severino off playing in the World Baseball Classic, which has opened up a spot that needed to be filled. Barnett has been getting that look of late.
The club will also be adding another pitcher into the mix in Jacob Lopez, who entered camp as a frontrunner for a rotation spot, but has been delayed in making his debut on the mound. He is set to make his spring debut on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The question for Lopez will now be if he'll have enough of an opportunity to ramp up before the season begins.
Jack Perkins and his competition
The A's may have tipped their hand as to which direction they're headed with Jack Perkins, at least in the near-term future. On Tuesday against Brazil, he came on in relief after Civale earned his first start of the season, and as of right now he's not scheduled for his next appearance. Five days out would have him pitching on Sunday, which would be in relief of Lopez.
While he's set to presumably work in relief yet again, his pitch count was still a starter's workload in his 1 2/3 innings of work, as he tossed 46 pitches (28 strikes) following Civale on Tuesday. He gave up two hits and three runs (zero earned) with three walks and a strikeout in that exhibition contest.
That outing (and likely his next one) could be the A's way of giving him some practice coming out of the bullpen while still building him up to be a potential starter in their rotation. It will be interesting to see how this one ends up playing out, but he could be in a bit of a battle with Luis Medina for a spot in the bullpen. Medina is out of options, and Perkins could be their fall-back option for that role.
Medina made his return to the bump on March 2 after nearly two years away recovering from Tommy John surgery and he was sitting 98 and touching 99 in his inning of work. He allowed a run on two hits and a walk, but given that this was his first appearance since 2024, just getting through healthy was a big win.
While there are still a little over two weeks of spring games remaining before the start of the regular season, the A's have left some breadcrumbs for us to uncover which way they're leaning when it comes to assembling their pitching staff heading into 2026.
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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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