The state of the A’s starting rotation has sure changed in a hurry.
A couple of weeks before the start of Spring Training, it appeared as if the A’s would begin camp with the majority of their rotation spots up for grabs. Now, that staff is looking mostly set, following the additions of left-hander Alex Wood and right-hander Ross Stripling -- both of whom are viewed by Oakland as starters -- on Friday.
It was perhaps no coincidence that their acquisitions were announced on the same day. Wood and Stripling will now become teammates on a third team. The two played together on the Giants last season and the Dodgers from 2016-18 and ‘20.
“They’re pretty close,” A’s general manager
David Forst said of Wood and Stripling. “They’ve played together a lot between L.A. and San Francisco. When I told Wood that we were working to get this done, I think he was pretty hopeful that we would. As soon as I talked to Stripling, he mentioned Alex. I think it’s great to have them here together. Both have played in the area.”
Wood, a veteran of 11 Major League seasons, and Stripling, an eight-year big leaguer, immediately become the club’s two most experienced pitchers on the roster. They will join Paul Blackburn and JP Sears at the top of the rotation depth chart, with the fifth and final rotation spot likely to be decided in Spring Training.
“Those are certainly the four guys with the most experience,” Forst said. “Paul is now the longest-tenured member of our team in the big leagues, and JP went out and proved he could do it for a whole season last year. I don’t want to discount what Luis [Medina] did last year or what [Joe] Boyle or [Joey] Estes did at the end of the year, but it’s fair to say those four guys come in with a good spot in the rotation.”