How Can the Athletics Improve Their Rotation?

The issues highlighted above will surely shrink the free agent pool. The A’s will either need to overpay or add additional years to a contract in order to entice pitchers to come west.

The type of free agent the A’s will be able to target will be pitchers looking for short-term deals who aren’t quite plan A moves for more competitive teams.

Nestor Cortes

2025 Stats: 34.1 IP, 6.29 ERA, 8.29 FIP, 7.60 K/9

The 2025 season was a lost one for Cortes. The soft-tossing lefty saw injury restrict him from making 15 starts for the second time in three seasons. The eight starts he did make were disasters, as his once plus command disappeared.

However, in 2024, Cortes put up great numbers in New York, pitching to a 3.77 ERA and 3.84 FIP with great command and the most velocity we have seen from him. There are concerns with how much the injury has changed his arm going forward, but that’s the type of player the A’s are going to have to roll the dice on.

Maybe Cortes will have a better offer to join a team with a more pitcher-friendly ballpark. Maybe not. What the A’s do have to offer is guaranteed innings with a chance to be moved to a contender in July. I think Cortes is the type of player that the A’s can throw more money at, on a one-year deal, than some teams might be comfortable with.

Jordan Montgomery

2025 Stats: DNP, injury

How about a different flavor of veteran lefty with previous success coming off injury, looking for a bounce back? Montgomery fumbled his big free agency year heading into 2024, and the disaster has continued since. Everything went wrong in Arizona, and then Tommy John surgery robbed him of 2025.

Considering how poorly the past two seasons have gone, I’m not sure if a contender will be willing to roll the dice on Montgomery. Yet, the fact that the Brewers, a top-flight pitching organization, acquired him while he was injured was interesting and tells me there’s still something left in Montgomery’s arm.

Prior to 2024, Montgomery was one of the more consistent pitchers, going three straight seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA and 30-plus starts. A movement-over-velocity profile gives me hope that his return from injury can be successful and the A’s might be the perfect fit.

He’s likely going to have to settle for a one-year deal, and few teams can offer the guaranteed innings the A’s can. There’s a reasonable path where Montgomery shows he’s still a high-floor pitcher that becomes a legit asset at the deadline.

Tyler Mahle

2025 Stats: 86.2 IP, 2.18 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 6.85 K/9

In terms of multi-year deals, Mahle is perhaps the pitcher that falls to the A’s. A quality arm coming off one of the best seasons of his career, but with a track record of injuries that might scare off teams with more to lose.

Mahle is a California kid who cannot afford to pass up on, say, a three-year deal if the A’s were to offer it. Due to his injury history and declining strikeout rate, I think most contenders view him as a back-end starter, while the A’s could see him as a no. 2 or 3.

If the A’s were to give him reasonable money, but more term than others, why wouldn’t he go to Sacramento? Now 30 years old, years need to be more of a priority because another injury-riddled season could change his earning trajectory going forward.

Mahle is the perfect blend of risk that keeps bigger brands away and upside that could convince the A’s to roll the dice.

Potential Trade Options

Every winter, fans of other teams love including A’s players in their trade speculation. Pluck the pre-arb guy, putting him in your offseason predictions, and bolster your roster without impacting payroll. Sounds good, right?

But, how many times have the A’s traded pre-arb, impact players? Not nearly as often as you think. Once players get into their arbitration years, the story changes, but the A’s core is in the clear, for now. Rooker’s extension also makes me believe he’s staying with the A’s.

I’m not saying pre-arb players will not be moved. In fact, I think this is the offseason to trade one of your bats, if the deal makes sense. But, I do want to note how infrequently it has happened and how the narrative of the A’s shipping everyone out quickly has gotten out of hand.

Chase Petty – Cincinnati Reds

2025 Stats: 6 IP, 19.50 ERA, 11.80 FIP, 10.50 K/9

Petty is a former first-round pick and fringe top-100 prospect whom the Reds acquired in the Sonny Gray trade with Minnesota years ago. His once high velocity has ticked down, and the swing and miss is not what evaluators once thought it could be.

However, at 22 years old, there’s still plenty of time for improvement. The Reds’ rotation does not have much room for Petty, and he’s starting to get passed up on the depth chart. Cincinnati would need a “win now” player in return, but the move could make sense for the A’s now and into the future.

This would be the most significant move on the list. The highest upside and biggest name leaving in return. It would likely include more than one player going each way, but if the Reds could land a player to help them in 2026, it makes sense.

Bowden Francis – Toronto Blue Jays

2025 Stats: 64 IP, 6.05 ERA, 6.85 FIP, 7.59 K/9

The A’s have often taken a chance on older players who have not been given much of a runway. Francis, who will be 30 next season, had a great 2024 season between the rotation and bullpen but quickly dropped down the depth chart after a poor 2025. Toronto continues to add starters, making his path unclear.

If the Blue Jays see him as a bullpen arm and the A’s as a starter, it could make sense for Toronto to move him. The A’s would get a pitcher with some experience, control, and at least some upside. I don’t think the cost to acquire him would be anything the A’s would be uncomfortable with.

Braxton Garrett – Miami Marlins

2025 Stats: DNP, injured

A common theme: injured players who need a chance. Garrett, a 28-year-old soft-tossing lefty, fits the prototype I have outlined with previous players. He comes with solid swing-and-miss potential, multiple years of control, and elite command.

Miami has a number of young lefties coming up through the system that should see time in the rotation in 2026. Moving Garrett would not hurt them too much, and the A’s could get a pitcher who has a chance to be a top-three option in their rotation.

Bobby Miller – Los Angeles Dodgers

2025 Stats: 5 IP, 12.60 ERA, 7.34 FIP, 12.60 K/9

Here’s a wild card for you. Miller was a former top prospect who fell out of favor with the Dodgers and has clearly been passed up on their depth chart. We all know the Dodgers will continue to add, which makes his 40-man roster spot more difficult to keep.

His strikeout numbers, even in the minors, have taken a step back from his elite prospect days, but he still has an upper-90s fastball and a pitch mix that could keep him in a rotation.

While his name probably carries more weight than his ability, Miller is the type of swing the A’s should be willing to take as they struggle to find upside in their rotation.

Final Thoughts

Not only have the A’s struggled to sign talent to help their team, but they have also failed in the sign-and-flip side of rebuilding. In order to help build their next competitive team, they will need to risk some money on one-year deals for a chance to move those players at the deadline.

The A’s system is not great, and although there is some talent, there’s not enough to be comfortable with them boosting the roster from within. Asking the A’s to spend feels like a pipe dream, but on one-year deals, it is possible.

It is no longer time to hope a waiver claim or career Triple-A pitcher could blossom into an option that gives you over 100 innings. Use the clear opportunity to your advantage and land one or two options that raise your floor and increase the chances of you netting a prospect in July.