Entering July, it was clear that the Oakland A’s needed to bolster their starting rotation if they wanted to contend for the postseason.
The unit had already been thin when the season began, even before attrition set in. Then they lost free agent addition Marco Estrada to an injury in mid-April, and then budding ace Frankie Montas to a PED suspension in June. Daniel Mengden was upgraded from depth arm to fourth starter, and converted reliever Tanner Anderson got the call despite an ERA over six in Triple-A. The rotation wasn’t good enough, and there was virtually no reliable depth remaining for the ensuing three months.