A's Making Surprising Addition to Bullpen

Ginn will likely serve as the team's long-man out of the bullpen, similar to the role that Mitch Spence had held in previous seasons before being traded to the Kansas City Royals. Ginn's ability to get a big ground ball could also make him a useful weapon in key spots in a game, so his addition to the Opening Day roster makes a lot of sense from a roster construction standpoint.

Medina was also largely penciled into the team's bullpen plans from the start. He came out this spring throwing 99 after having missed the entire 2025 campaign. At the end of the year last year, manager Mark Kotsay stood in the box against Medina during a throwing session and said that he stuff looked great and that he'd come away impressed.

Now, even further removed from Tommy John surgery, Medina will be on a tight leash with the A's this season. The 26-year-old righty is out of options, so he will have to remain with the big-league club all season (barring injury of course) or he will hit the waiver wire.

The idea all spring was that he would at least begin the season with the club to show what he's got, before they just placed him on waivers. If he struggles, the front office will be in a tough position, but the hope is that he'll be just fine.

The surprising roster snub

While Ginn makes plenty of sense as a cog in the A's bullpen, his inclusion is only surprising because many, including us, had thought that Jack Perkins would be an ideal relief pitcher, following in the footsteps of Mason Miller just a couple of years ago.

For the time being, it appears as though the A's will be keeping Perkins stretched out in case he's needed for a starting appearance early on in the season. He also figures to be near the top of the starting pitcher depth for the club heading into the season, though Gage Jump could move into that mix fairly quickly as well.

Just because this is the direction the A's are going to begin the season doesn't mean that Perkins will remain stretched out all season. How the A's choose to deploy him will depend upon him taking a step forward on the bump, plus what the A's need in Sacramento. If they could use a bullpen arm, that's where he'll go.

He could also end up slotted into the A's rotation if the need arises, so it's better to have him ready for that assignment just in case, while he can always throw fewer pitches in a relief role if needed.

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