Elephant Rumblings: Springs springs into spring

MLB news roundup

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation! Hope you are safely enjoying your holiday.

Last week saw a fair bit of discussion on how the back end of the A’s starting rotation is shaping up, and who might make the number five spot with a strong showing in Spring Training.

Higher up the ladder, two of the A’s offseason pitching acquisitions seem to have a lock on Opening Day spots, with Luis Severino likely to throw the A’s first pitch of the regular season, and Jeffrey Springs projected by Martin Gallegos at MLB.com to be the number four starter. I’m not so sure Springs won’t begin the season at number two or three, but most importantly, we can probably all agree that Springs is a rotation shoo-in as long as he’s healthy.

And healthy Springs is, according to the 32-year-old lefty himself. With Tommy John surgery further behind him and a brief but promising return to the Rays in 2024, Jeffrey is coming to the A’s feeling fresh and pain-free. Hopefully Springs will finally be able to realize his potential in 2025 with a new team; as AN’s Nico recently pointed out, Springs has been very good when he happens to be healthy, with 10.30 K/9 and a 3.64 FIP through 313⅔ career MLB innings.

Nico went so far as to baselessly predict that Springs will be one of the A’s most pleasant surprises this year. To me, that would look something like 30 starts, at least 150 IP, and more than a strikeout an inning. And that kind of performance could easily push Springs near the top of the A’s rotation, if he’s not already the team’s number two on Opening Day.

Cactus League play starts this weekend! Enjoy the anticipation and have a terrific week, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Could Parity Nudge The 2025 A’s Into Fringe Contention?
• Athletics 2025 Community Prospect List: Gunnar Hoglund nabs 13th spot
• Q&A with A’s Hall of Famer Dave Stewart
• With new team, Springs feels back to old healthy form
• Former Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees Infielder to Join A’s Radio
• 3 A’s Players to Keep an Eye on This Spring
• Does New York Mets Free Agent Make Sense For A’s?

MLB News & Interest:

• MLB power rankings: Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies 1-2-3 as spring training starts, season beckons ($)
• 11 rookies projected to make an impact in 2025
• Angels Sign Kenley Jansen
• Pirates To Sign Tommy Pham
• Guardians, John Means “In Advanced Talks” About Contract
• Nolan Arenado Discusses Trade Rumors
• Starling Marte Discusses Trade Talks, Bench Role
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Number 25 getting ready for 2025.

..and the A’s star arm.