Going into the 2016 season, the A’s pitching depth was an abject disaster. Jesse Hahn, a bright spot in a tough 2015 campaign was horrendous in Spring Training, and was optioned to AAA Nashville. That opened a spot for Felix Doubront, decent swing man but poor starting pitcher, who immediately went down with a torn UCL. He’d miss the season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, giving a rotation spot to the ever frustrating Eric Surkamp, and the A’s season went as expected with him in the rotation.
We’re heading into 2017 knowing the rotation is deep.