3 pressing questions for the Athletics’ pitching staff

At the Winter Meetings in December, manager Mark Kotsay said the one starter with a secured spot in the Oakland Athletics’ rotation at the time was Cole Irvin — who was traded to Baltimore last month.

Such is the evolving state of the A’s pitching staff, which has undergone a nearly total overhaul at the major-league level the past year and enters spring training with a number of unknowns.

As a staff last season, the A’s posted the third-highest ERA (4.52) and second-highest opponent OPS (.750) in the AL in playing their way to 102 losses. They made additions to the rotation and bullpen this offseason but remain light on experience in both areas.

The result could be much jockeying for spots in camp. Here are several questions to be answered prior to Opening Night.

Who will make up the initial rotation?

The mix of candidates is eclectic. Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian return from last year’s rotation. Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, free-agent signee Drew Rucinski and trade addition Kyle Muller are expected to compete for spots. So is A.J. Puk, who pitched last season in relief. Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, Adrián Martinez and Adam Oller also return after making their MLB debuts in 2022.

Blackburn rode a strong first half to an All-star nod last season but missed the final two months with a middle finger injury. Kaprielian, who pitched better in the second half, had surgery in the offseason on his nagging AC shoulder joint. General manager David Forst said recently both are expected to be ready for the start of camp, but both will need to show they’re healthy this spring and avoid setbacks.

In trading Irvin, the A’s signaled a readiness to pivot to newer rotation options. But they also parted with a reliable pitcher who worked at least 30 starts and 178 innings in each of the past two seasons. Much of the remaining group lacks that record of durability. No pitcher on the A’s 40-man roster has thrown 150 or more MLB innings in a season.

Rucinski, 34, who spent the past four seasons in Korea, might help shoulder the workload. He threw 193 2/3 innings in 2022 and averaged 183 in four KBO seasons, but must show he can navigate his return to MLB. Muller, 25, acquired in the trade of Sean Murphy to Atlanta, totaled 147 innings in Triple-a and MLB last year, a solid foundation for regular rotation work.

Fujinami totaled 107 1/3 innings last year as both a starter and reliever. The former high school phenom in Japan reportedly showed a triple-digit fastball but will be adjusting to a new baseball and new hitters. Waldichuk (129 2/3), Sears (117 2/3) and Puk (66 1/3) are also coming off lower innings totals. Partly for that reason — performance being another — the rotation’s makeup is likely to evolve during the season.

“I think we’re going to see some competition in the spring and then I think, as the season goes along, we’re going to see guys competing for spots,” Forst said last month. “And I think that’s healthy . ... We have seen historically here that when starters compete with one another and push each other, that’s when things go really well. So I’m excited to see that dynamic.”

Can Puk stick as a starter?

Puk, the injury-plagued 2016 first-round pick, pitched a full healthy season in 2022 from the A’s bullpen. He entered 62 games and posted a 3.12 ERA with the fifth-highest strikeout-per-nine innings rate (10.3) among qualified left-handed relievers. Puk had some late-game struggles but offered a power arm from an A’s relief corps that ranked 22nd in the majors in average fastball velocity.

So it’s intriguing that the A’s plan to have Puk, 27, compete for a starting role this spring. Forst said Puk reiterated his desire to start after last season, and the A’s thought he deserved a chance.

The move would seem to carry a risk. Puk last started regularly in 2017 in the minors before undergoing Tommy John and shoulder surgeries that stalled his career. But he lowered his arm angle in 2021, added weight, credited a training regimen focused on body control and stability with helping him stay healthy last year, and might feel better equipped now to avoid injury setbacks.

“I think we’re aware that’s going to have to be a constant conversation,” Forst said of Puk’s usage. “And you are talking about a guy who was a starter for a long time in college and the minor leagues, so it’s not like he’s transitioning and has never done it. So, I think performance aside, we’ll keep track of his health and how he feels getting back into that role.”

From a results standpoint, Puk’s platoon splits last year were stark: Right-handed hitters owned a .751 OPS against him, lefties .509. It will be interesting to see whether Puk, who used a fastball-slider combo last season, brings a wider repertoire to camp for a role in which teams can stack righties against him.

How do the A’s spell relief?

The projected bullpen — especially if Puk does return to starting — counts heavily on pitchers rebounding from injuries or building on encouraging 2022 rookie seasons.

Trevor May, who signed a oneyear, $7 million deal, totaled 25 innings last season and missed time with a stress reaction in his humerus. He should be a late-game option, joining Zach Jackson, Sam Moll and Dany Jiménez, who pitched well for the A’s in stretches last year and finished the season on the injured list with shoulder strains. Domingo Acevedo, who logged a team-high 70 outings as a swingman, also returns.

Several spots look open for competition. Chad Smith, acquired in a December trade, brings just 15 MLB innings but a sinker-slider mix the A’s liked enough to part with a pitching prospect (Jeff Criswell). Nonroster invitees include Austin Pruitt, who pitched in 39 games for the A’s last season, and Deolis Guerra, who is returning from Tommy John surgery and made 53 outings for Oakland in 2021.

Removing Puk raises two issues. Other left-handed options on the 40-man roster, after Moll, are Kirby Snead and possibly Hogan Harris, who has primarily started in the minors. Puk also might have been a candidate to close games — the A’s rotated those duties among several pitchers last year and will need to decide again this spring whether they’ll go by-committee and their ninth-inning options.