Five veteran starters A's should target before season starts
Over the past decade, the A’s front office has found success by acquiring veteran starters and squeezing quality innings out of them. Names like Bartolo Colon, Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson and Homer Bailey come to mind.When looking at the makeup of the 2021 rotation, it would be prudent to add a veteran arm to the mix before the season starts. According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, MLB has proposed a 154-game season to start in late April, which would push everything back a month. Pitchers and catchers traditionally report to spring training in the third week of February.As it stands now, Oakland is looking at the quintet of Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk. In theory, that’s a quality five-man rotation. In reality, it’s hard to expect everyone, especially Luzardo and Puk, to make 30-plus starts and stay healthy for the duration of an entire MLB season. Adding a veteran starter could also open up the possibility of adding Puk’s power arm to the bullpen.Check out five veteran free-agent starters who fit the bill for the A’s this offseason.
Chase Anderson’s biggest pet peeve throughout his career has been keeping the ball in the ballpark. He gave up 11 dingers in just 33 innings last year and has given up as many as 30 in 2018. Maybe the pitcher-friendly Coliseum could help cure his longball woes.
Anderson struggled during his seven starts and 10 appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, posting a 7.22 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. But the 33-year-old totaled a 3.94 ERA with 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings across his first six years in the league with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brewers. He likes to play off his 92-93 mph fastball and use a cutter and changeup to try and deceive batters.
Spotrac pegs Anderson’s market value at about $5 million so he should be obtainable from a financial standpoint. Like many of the other pitchers available, he would be something of a reclamation project with the potential of a high return.
If you look at his 2020 stats, the gaudy 10.05 ERA certainly jumps out. Julio Teheran got a late start to the season after testing positive for COVID-19 and never got on track.
He only completed five innings in two out of his 10 appearances last year and struck out 20 in 31 1/3 innings of work. His 1.76 WHIP was also unsightly, but Teheran is a low-risk, high-reward candidate for a one-year contract. According to Spotrac’s estimates, Teheran’s market value is $1.1 million this offseason. Even if the actual deal is worth more, say $2 million or $3 million with incentives, that would still be a bargain for a quality starter if he pans out.
The right-hander just turned 30 on Wednesday and made six straight opening day starts for the Atlanta Braves from 2014-19. His average fastball velocity dipped to 89 mph last year, according to Fangraphs, but he’s never been a power pitcher, hovering around 91-92 mph for most of his career. He also uses his slider as his top secondary pitch and likes to mix in the changeup and curveball.
Teheran spent 2020 with the Los Angeles Angels on a one-year, $9 million deal so he wouldn’t be a stranger to AL West competition.
When you look at the list of remaining available starting pitchers this winter, it’s something of a who’s who of former A’s players. Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Tommy Milone, Jeff Samardzija and Andrew Triggs are all free agents who are familiar with the comfy confines at the Oakland Coliseum.
Anderson has played for the A’s in two stints throughout his career, from 2009-13 and 2018-19 before joining the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He posted a 4.21 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 47 innings in 2020 and Spotrac estimates his market value at about $6.7 million which is probably getting toward the higher end of the A’s spending, given the realities of this offseason.
The 33-year-old, who recently used a hilarious Donald Duck GIF on Twitter to advocate for a new job, is already familiar with fellow starters like Manaea, Bassitt, and others within the clubhouse. Anderson tossed 176 innings with a 3.89 ERA and 1.31 WHIP the last time he was with the A’s, something they’d probably be happy with in 2021.
Mike Foltynewicz is reportedly drawing interest around the league after a successful throwing session at Georgia Tech on Friday, according to MLB reporter Jon Heyman.
Foltynewicz was once a top prospect for the Atlanta Braves and made the All-Star team in 2018 en route to posting a 2.85 ERA in 31 starts. Foltynewicz only made one appearance in 2020 for the Braves, giving up six runs in 3 1/3 innings, before being designated for assignment. He never latched on with another team and was outrighted to the Braves’ alternate site for the rest of the year.
Per a social media post from Foltynewicz’s wife, more than 20 teams were in attendance for his recent throwing session. The New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox are interested in Foltynewicz, per Heyman, so the A’s might have to move fast if they want to ink him to a deal.
The veteran right-hander has spent the past three seasons in Oakland and become a big part of the leadership among the team’s pitchers. Fiers voiced his desire to return to the A’s this offseason but mum’s the word on any reunion just yet.
His ERA has been slowly inflating on an annual basis with the A’s, rising from 3.74 in 2018 to 3.90 in 2019 to 4.58 in 11 starts last season. When he’s on, the 35-year-old Fiers can be crafty and tough for hitters to figure out, but he had consistency problems last year.
This would be the path of least resistance for the A’s, since they already know what they’re getting in Fiers. The price tag would probably work for Oakland, too, as Spotrac projects his market value at $4.8 million for next season.
