Next up, in our look back at the A’s players in 2025, we turn back starting pitching by remembering season with J.T. Ginn.
How was he acquired?
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Ginn with the 30th overall
selection of the 2018 MLB draft but chose to honor his commitment to Mississippi State instead of signing with the Dodgers. The New York Mets selected Ginn with the 52nd overall pick the 2020 MLB Amateur draft and he signed with them in June 2020. On March 12, 2022, the Mets traded Ginn and Adam Oller to the Athletics in exchange for Chris Bassitt.
What were the expectations?
Ginn did not really shine in his early days of A’s minor league ball. He was used almost exclusively as a starter but gave up 50+ earned runs in both AA and AAA ball. But he eventually made his MLB debut on August 21, 2024, and his first start for the A’s on August 29. He finished the season with the big-league club making five more starts for the remainder of the season.
2025 Results
Despite finishing the previous season with the A’s, he started 2025 with AAA Las Vegas. He was recalled on April 12, 2025, and made three starts with the club. After two injuries he came back to the A’s after minor league rehab assignments and stuck with the club for good starting on June 16. He made twenty-three appearances (sixteen starts) to finish the season with a 4-7 record and a 5.08 ERA. He logged ninety-nine strikeouts in 90.1 innings, at times looking like a top-tier starter for the club. He has a fairly even split between home and away appearances and like most A’s did much better away from Sutter Health Park, booking a 3.14 ERA away and a 6.85 ERA at home. Righties batted only 1.93 against Ginn, but lefties fared much better at 3.40.
2026 Outlook
Without knowing with certainty what moves the A’s will make to the rotation (or middle relief for that matter) it’s difficult to predict J.T. Ginn’s role when the A’s break spring training camp. But I’d envision him consistently in the back end of the starting rotation.
