By Jason Wojciechowski on April 29, 2018 at 2:36 PM
The A's have had to make some moves lately on the pitching staff for a variety of reasons. Quickly:
- Lou Trivino was called up when Yusmeiro Petit had to go help his ailing mother, was optioned when Petit came back, was called back up again when Petit went on the bereavement list due to his mother's death, but then stuck around when Petit came back the second time
- Trevor Cahill came up when the A's needed a fifth starter and is now in the rotation
- Danny Coulombe was optioned after the team burned through the whole bullpen and needed fresh arms, but was then recalled after less than the normal requirement of 10 days in the minors because Ryan Buchter went on the disabled list
- Chris Bassitt came up as part of the "let's get some fresh arms," but went back to Nashville a week later, as the A's preferred Danny Coulombe and Wilmer Font to him
- Josh Lucas came up with Bassitt, but only stuck around for a day
- Wilmer Font was acquired from the Dodgers and added to the active roster; he's out of options
- Kendall Graveman, who actually pitched a decent game his last time out, was optioned. The A's can run with the four starters they have on the roster presently until Saturday, May 5, but Susan Slusser says it's more likely someone will be called up on Wednesday, 5/2
In table form, here's the pitching roster as of the last time I blogged, and the roster today:
| Role | 4/17 | 4/29 |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Kendall Graveman | Trevor Cahill |
| SP | Sean Manaea | Sean Manaea |
| SP | Daniel Mengden | Daniel Mengden |
| SP | Andrew Triggs | Andrew Triggs |
| CL | Blake Treinen | Blake Treinen |
| RP | Yusmeiro Petit | Yusmeiro Petit (but with some absences) |
| RP | Emilio Pagan | Emilio Pagan |
| RP | Chris Hatcher | Chris Hatcher |
| RP | Ryan Dull | Ryan Dull |
| RP | Danny Coulombe | Danny Coulombe (but with some absences) |
| RP | Santiago Casilla | Santiago Casilla |
| RP | Ryan Buchter | Lou Trivino |
| RP | Trayce Thompson, essentially | Wilmer Font |
So for all the noise in the last two weeks, the current roster is actually not much different than it started out. Ryan Buchter is hurt, and Kendall Graveman is terrible, so each of them have been replaced, but otherwise, the roster spots are mostly the same.
The usage is changing a little, but that's natural and expected, regardless of roster flux. The big move is that Casilla's good work is earning a little more trust from Bob Melvin, though that's only been reflected in one game so far, when Melvin chose him for the one-run save against the Rangers when Treinen was knocked out by a come-backer.
The interesting question is who starts on Wednesday or Saturday. It can't be Graveman quite yet; absent an injury, the earliest he can come back would be Sunday, May 6, I thinkâyou have to go down for at least 10 days, so if the Thursday that Graveman was optioned counts as one of the days, then that makes Saturday, May 5 the 10th day. The possibilities:
| Pitcher | Comments |
|---|---|
| Wilmer Font | Has no major-league starts, but was a minor-league starter the last two years, in the Dodgers and Blue Jays systems (as well as independent ball), and he had a really nice season in Triple-A last year |
| Daniel Gossett | Opened the year in the major-league rotation and was as hittable as ever. He's missing bats in Triple-A, but also walking everybody. He pitched today, so he'd be on short rest Wednesday |
| Brett Anderson | Unbelievable numbers to start the year in Nashville (25 strikeouts to two walks in 19 innings across four starts). He's scheduled to pitch Monday, so he couldn't go Wednesday if he pitches a normal game. He's not on the 40-man, but the A's have an empty slot |
| James Naile | Slusser noted that he's on turn for Wednesday. He was a 20th-rounder out of college in 2015 and pitched mostly in Double-A last year. Baseball America rated him 26th in the A's system coming into the year, and noted that he's a sinkerballer without overwhelming stuff who's around the strike zone and fields his position well. He's also not on the 40-man |
Assuming we're looking at Wednesday, Gossett can pretty much be ruled out as it is, which is fine by me. I think it's clear at this point, much as I hate to bury a guy, that he's not a major-league starting pitcher. Anderson we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. The A's seem to feel, per Slusser's reporting of comments by Bob Melvin, that Graveman won't be down long. It's a trip to get himself right in a low-pressure environment, not something larger. So the two most obvious ways to accomplish this are:
- Font starts the game, then heads back to the bullpen, then Graveman comes back for the next turn in the rotation, and either Trivino or Pagan catch an option or Hatcher or Font find themselves waived
- Naile is added to the 40-man (no cost), and the 25-man (same 25-man choices as above), starts the game, then is immediately optioned back to Nashville and a new reliever is added, either Josh Lucas (who is already on the 40-man and will hit 10 days in the minors on Monday, April 30) or one of the non-40-man options, with the latter being possible despite Naile taking up spot no. 40 if the A's remove Hatcher or Font at that point. Those options include Frankie Montas (bad results as a starter so far this year), Eric Jokisch (same), Anderson, Raul Alcantara (not striking anyone out in the bullpen), Simon Castro (walking everyone), Bobby Wahl (preposterous numbers in relief so far), Kyle Finnegan (no idea), or Jeremy Bleich (same). Anderson, Alcantara, and Castro could not be optioned back to Nashville when Graveman rejoins the team, though
Do you want my vote? My vote, if he's capable, is for Font to start the game and Hatcher to catch his release. If it wouldn't be safe for Font's arm for him to start the game, then I like the Naile option, saving Brett Anderson for when he's needed on a more permanent basis, with Hatcher being cut to make room when Naile comes up and Josh Lucas joining the bullpen for four days until Graveman's next start. Please listen to me, Billy.