As Open To Further Rotation Additions

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The Athletics have been quite active this offseason but arent nece sarily done adding to the roster. General manager David Forst that hes still hopeful to make another addition or two, specifically mentioning the rotation as one po sible area.  Ahead of their 2025 move to West Sacramento, the As have signed  and   Jackson Rutledge Jersey , acquired  , and extended  . The teams rotation now features Severino, Springs,  ,  and  . Other candidates on the 40-man roster include  ,  ,  ,  and  . Lefty  and righty  are on the mend from Tommy John surgery and will open the season on the injured list, but the former could be an option in the second half. (Medinas surgery was performed in August, likely taking him out through the end of the 2025 season.)  The flurry of offseason dealings has boosted the Athletics payroll to  $64.5MM in terms of total salary owed. Their luxury ledger is a bit higher, thanks in large part to the fact that Severino and Rooker are on backloaded deals. around $97MM in CBT considerations. Theyre reportedly aiming to pull north of $105MM in hopes of avoiding a grievance from the MLBPA tied to the appropriation of the funds the team receives through revenue-sharing. The As previously lost their revenue-sharing status for similar reasons and were only reinstated as a recipient under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement. They havent topped $83MM in luxury obligations since.  Some free agents will balk at the notion of playing their games in a Triple-A park, though as the As showed with Severino, that can be bridged with a far more substantial contract than most expected entering the winter. Forsts club feels like a particularly good fit to take on a somewhat unwanted contract in the rotation as well.  The D-backs would welcome the opportunity to shed  s $22.5MM salary. Ditto the Phillies and  (two years, $36MM) and, presumably, Tigers and  ($10MM in 2025). The Yankees are  ($18MM in 2025, conditional $18MM player option for 2026 if he pitches 140 innings) and are . The Cardinals  and the final $12MM hes owed in the last season of a four-year deal. The Twins are open to offers on  and his $7.5MM as they look to scale back spending. Rangers righty  ($13MM) has seen his name kicked around the rumor circuit this winter as well. Put more concisely, theres no shortage of arms whod fit that bill, but the list of clubs willing to take on such a contract isnt large. That puts the As in a decent position.  Another addition to the rotation would further make the As more respectable than many will give them credit for entering 2025. A rotation fronted by Severino, Springs, Sears and a to-be-determined outside acquisition could at least be competitive, health permitting. The lineup features not only the excellent Rooker but emerging outfield contributors  and  . Catcher  only posted a .288 OBP but swatted 29 homers this past season. Young players like  ,  and  have shown potential.  is one of the games premier closers.  Based on that foundation, its at least within the realm of po sibility that the As emerge as a surprise club in 2025. That makes any forthcoming additions all the more interesting. The teams budget for the actual cash payroll isnt known, but their current $64.5MM projection is about $1.5MM ahead of last years paltry $63MM mark.  Ryan Zimmerman Jersey