Opportunities abound in rotation after departures
MESA, ARIZ. >> There's suddenly a daunting amount of innings for the Oakland A's to fill after dealing away two of their top three starting pitchers this spring.
In the view of A's manager Mark Kotsay, the trades of Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea — who combined for 336 2/3 innings last year — allow those who remain in the A's pitching plans a chance to establish themselves in the big leagues.
“It's all about that mentality and identity that we've taken upon ourselves of `next man up,' ” Kotsay said. “I think our group of starters understand that they have to go out there and fill those roles. They're excited about that.”
The Opening Day nod will go to veteran Frankie Montas, but behind him is a largely unproven group that includes Daulton Jefferies, Paul Blackburn and Adam Oller, who the A's acquired from the Mets in the Bassitt trade.
Montas, who threw 187 innings while posting a 3.37 ERA for Oakland last year, was in trade rumors throughout the spring but is now clearly the top A's starter. Behind him is Cole Irvin, a lefty who logged 178 1/3 innings — just one fewer than Manaea recorded — in his first full major league season.
Considering all that's now missing from Oakland's rotation, the A's need Irvin to shoulder another big load.
“I was a regular rotation piece last year, so my job is still the same, and I want to continue to work deep into games and limit the amount of innings we need out of the bullpen,” Irvin said. “I felt good today, and I felt good in my last outing, so now it's guns blazing.”
Irvin capped off his spring with a 4 1/3-inning start against the Giants on Monday. While he gave up four runs on five hits, the five strikeouts and his development of a cutter left Kotsay pleased.
“(Irvin) looked good,” Kotsay said Monday. “Any time a pitcher throws a cutter in, it should open up that opportunity to go down and away with soft stuff. He does a good job of pitching in, and he also has a front-door two-seamer that he can use. Definitely a weapon that he can have in his arsenal and he can benefit from.”
Irvin finished his spring training with 14 strikeouts in 14 innings with only two walks. The lefty is in line to get the ball on Saturday against the Phillies, the team that drafted him and brought him to the majors before the A's traded for him before last season.
Oakland's Sunday morning trade that sent Manaea to the Padres ahead of a game against San Diego created one of the most unique days in spring training history. And it came after the A's traded Bassitt at the start of spring, and AllStar infielders Matt Olson and Matt Chapman also in early spring.
Manaea, still sporting his A's green glove, started for his new team and manager Bob Melvin — who left the A's for the Padres this offseason — against his old team. A day later, it still felt surreal to those who witnessed it.
“(It) was a bit strange,” Kotsay said Monday. “Bob and I joked that Sean could have just pitched in the A's uniform and put a Padres hat on.”
Manaea's presence will be missed for more than his performance on the mound. He was revered by teammates and coaches for his personality and contributions in the clubhouse.
“It's not easy to lose a great teammate, regardless of what happens on and off the field,” A's pitcher Brent Honeywell said. “He made everyone around him better, just being around him. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Honeywell was traded to Oakland at the beginning of the offseason in November. As he got to know some of his new teammates this spring, he leaned on Manaea to help himself settle in. Although Honeywell will begin the season on the injured list due to an elbow issue, he will eventually aim for a spot in the starting rotation. Yet he doesn't view Manaea's departure as a positive development.
“You need guys like Sean in clubhouses to win,” Honeywell said. “Regardless of whose spot is whose, it doesn't really matter to me. I still have to go out and do what I have to do, and everybody here has a job to do.”
Irvin also acknowledged the loss of Manaea as a tough blow to the clubhouse, but he indicated that there is still plenty of energy to keep building a positive working environment.
“Sean was an integral part of our clubhouse, so it's a big loss in terms of personality in the room, but we still got a lot of other personalities here, too,” Irvin said. “We're going to help in ways that we can.”