Who's a Lock For the A's Rotation, and Who's Fighting For a Spot?
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On the first day of A's camp, manager Mark Kotsay tossed a curveball, telling gathered reporters that the team's rotation will have three locks in Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and recent addition Aaron Civale, while there will be an open competition for the other two spots.
"It’s definitely an open competition,” Kotsay told MLB.com. “I think we do have some depth this year that we haven’t had in the past."
All offseason, the assumption has been that the A's would be rolling with former top prospect Luis Morales, who debuted last season, and Jacob Lopez, who made his A's debut last year after being acquired in a trade with Jeffrey Springs from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The addition of Civale made it seem as though the A's had their five guys all lined up and ready to go, but there are a few more options that will have an opportunity when games begin next week. Here are the presumed favorites, who could surprise us, and which prospects are knocking on the door.
Jacob Lopez
If you're a frequent visitor of the site, you know that we're fairly high on Lopez after the stretch he had from July 26 to August 12, where he was the best pitcher in baseball. In four starts he went 24 scoreless innings, allowed just 14 hits and six walks, leading to a .083 WHIP with a .169 batting average against.
In that span he also struck out an incredible 31.5% of the batters he faced. While that was certainly the high water mark of the year, it was also the culmination of his development over the course of the year. He ended up striking out 28.3% of the hitters he faced overall while limiting hard contact against him.
Stretching even further, from June 8 when he was officially a member of the rotation, through the end of his season, he held a 3.22 ERA (3.67 FIP) across 72 2/3 innings. He also excelled at home, holding a 2.64 ERA in nine appearances, which could count for a decent amount given some guy's troubles at Sutter Health.
If he had enough innings to qualify, Lopez would have ranked tied for 7th in strikeout rate on the year with Houston's Hunter Brown, while the six players above them are all perennial Cy Young contenders. If Lopez can go deeper into game and limit the free passes, he could be a breakout star for this rotation.
Luis Morales
Morales earned a spot in the rotation at the end of the 2025 season, and in his 10 appearances (nine starts), he posted a solid 3.14 ERA (4.68 FIP) across 48 2/3 innings of work. He may have the highest ceiling of anyone in contention for a rotation spot, and he certainly made an impression last year.
In his first taste of the big leagues, he ended up striking out 21.6% of the hitters he faced while walking 9%. He's a work in progress, but when he's on, he could be pretty special.
His second outing in the big leagues encapsulated exactly where he is in his development. He earned the start, his first in the bigs, and in his 2 2/3 innings of work, he walked five Orioles, but also didn't allow a hit or a run. He has loads of talent, it will just be about harnessing that talent.
On the outside looking in?
While this is an open competition, these four options would be considered the next up in that bunch, with Lopez and Morales the likely candidates to land the fourth and fifth spots.
First up is J.T. Ginn, who is an interesting guy to watch out for this spring, after a down year in 2025 where he struggled on the road. He generated a 52.7% ground ball rate over 90 1/3 innings, striking out 25.3% and walking 7.9% of the hitters he faced. On top of the home issues, he also allowed 17 home runs in just over 90 innings.
If he's able to limit the long ball a bit more in 2026, he could be a very solid pitcher at Sutter Health Park for the A's.
Jack Perkins is another high upside arm in consideration for this spot, and pitched well in his own rookie campaign a year ago, holding a 4.19 ERA (4.12 FIP) in 38 2/3 innings. He's also an arm that could do some serious work as a late inning guy, and given that the A's don't have a set closer at the moment, it will be interesting to see which route they go.
Gunnar Hoglund looked good in spurts when he was healthy last season, debuting in early May, but his season ended in early June after six starts and a 6.40 ERA due to a left hip impingement. He has the talent to factor in here, but may not be the guy at the top of the list entering camp.
Mason Barnett was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the Lucas Erceg deal back in 2024, and made his MLB debut at the end of August, 2025. The 25-year-old finished with a 6.85 ERA (4.88 FIP), but had one potential red flag in his cup of coffee last year, and that was his extremely low left on base rate of 59.2%. The league average was 72.3% last year.
Of course, this was just a small sample size, but this is something to keep an eye on moving into 2026, because if it persists, then it could be a real problem.
The prospects to keep an eye on
Last season with time dwindling down in camp, Mark Kotsay asked Max Muncy to make an impression with his remaining time. After Zack Gelof went down with a broken hamate late in the spring, Muncy ended up making the A's Opening Day roster, which was not expected when the team arrived in Arizona, but he'd made the impression his manager was after.
This year, the players that could surprise are on the mound, though many of them have yet to throw a pitch in Triple-A.
Gage Jump is the A's No. 3 overall prospect right now, ranking No. 60 in MLB, and he is coming off a tremendous first season in pro ball. The 22-year-old held a 3.64 ERA across 81 2/3 innings in Double-A Midland last year, and a 3.28 ERA over 112 2/3 innings for the entire season. He's expected to begin the year in Triple-A Las Vegas, and could move quickly.
Kade Morris is the A's No. 14 prospect and spent the majority of his 2025 in Vegas, holding a 5.22 ERA in 98 1/3 innings of work. There is probably still some work to be done here before he's ready for his call up, but he has the advantage of some experience in Triple-A working for him.
Braden Nett was one of the pieces that came over in the Mason Miller trade with the San Diego Padres, and he is ranked right behind Jump in the A's prospect list at No. 4. He finished the 2025 campaign in Double-A where he spent the entire season, just in two different organizations. He held a 3.75 ERA across 105 2/3 innings, striking out 116, and holding a 1.47 WHIP.
Of course, there is also No. 2 prospect Jamie Arnold, who was the A's first-round selection last year, but he has yet to make his pro debut, so he's a potential piece for later in the season. This spring, we can just see how he looks in our first glimpse at 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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