The Athletics’ offseason has a clear priority: add proven arms to a pitching staff that needs more veteran stability.
Luis Severino is already locked in as one returning piece. The right-hander has opened the last two seasons as the club’s Opening Day starter after signing his franchise-record deal, and he has chosen to exercise his player option. That means he’ll be back in the A’s rotation in 2027.
At the same time, the club created another opening. Jeffrey Springs struggled through a rough season, and the A’s declined his option, sending the southpaw into free agency. That leaves a vacancy in the rotation that has to be filled.
One name that fits the need is Dustin May. He brings postseason experience, and that matters for a team looking for more established presence on the mound. May has spent the last few years around competitive clubs, won a World Series with the Dodgers, and is now with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2026.
The results this season were uneven. May finished with a 4.70 ERA over 145.2 innings, which is hardly eye-popping.
But the raw stuff is still there. Even with the injuries that have followed him, he averaged 96.8 miles per hour on his fastball, good for the 85th percentile among pitchers this season.
He also averaged 6.7 feet of extension, which ranked in the 72nd percentile.
That combination of velocity and extension has usually played. If he can clean up his off-speed pitch mix in 2027, there’s still a path back to the level of starter he flashed with the Dodgers a few years ago.
Of course, a pitcher with that résumé won’t come cheap. May made $12.5 million last season, and that’s already a bargain for a veteran starter of his caliber. The A’s could push into the $15-17 million range per year if they want to bring him in and have him take starts in West Sacramento before the move to Las Vegas in 2028.
The ballpark situation may not be ideal for a veteran, but the rest of the pitch could be appealing. The A’s are a young team with some momentum and a chance to make a playoff push next season. There’s also the possibility of sticking with the club into the Las Vegas era.
And with May’s injury history and a 4.70 ERA on the books, he might not even cost as much as expected.
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