A's Rotation to Begin the 2025 Season
The Athletics rotation to begin the 2025 campaign has just been announced, with Luis Severino at the top of the bill, earning the Opening Day start. Martín Gallegos of MLB.com posted this morning that the five-member of the rotation will be Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Osvaldo Bido, JP Sears, and Joey Estes, with Mitch Spence beginning the year in the bullpen.
He also noted that this may not be the exact order that they line up in to begin the season.
Well we already know Severino is No. 1, and it would make sense to go righty-lefty, and Springs is a left-hander, as well as the A's other big off-season acquisition. He's also lined up to pitch Game 2 of the season, so he will, in all likelihood, pitch the Friday game against the Seattle Mariners.
The third and fifth spots in the rotation would appear to be the one in question here if we logic this one out. At first glance, it would appear to be Sears and Bido in some order, because Sears isn't the team's fifth starter, and Bido faced minor-league batters on his day to pitch recently, instead of facing the Mariners lineup.
You only do some gamesmanship like that if Bido is set to face the M's in that opening series, which means he's in the top four. Based off righty-lefty, it would appear as though Bido is the No. 3 starter, while Sears is No. 4.
That would leave Joey Estes in the rotation at No. 5 to handle the A's first-ever game in Sacramento against the Chicago Cubs. Getting the Opening Day nod is always a huge honor for guys, but to be trusted with this spot, as the team's first exposure to a new city--that's a pretty big deal, too.
Given that spotlight, maybe the A's do turn to Sears instead. It would give them back-to-back righties in the middle of the rotation, but they'll have those anyway. Sears has been a staple in the rotation, making all of his scheduled starts the past two seasons, and being the No. 5 guy wouldn't be seen as a demotion, but instead a bit of a reward.
The A's could go with either Sears or Estes in the 4/5 role, but it would appear as though Severino, Springs, and Bido are the top three to start the season.
As for Spence, he began last season in the bullpen and was terrific in that role, posting a 4.26 ERA across 25.1 relief innings as a rookie. He would move into the rotation in May, and held a 4.64 ERA in the rotation, spanning 126 frames. While he missed out on a spot in the rotation to start the season, he'll likely be first in line to get in there if an injury occurs.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.