Expect a smorgasbord and lots of action in Vegas

A’s: No. 1 on wish list: plenty of starters

Oakland’s surprising success in 2018 came despite its rotation devastation, but repeating such a high-wire act would be next to impossible.

So the A’s quest going into the winter meetings, which open Monday in Las Vegas, is to add starting pitching — lots of it. After non-tendering Mike Fiers on Nov. 30, the team returns zero starters from its end-of-season rotation and only one healthy semi-regular starter, Daniel Mengden.

Oakland also doesn’t have a primary catcher; backup Josh Phegley is back, but the A’s are on the lookout for an experienced player on a one-year deal, with 24-year-old Sean Murphy waiting in the wings. The team is focused on bringing back

Jonathan Lucroy on a one-year deal, according to sources, but it’s unclear if he’s interested in anything less than two years, or a year and an option.

Starters are the main thrust, though, even with top prospect Jesus Luzardo considered an option coming out of the spring. Luzardo is 21 and has only four games at Triple A, so the A’s will be cautious — if there’s the slightest chance he’s not ready for the big leagues, he’ll get at least a little more time in the minors. So the A’s really need to add three starters, minimum.

Given the A’s strong young core and promising future, based on last season’s wildcard playoff appearance, the team has no wish to deal any of its top prospects, especially Luzardo or Murphy. Free agency will be the A’s primary market, and anyone with a decent track record and reasonable salary demands will be a possibility.

“There are a number of starting-pitching options out there, both through free agency and trade conversations,” A’s general manager David Forst said on a conference call, noting that both markets tend to become more heated at the winter meetings. “Obviously, we haven’t made any transactions yet, but not for a lack of conversations or activity.”

Team officials indicated after the season that they’re interested in bringing back Edwin Jackson and Trevor Cahill, and they’d certainly consider Brett Anderson on another minorleague deal. Former team ties won’t hurt — the A’s were happy to find Cahill and Anderson available when their rotation injuries struck last spring, and there are several former Oakland starters on the market, including left-handers Gio Gonzalez and Drew Pomeranz and right-hander Tyson Ross. The A’s have checked on Gonzalez as well as former Mets right-hander Matt Harvey, who has struggled since undergoing thoracic-outlet surgery in 2016.

The crop of experienced major-league starters who might fit the A’s price range is deep and includes pitchers such as Clay Buchholz, Wade Miley, Derek Holland, Ervin Santana and Doug Fister, who missed much of last season with a knee injury.

Unlikely, but fun to think about: former A’s starter Bartolo Colon, who plans to continue pitching at the age of 45.

Oakland is likely to continue its pattern of beefing up the bullpen, which was the team’s thrust at the trade deadline. The club has talked to Shawn Kelley about returning, and there might be some good value on the free-agent market, even with the A’s already strong unit, including Cody Allen, Brad Brach and former Oakland right-hander Ryan Madson.

“We saw the value of being strong back there and I think we already are,” Forst said, “but we are open to continue to add to the bullpen if that’s the best way to use our resources.”

When it comes to catching, should the A’s fail to land Lucroy, the team has considered Wilson Ramos. Former Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters might be interested in a oneyear deal if it’s “aggressive,” according to a source. Oakland is unlikely to spend more than $5 million at that position, however. Similar to the situation at catcher with Lucroy, Oakland would like to re-sign second baseman Jed Lowrie, but Lowrie is coming off a career year and some projections put his potential haul in free agency at $30 million or more.

The team does have Franklin Barreto waiting in the wings, and if the A’s don’t deem him ready, they could add a fulltime second baseman or a lefthanded-hitting infielder to share the spot.

“It could go a number of ways,” Forst said. “We’re going to explore adding a second baseman, letting Franklin play, finding a platoon partner for him. All of those things are on the table.”